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A glorious sunny day was forecast so Linn o Dee was our parkup.
Walked up the path to Glen Lui, to escape the madding crowds in the car park.
It was ages since I'd last been up here with Tony Bradshaw to knock off Angels Peak........
- Marching gaily, on we go......
- A half-dead Scots pine
- The boardwalk across the burn
At the brig over the Lui Water a group were resting - looking like they were Lairig Gru-ers who'd just walked round from a stopover at Corrour.
- The Lui brig
- Looking up Glen Lui to Carn Crom
As we continued up the track a group of "outward bounders" headed towards us with their minder stalking behind them in a dayglow jacket. We left behind the magnificent gnarled Scots pines in Glen Lui and took the path that veered off up to the east away from the crowds.
- The Quoich path into Glen Lui
Shortly we came across a cairn where a wee path led off north up Meall an Lundainn. It helped us through some of the lower deep heather before - alas - petering out.
- The wee cairn at the start of the short path up Meall an Lundainn
After that, it was just head down and moose-stepping up the hill through the heather, bog & moss.
- Wee crimson tippet floo'er........
At the top, the views were magnificent - the S top of Being a Bhuird, Beinn Bhreac, Beinn Vane, Derry Cairngorm, Macdui, Carn a Mhaim, Cairn Toul, Beinn Bhrotain and even old faithful Lochnagar could be seen in the blazing sunshine.
- GordonC at the cairn with Beinn a Bhuird behind
- Carn a Mhaim, Cairn Toul, Machdui & Derry Cairngorm
- Lochnagar to the southeast
- GordonB & H on Meall an Lundainn
We didn't want to leave the top with such fantastic scenery all around, but after a piece and a lounge against the cairn for a while, we eventually we had to give in and headed down.
I'd been concerned about getting water for Harvey, but I needn't've worried as there was plenty of wee burn-lets oozing out of the hillside, on the way up, so he was well hydrated.
On the way down we had a wee chuckle at H's expense as he went for a plooter in a tiny wee burn only about a foot wide which was much deeper than it looked. H disappeared into it with a splash then floundered out the other end, much to our amusement - an early bath and a good cool-down !
Soon we were cruising back down the Glen Liu path, dodging the cyclists.
Just as we left the track we encountered a Cairngorm traffic jam when a Mar Lodge Landrover met a big shiny pickup truck going in the opposite direction. Luckily there was a wide bit at this point, so they managed to pass one another without incident.
Couldn't help enthusing about the views down the Water of Lui and the old gnarly pine trees along with some beautiful specimens.
- Looking across the Lui Water from the track on the way home
- More views down the Water of Lui
- The track home down Glen Lui for GB & H
We abandoned our planned supplementary hill as we were seduced by Gordon's cafe in Braemar for a coffee and scone/flan. All that moose - stepping had taken its toll !
Suitably fortified, we headed home for our early bath.
What an absolute belter of a day and red sunburnt faces all round !