Wild Camp on Beinn a'Bhuird and a first Munro! (30km)

[aluxton]

Video of Andrew's first munro on an epic 2 day expedition.

At 4pm on Sunday we began our two day expedition on the Cairngorm plateau via Beinn a'Bhuird. Everybody was looking fresh faced as they left the car ready for our adventure. The party was a mixture of two experienced mountain leaders and a newbie to the mountains. This was going to be Andrew's first munro and wild camping, we couldn't have asked for better weather.

Our Route

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Our adventure
Starting at Linn of Quoich we followed Glen of Quoich before ascending Carn Allt na Beinne. At this point we left the gentle climbing behind us as we plodded up the spur onto the ridge. We definitely began to feel the extra weight of our packs as the terrain steepened.

Once on the plateau, with great visibility, we were able to follow the edge of the Corries to the North Top summit (1197m). After a congratulating Andrew on his first munro we dropped down to camp near to Cnap a'Chleirich. With the amazing conditions this has to be one of my best wild camping spots ever, it was a real delight.

After pitching our tents and eating some food we decided to go and do a spot of night navigation which is always fun. We trudged back into our tents at around midnight ready for a good night's rest.

Bright and early the next day we practiced some rope work on the tors, before dropping down to the glen that follows Glas Allt Mor. With waterfalls a plenty and amazing vistas in every direction we had to remember to watch our feet as we made our way down the well made track for approximately 5km.

Making the finish more interesting we ascended (of path) to Carn na Criche and Carn na Drochaide before dropping down (with significant bushwhacking) to a track on the north side of Glen Quoich. At this point we were all suitably knackered and looking forward to getting to the car, it couldn't have come too soon.

Overral, Andrew's first adventure in the mountains was a mammoth effort. We covered a significant distance over the two days and even threw in some night navigation. He carried all his gear and did not complain once even if it definitely pushed him to his limits. I would recommend this route as a great two day trip with amazing views in fine weather.

A few photos

[LGreenaway]

This sounds like a great route in big wild mountains. Congrats to Andrew on his first Munro. Hope this is the start of many more mountain expeditions. Loved the video and some good pics.

[aluxton]

Thanks Lesley, it was an epic walk and a great introduction to the Cairngorms

[Roger G]

Pleased to see that you re-found your tent after the night navigation! The sunny summit shots and drone footage really help to capture what the route is like. And having a good story - Andrew's first Munro - provides a great focus for the video.

[aluxton]

Thanks Roger, I have heard some scary stories of people that have lost their tents after becoming disoriented in the dark. Definitely glad we didn't!