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It seems like ages since I had a new mountain to write about ! It's not that I've not been out on the hills but just nothing 'new' climbed. Until today. The weather was looking pretty good all over the country but the cairngorms were forecasted to have 100% cloud free summits and endless blue skies ! Unfortunately such weather this Summer has been rarer than the proverbial rocking horse #2's. This was too good an opportunity to miss so along with my new Munro bagging companion, my 15 month old Miniature Schnauzer, Penny, whom I had been acclimatising to the bigger hills over the last couple of months. I left Perth at 6am and began the 2 hour drive up the A9 to Allt Mor car park in Glenmore. We arrived to find the car park empty, parking by the start of the walk I paid the £2 parking charge and we were on our way in the glorious, early morning sunshine by 08.10. Pleasantly surprising was the apparant lack of midgies, I had been somewhat expecting to provide them with an all they could eat buffet breakfast until I exited the forest, however, so far so good.
Walk starts on the path to the left of the signsThe walk begins from the 'top' of the car park by the large information boards and basically follows the purple waymarked posts. The walking is on an excellent path through the magnificent forest of Scots pines. It a beautiful area that I had never really explored before and I really enjoyed our stroll up towards the famous Lochan Uaine. It is hard to beat that feeling of the cold morning air on your face, surrounded by a heady aroma of pine....especially when my previous experience(s) of such circumstaces usually involves a waking up on the bathroom floor, hugging the pan, after a heavy night out !!
Due to the excellent underfoot conditions we farely rattled along and reached the man-made steps down to the Lochan in about half an hour from setting off. As it was still relatively early we had the area to ourselves and what a way to experience the place. The mirror like surface of the water perfectly reflected it's tree lined shores, the sun was still to rise high enough to illuminate the lochan and in the low light the famous green tinge to the water was difficult to see. I could easily have stayed longer enjoying the other-worldly scene before us. Whilst the reason, often cited, for the green colouring being as a result of the fairies washing their clothes in it's waters might be a wee bit fancilful to say the least. If fairies had to do their washing somewhere I have yet to find anywhere on my adventures more ideally suited than here !
The 'risers' look a bit high for wee fairy legs !
Lochan Uaine
Fairy spotting !!We were about 2km into a 20+km walk, so it wasn't the time to hang around too long, however, I vowed if we got up and down the Munro in good time we would return here for lunch..nothing like a wee target to get the legs motivated. Shortly beyond the lochan you reach an area identified as being a ground nesting site, something to keep in mind if you are up here with dogs through late Spring/Summer. Thereafter the wide path continues its very gentle climb before it forks with the left branch heading off up the old Ryvoan pass. We took the right hand fork as instructed by the Walkhighlands route description, there are a couple of small signposts to keep you heading in the correct direction (head for Braemar !), and continued on towards the popular wild camping spot at the wooden foot bridge over the River Nethy. As I walked on I couldn't help but think of the advice I had been given previously by my mate who had walked this hill earlier in the year, suggesting I should take a bike and cycle up to the Nethy bridge. The path was certainly good enough and would have saved a reasonable amount of time and no doubt would've been a welcome relief on the return journey. There are a few hills I've noted for future reference that I might attempt the 'bike n hike' approach on. However, as things stand the only 'wheels' that have assissted me in tackling a Munro so far have been of the 'wagon' variety !
Hopefully those dogs who run hundreds of yards ahead of their owners can read lol
"Right turn Clyde"
T'bridge over T'Nethy
The popular, flat, grassy camping spot....also favoured for parking by the RSPBAfter crossing the bridge the path finaly begins to steepen as you head up towards the plateau at the foot of the final ascent up to today's target. It's only really then that you get your first proper view of the mountain. The path remains excellent and if you happen to be made of the same stuff as Danny MacAskill I've no doubt you could still be merrily cycling your way up here. The dog was having a great time in the freedom she had been afforded. I did have a slight concern that at this time of day, the path could well be a perfect spot to find some of the country's most stunningly beautiful adders basking in the warming morning sun. However, on reflection I quickly dismissed the notion, surely the Carribean, or latterly Benidorm, would be more likely sunbathing spots for Carol Vorderman & Rachel Riley !!
