walkhighlands

Share your personal walking route experiences in Scotland, and comment on other peoples' reports.
Warning Please note that hillwalking when there is snow lying requires an ice-axe, crampons and the knowledge, experience and skill to use them correctly. Summer routes may not be viable or appropriate in winter. See winter information on our skills and safety pages for more information.

Loch Etchachan, the highest loch.

Loch Etchachan, the highest loch.


Postby IainG » Fri Apr 15, 2011 7:13 pm

Date walked: 09/04/2011

Time taken: 7 hours

Distance: 34 km

1 person thinks this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).

Date: 9th April 2011
Present: Me and Molly
Distance: 21 miles
Time: around 7hrs

I'd fancied this walk for some time. No hill bagging, just a long, fine walk into the heart of the Cairngorms. I'd read recently that Loch Etchachan was not only the highest loch of this size in the UK, but also it normally held ice seven months of the year.

It was a great walk and thoroughly recommended. A long route, but with some excellent scenery.

It was a bit gloomy as we headed up through Glenshee the day before.

Image

Image

We started off fairly early on the Saturday morning. The carpark at the Linn of Dee was almost full at 0900. The usual sidestepping and dodging bikes as we headed along the path to Derry Lodge. Passing the numerous campers, we stopped and took the opportunity for a quick bite amongst the lovely Caledonian Pines.

Image

Image

Image

We plodded for another few miles along Glen Derry.

Image

The coire we were heading for was still looking a bit gloomy.

Image

Following the track to the fork, we headed into Coire Etchachan.

Image

Molly was loving the day out..

Image

We followed the path up to the Hutchison Memorial Hut.

Image

Image

A very Alpine feel about the hut and its surroundings.

Image

We followed the path up to the coire rim and emerged at the Loch.

Still lots of ice...

Image

Image

Looking back over the coire rim.

Image

A brilliant day out! :D
Attachments

Loch Etchachan.GPX Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

User avatar
IainG
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 660
Munros:282   Corbetts:11
Fionas:7   Donalds:3
Sub 2000:1   Hewitts:1
Wainwrights:4   
Joined: Feb 8, 2009
Location: Howe of the Mearns

Re: Loch Etchachan, the highest loch.

Postby Border Reiver » Fri Apr 15, 2011 8:22 pm

Great Photos and report. This is one of my favourite routes to Ben MacDhui. Coire Etchacan in springtime is so picturesque.
User avatar
Border Reiver
Wanderer
 
Posts: 1509
Munros:202   Corbetts:7
Fionas:3   Donalds:1
Sub 2000:2   Hewitts:62
Wainwrights:69   Islands:33
Joined: Feb 18, 2011
Location: North East England

Re: Loch Etchachan, the highest loch.

Postby ChrisW » Fri Apr 15, 2011 9:18 pm

some cracking photo's there Iain :D
User avatar
ChrisW
Rambler
 
Posts: 4941
Munros:18   Corbetts:5
Fionas:3   
Sub 2000:6   
Joined: Jan 25, 2011
Location: Cochrane- Alberta - Canada

Re: Loch Etchachan, the highest loch.

Postby IainG » Fri Apr 15, 2011 9:59 pm

Cheers for the comments! The beauty of film photography.

It is a very picturesque spot. 8)
User avatar
IainG
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 660
Munros:282   Corbetts:11
Fionas:7   Donalds:3
Sub 2000:1   Hewitts:1
Wainwrights:4   
Joined: Feb 8, 2009
Location: Howe of the Mearns

Re: Loch Etchachan, the highest loch.

Postby Alastair S » Fri Apr 15, 2011 10:53 pm

Must have just missed you Iain - I cycled out of the car park at 09:30. Don't remember cycling past many people on the way up - maybe you were in the woods from the car park when I took the longer (but quicker on a bike) route on the road & track.

