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Another title for this report would have been “
Coaxing MrsR out of retirement on Meall a Bhuachaille”. As it was events pre-walking dictated the decision on the report title for me
With MrsR having the weekend off it was a chance for us to get away and have a bit of “us” time. The destination of choice was Aviemore. And I was on a promise too..........for a wee walk that is
Alas things didn’t get off to a good start
I’d done a few miles of Christmas/New Year driving and thought a tire pressure check would be in order. Not only did I discover the pressures were all over the shire I also discovered the condition of all four tyres probably weren’t conducive to much more punishment from me So off for new tyres we went
Further investigation when at the tyre replacement shop indicated the rear pads were pretty much down to the metal as well (and there was me having motored on a 1,000 mile round trip to East Sussex and back just three days before.......gulp
). So we weren’t even out of Ayrshire yet, and after a couple of hours in the delights of Killie I was the guts of 500 pound lighter already. Now, I may have the makings of a small
rubber ring forming round my middle, but stone me I’m not that overwieght
Anyway, let’s get back to happier pursuits and the walking
Saturday was a gentle amble up the A9 with my super grippy tyres and “dogs dangly bits” brake pads
We weren’t in a hurry though and late afternoon found us sourcing what turned out to be a fantastic guest house – the Ravenscraig. Our luck continued in the nearby hostelry, where we were able to enjoy a few drinks (in my case some pints of Wild Cat) and an excellent meal
Sunday dawned to a stunning sunrise with the sky seeming to burn red
- Aviemore sunrise - under a blood red sky
No Shepherd’s warning though (excuse the pun) as we were set for a great day out in the (increasingly) fresh air
My plan was to coax MrsR to the Glenmore Lodge and the short walk to Lochan Uaine and then on to Ryvoan bothy, where I hoped to convince her that the walk up onto Meall a Bhuachaille didn't look too bad and maybe she should give it a go. It’s probably worth pointing out my walking experience with MrsR to this point - Ben A’an (distant thunderstorm, but not so distant rain so oa soaking was the order of the day!!) and Ben Vrackie (least said, soonest mended and my old mother would have said!!!!). After her Vrackie experience alone MrsR had announced her retirement from hill walking on account of the fact that the experience had nearly finished her off
It should also be noted on a serious point that MrsR does in fact suffer from Fibromyalgia and too much physical activity can play real havoc with her lower back and legs. To her credit though she does remain active, although I need to appreciate that even reasonably straightforward hill walking for us hill walking types is going to be well on the edge of her (dis)comfort zone.
All parked up and kitted up and we were off
A nice gentle pace (or so I hoped) as we wandered along the excellent track to Lochan Uaine, where we stopped for a few moments to soak up the views and enjoy the silence – it almost seemed sacrilegious to impose on that silence, so any conversations were in hushed tones.
- The lovely Lochan Uaine
Onward we went through the Ryvoan Pass and on to the Ryvoan bothy. All good so far
I’d mooted the idea of a wee hill and luckily for me the path up from the bothy looked pretty reasonable. After a quick snoop round the bothy it was time to make my move and see if MrsR was up for it. Personally I was happy with whatever decision she reached, but I can’t deny a part of me was chuffed when she agreed to give it a go
- Ryvoan bothy
- View back to the Cairngorms
- The gentle start up Meall a'Bhuachaille
- View over the moorland from the path up the Corbett
- Coire ant-Sneachda
- Cairngorms, with Lochan Uiane
- Ben Rinnes
- Bynack More
- MrsR pressing on uphill
Early signs were good, as the gentle(ish) ascent seemed to be met with her approval. Things went slightly down hill every time we hit any of the laid stone pathway on the steeper climbs
I was trying to keep her focused and encourage her along, but I was feeling her spirit sag a bit each time we hit these step sections. Not MrsR’s favourite part of the walk. After one particularly steep section I was amazed that MrsR had kept on going, but soon after this, with the route almost to the top visible ahead of us disaster struck
MrsR announced she was done, she’d had enough, she wasn’t going any further
She was happy for me to press on to the summit, but it would be alone as she found a spot to sit and look after the rucksack. I was disappointed, I’ll admit. But it wasn’t my place to force her, so reluctantly I set off to touch the summit cairn.
- The path what made MrsR's mind up
- Looking back. MrsR would have been sitting a little out of sight as the path went from right to left below the line of the hill
And then everything changed again
Turning the final corner (which MrsR could just about see from where she was sitting) the final, gentle ascent to the cairn could be seen. But better than that.......Rudolph and a small herd of his buddies were grazing just up from the path. Clearly enjoying a post Christmas break on their way back to Lapland after all their efforts a couple of weeks earlier
- Rudolph and pals grazing. Totally disinterested in me, although slightly more interested in a couple who came up behind me with their dog!
After a brief pause to take some snaps I was on up to the summit to touch the cairn and get a few summit shots. It was a tad breezy
(like, blowing a gale
) so I wasn’t there long before heading back to MrsR.
- Cairn shot
- View of Cairngorms from the summit. I could barely stand at times as the wind did it's best to blow me over
- "What?"
"Who you saying only has one antler?"
"Not me pal"
On arriving back I mentioned that she would kick herself if she didn’t finish off the hill, especially as she had done the hard part already (which she really had done - it was all fairly gentle for the final section). Armed with my photies I laid on the charm to see if she would give it a go
Somewhat reluctantly it has to be said she did agree
I say "somewhat", what I really mean is she wasn't happy, but if it shut me up she'd just have to suffer
We took our time, on account of the fact that I knew it was hurting, but soon enough we turned the corner and there they were. Rudolph and fiends
They must have some sort of healing power, as immediately I could tell MrsR's whole demeanour changed. There was a real spring to her step all of a sudden and the smile was back on her face
She was clearly taken with how placid Rudolph and his pals were and how close we could get to them.
- Back with Rudolph and his pals, this time on the lower slope
- Albino reindeer
After a few minutes in their company we were off to the summit
It was still blowing a gale and frankly quite cold
So we didn’t hang around long. Rather than retrace our steps we chose to head down to the saddle between Meall a Bhuachaille and Creagan Gorm and take the path back to Glenmore from there (I may have jockingly suggested continuing the walk over the ridge, making sure I was far enough away when I did so
). Very breezy at the top, but MrsR was pleased to let me know that despite the fact she sh****g herself she was really enjoying it
which was great to hear.
- Moody skies heading toward the Cairbgorms. Luckily we missed them, although the wind was strong enough to blow some rain over as they passed nearby
- Creagan Gorm as we made our way down.
- The path down to the road as we dropped down from the Creagan Gorm saddle
- Moody skies over the Cairngorms.
- I can't resit a nice tree shot
- Toward Sgoran Dubh More I think, part of the Sgor Gaoith
And, after 5 hours from setting off we were at the roadside
Given the discomfort MrsR was in I for one think that’s not a bad time at all
And her reward? Parsnip and Haggis soup
Washed down with a lovely sandwich (rare Highland beef and horseradish for me and cheese and pickle for MrsR) and a rather tasty homemade sweet, all washed down with a large latte to die for
I mentioned something about "2 down, 219 to go". How MrsR laughed
A perfect end to a perfect day
So, that's 2013 hill walking up and running
And all made better by being in the company of MrsR too