First glimpse of Bynack More aheadOnce up on the plateau the path forks again, and as last time, it's the right hand one you want to take. In these conditions with perfect visability it is a pretty obvious choice. It took just over 2 hours from the leaving the car park to reaching the 'foot' of the final ascent. From here the terrain changes considerably, there is still a path, in fact a number of paths, that meander their way up along the side of the rocky ridge which forms a spine down the centre of the mountain from this aspect. The path I followed was narrow and extremely muddy. After the fine walking up to this point it was quite an unpleasant slog in comparison completing the last few hundred metres onto the summit. As always, the 'pain' immediately vanishes when you are greeted with amazing summit views. On a day like this the views couldn't be anything other than spectacular.
The final ascent
One man and his mountain mutt, summit selfie
The great expanse to the East
Looking SW to the Munro Top of A'Choinneach
14 mile round trip, 1090m up you say....canter !It was only just after 10.30am and far too early for lunch, looks like that would indeed be enjoyed back at the Fairy Lochan. On the summit there was a cool breeze which necessitated a retreat behind the large summit cairn to devour the obligatory summit cup cake, only once the summit pics had been taken of course. I have to admit that I had actually forgotten all about the WH recommendation to visit the 'Barns of Bynack' (some of the largest granite tors in the Cairngorms apparently) and ignorantly began our descent back on the way we had came. It was during this initial descent back through the boulders on the narrow muddy path that I had to accept that wee Penny might not be entirely suited to this Munro bagging carry on ! Now I already knew that she hated the rain and would infact 'down tools' and refuse to walk in so much as a shower. Today I had once again witnessed her dancing around puddles as if so much as stepping one paw in the dub would result in instant death, this was followed by commando crawling over the slatted footbridges with levels of suspicion normally reserved for the most recent e-mail informing of the latest royal relative to unfortunately pass away in Nigeria leaving untold riches in exchange for a few bank details ! But it was her reluctance to walk down anything involving a jump down of over a foot that finally saw the penny drop...ahh....or...eh not ! that made me wonder about her 'credentials'. Three times saw me marching on down the slopes only to realise that I was missing a mutt behind me. Repeated calls of 'heel' had fallen on deaf ears and resulted in me having to climb back up the hill to find her stubbornly sitting atop a 12" precipace awaiting rescue ! Just wait until I get her on the AE ridge lol
One of her braver attempts 
We finally made it back down to the excellent outward path and made excellent time in descending the many miles back to the lochan for around 12.30. Perfect timing for lunch. Finding a perfect seat shaped rock at the head of the lochan I enjoyed my piece in the beautiful surroundings. With the sun now high in the sky, the water had taken on a completely different appearance. The green colouring was clearly visible in the deeper areas but what was equally extraordinary was the clarity of the water. Sunken trees, feet below the surface appeared as if they were only submerged in a few inches of water.
Lochan Uaine
The famed turquoise/green waters of the lochanWith a reluctance normally only experienced on having to leave a summit I managed to haul myself back up on to my feet to complete the last few kilometres back to the car. Tired and sore we arrived back at the car park at 13.40, well I was tired and sore, the dug was charging around the place with some wee spaniel that had appeared from the bushes. Clearly 5.5 hours and 14 miles of walking was not enough !
All that was left to complete a fantastic day was a trouble free return journey back down the road. What were the chances of that ? Correct. Absolutely feckin' hee-haw ! In the 6 hours I had been away, the traffic cones had multiplied exponentially. Despite the innumerable miles of road they were earmarking for 'work', the number of workmen on the same stretch were as conspicuous only by their absence. It would be fair to say the only 'dualling' I witnessed actually taking place was when I passed a couple of fluorescent jacketed workies menacingly staring at each other about twenty yards apart, one rocking up with a shiny new cone, what else ! The other armed with his bloody thermos flask, I kid you not !! Which century is the anticipated completion date in ? Eventually I arrived back in Perth after 2 and a half hours, could've been worse I suppose, and I had at least had a great day, bagging Munro #87 into the bargain.