Anyway super photos. I've only been up that way once and it was snowing at the time so I didn't linger. Hoping for something better when I get round to doing Beinn Mheadhoin.
User avatar
Alastair S
Hill Bagger
 
Posts: 1283
Munros:78   Corbetts:13
Fionas:6   
Sub 2000:13   
Islands:22
Joined: Dec 14, 2008
Location: Banchory, Aberdeenshire

Re: Loch Etchachan, the highest loch.

Postby Penguin » Fri Apr 15, 2011 10:58 pm

Nice report and pictures. Looks like a great route and it's on my list to do.

Penguin
8)
User avatar
Penguin
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 51
Munros:8   Corbetts:6
Fionas:2   
Sub 2000:1   Hewitts:29
Wainwrights:32   
Joined: Jul 8, 2010
Location: Over here......!

Re: Loch Etchachan, the highest loch.

Postby skuk007 » Fri Apr 15, 2011 11:05 pm

Nice photos Iain, really like the format you selected for them, they all just seem to work really well.
My next trip up North is fast approaching and it's to this area. Seen lots of reports recently on the Cairngorms so this justs wets my appetite even more. Thanks. :)
User avatar
skuk007
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 1419
Munros:44   
Hewitts:8
Wainwrights:16   
Joined: Aug 24, 2009
Location: Bristol

Re: Loch Etchachan, the highest loch.

Postby IainG » Sat Apr 16, 2011 6:34 am

skuk007 wrote:Nice photos Iain, really like the format you selected for them, they all just seem to work really well


The pictures were taken with a Hasselblad Xpan camera. I've mentioned it before I think, it's a landscape camera which takes a double width 35mm negative.

I'm a bit of a photo geek and had decided with the forecast good weather to lug the camera and its bits and pieces up here to get some nice photos. It's a fair weight, its an alloy chassis, clad in titanium and rubber and being wide format, its large. I also took a spotmeter and a bucket load of film.

I should have taken a Donkey with me, not a dog!!
User avatar
IainG
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 660
Munros:282   Corbetts:11
Fionas:7   Donalds:3
Sub 2000:1   Hewitts:1
Wainwrights:4   
Joined: Feb 8, 2009
Location: Howe of the Mearns

Re: Loch Etchachan, the highest loch.

Postby IainG » Sat Apr 16, 2011 6:40 am

Alastair S wrote:Must have just missed you Iain - I cycled out of the car park at 09:30. Don't remember cycling past many people on the way up - maybe you were in the woods from the car park when I took the longer (but quicker on a bike) route on the road & track.


Alastair, you must have been just in front of me. I was passed by a lot of folk on bikes both on the walk in and the way out.

There was one young bloke who passed me coming down Glen Derry, up near the fork for Coire etchachan. He had cycled from Blair Atholl and was returning via Linn of Dee and White Bridge!!
User avatar
IainG
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 660
Munros:282   Corbetts:11
Fionas:7   Donalds:3
Sub 2000:1   Hewitts:1
Wainwrights:4   
Joined: Feb 8, 2009
Location: Howe of the Mearns

Re: Loch Etchachan, the highest loch.

Postby Graeme D » Sat Apr 16, 2011 9:42 pm

A great report Iain. Loch Etchachan really is a special place in the heart of the Cairngorms. Been there a couple of times but never camped for the night by the loch. Would definitely love to do that some time. :D
User avatar
Graeme D
 
Posts: 3996
Munros:251   Corbetts:123
Fionas:75   Donalds:22
Sub 2000:59   Hewitts:36
Wainwrights:28   Islands:6
Joined: Oct 17, 2008
Location: Perth

1 person thinks this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).




Can you help support Walkhighlands?


Our forum is free from adverts - your generosity keeps it running.
Can you help support Walkhighlands and this community by donating by direct debit?



Return to Walk reports - Scotland

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: euanmiles314, Janet Burton, moirabee, rockdoctor, Scoobica and 72 guests