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Yet another period of checking the forecast daily and chomping at the bit to get out into the hills
I had already planned to make Ben macdui my 200th Munro so now it was just a matter of being patient
Finally a decent forecast, high pressure and summer was finally arriving
Set off from Fife just after 6.30 and being so early the roads were nice & quiet, anyone who has driven from Blairgowrie to Braemar will know what I mean
Was surprised how busy the car park at Linn of Dee was, but as the car park is quite large finding a space wasn't a problem. Got the bike out of the car and set off at 8.15, even managed to cycle the uphill section just out of the car park
The track/path that takes you towards the main track was rather muddy and damp, I could see quite a few folk had just ploughed straight through on their bikes, not me
The cycle to Derry Lodge is now becoming a familiar routine, having said that I still have another 2 visits before the Gorms will be done and dusted
There were a few tents up near Derry Lodge, but carried on over the bridge with my bike. Don't know if anyone else has taken a bike over the 'new' bridge? It is a tight squeeze, don't know if my handlebars are extra wide but I had to lift the front of the bike across the bridge
Once across the bridge it is then a matter of joining the track about half a mile away, however that half a mile involves crossing a boggy grassy area, grass was damp and not ideal for cycling so pushing the bike was the only option
Once the proper track was reached it was back on the bike, I managed to cycle for about another mile or so - with a few dismounts for inclines and crossing water features.
I dumped/abandoned/parked the bike in a nice location, had to be somewhere I could find it, also decided to leave the pump and my gaiters with it. Had my gaiters on but my legs were getting rather warm and rather than carry them I opted to leave them.
The track
The bike park
Nice walk
As you go further west the path becomes a wee bit narrower
The day was progressing nicely I had covered quite a bit of distance by bike so I was beating Mr Naismith
The next obstacle was going to be Luibeg Burn, I could hear it and it didn't sound like a little trickle
There is a path that cuts off to the left to cross the Burn by stones, but I didn't fancy that as it looked quite challenging, so I just continued on for a short distance and hey presto Luibeg Bridge appears
Luibeg Bridge
Once across the bridge it was then a matter of following a rough path across boggy ground which then meets up with the main path that "fords" the burn. The path then heads up the shoulder of Carn a' Mhaim, not too steeply and very well maintained with quite a few large boulders which made it just like going up the stairs at home
The path going up Carn a' Mhaim
The way up, typical Cairngorms path
Local resident posing
As I gained height the views certainly improved and as I had now been out this way a few times, for a change I could actually name some of the hills
Glen Geusachan north
Glen Geusachan south
The summit of Carn a' Mhaim was reached in pretty good time and the views were superb, especially across to the Devils Point.
Summit selfie, got my nice brightly coloured base layer on
Zoom across to Mheadhoin
After a quick drink and a bite to eat it was onwards and downwards. I was looking along the ridge towards Macdui and it looked like being quite a bit of a drop
The ridge itself was easy to descend along and the views on both sides were very impressive, I was paying special attention to the left hand side as Devils Point to Braeriach is an imminent target.
The ridge down
Nice shot of Carn Toul
Interesting snow formation almost sliding down the gully
Devils Point, with Corrour Bothy on the nice green patch
Corrour Bothy zoomed
During the descent down the ridge I was keeping an eye on the amount of height I was losing and it wasn't pleasant, by the time I reached the bealach I had descended 230m eek
Just before I reached the foot of the ridge I met a chap who was going in the opposite direction, he was staying in Corrour Bothy & was making his way through all 18 hills - good luck
He had done the Braeriach 4 yesterday so we were chatting about the terrain and I was even contemplating (not for very long) tackling them after Macdui.
Looking back to Mhaim
Once across the bealach the real hard work began, there is a path initially up the side of Macdui, but once the boulder field is reached it obviously disappears. The boulders seemed to go on forever and it was just a matter of selecting the larger ones to push uphill from.
Looking back, also shows one or two boulders
After the boulder field was out of the way it was then a matter of turning left (ish) and heading up towards the summit of Macdui. There were a couple of large snow fields to cross, but the snow was soft and it was just a matter of following the foot steps already there
For anyone who hasn't been up Macdui, the summit plateau is huge and literally littered with shelters. What really surprised me when I reached the summit was the amount of fellow walkers who were wandering around, bearing in mind I had met one guy in almost 5 hours, there must have been about 30 folk taking photo's eating etc
I was hoping and expecting to have the summit to myself, wrong
A shelter about 400m from the summit
This highlights how many folk were on top, this is just one direction
Braeriach
Panning left from Braeriach
Further left
Further left
Further left
Aviemore?
The Barns zoomed
After taking plenty of photo's and the usual bite to eat it was time to head down
I had 2 options for the descent, bear left down into the glen or down the shoulder past Sron Riach, I chose the 2nd option and as it turned out it was a pleasant gentle descent
The initial part is over boulders but after that it was plain sailing.
The way down
Looking across to the ridge of Carn a' Mhaim
The way down to Glen Luibeg
Typical Cairngorms feature
Looking back up the shoulder
The only potential problem was the crossing of Luibeg Burn, in spate it would be a problem but not today. Once on the other side it was then just a matter of following the path which traverses the lower slopes of Carn Crom before joining up with the main path.
It didn't take too long to be re-united with my bike and the cycle back to the car park seemed to be much easier, maybe as there is more downhill and freewheeling is always a huge bonus after 6 hours in the sunshine
Arrived back at the car at 3.30 and after a drink etc it was time to head home. As I expected the traffic was the complete opposite of the trip north. The highlight was getting stuck behind 2 French campervans travelling in convoy, as I now know the road rather well I was able to nip past them fairly quickly
Really enjoyed the day and will probably be heading back again next week (weather permitting), but before that I am heading out again tomorrow having arranged a meeting via "Talk Highlands". I won't divulge where we are heading, watch this space
Edit carried out - thanks to Cairngormwanderer for his far superior knowledge