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Sunny couple of days from the Devils Point to Braeriach

Sunny couple of days from the Devils Point to Braeriach


Postby Frogwell » Wed Jun 08, 2011 5:52 pm

Route description: Cairn Toul - Braeriach traverse

Munros included on this walk: Braeriach, Cairn Toul, Sgòr an Lochain Uaine, The Devil's Point

Date walked: 08/06/2011

Distance: 36 km

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A heavy workloads means I've got to make this a short trip report.

So - Parked at the Sugar Bowl car park on Thursday mid afternoon and set off down the Lairig Ghru. All pretty uneventful really - nice walk, nice weather. Felt like it took longer than it actually did, although not in a bad way. I camped across the river from Corrour Bothy on a nice flat pitch. I wanted to camp on the Bealach above the bothy on the Devils peak but the wind was still quite strong when i was setting up camp. Wish I had actually as the wind died down as I was chomping away on my soggy dried dinner.

Asleep by 23:00, up at 05:45 and ambling off up the Devils peak in windless 20 degree sunshine at about 07:00. Only took 45 minutes to reach the Bealach, although I suspect I must have sweated off a good couple of stone. I dumped my rucksack, turned left and trotted up the Devils Peak. As I approached the summit, through the sun and sweat I saw a man crouching down on a rock. No bloody way did someone beat me up here this early I thought. Then he jumped off the cliff, turned into a golden eagle, spread his wings and climbed the anabatic winds high into the air. Bloody show off.

Back down to the Bealach to find a couple of reindeer across the plateau. Lots of creeping, sneaking and sliding got me with decent camera range just as their heads perked up and they did their little bird style bobbing thing. That was a waste of time I thought, until they ran right up to me. Still a waste of time I suppose. Once they determined I wasn't going to feed them I became less interesting and they carried on chomping the grass while I shouted, whistled and stomped in an attempt to get them to pose properly for the camera.

After than it was pretty much Stob Coire an t-Saighdeir - Cairn Toul - Sgor an Lochan Uaine - Carn na Criche - Braeriach, then back to the car. Unfortunately I'd thought it would be a good idea to give me pasty white legs a bit if an airing and had zipped my trouser legs off for a couple of hours in the morning. Big mistake! It's amazing how quickly sunburn does it's thing. By the time I got to Braeriach the pain had really began to set in - the heat on the trousers was just making the burn worse. Every step was complete agony but I didn't dare stop incase I couldn't get started again. By the time I got home parts of my legs were actually dark purple. The next day my legs, ankles and feet had swollen up like balloons. Oddly my legs are back to normal but my unburnt ankles and feet are sill swollen.

Despite the sunburn, it was a thoroughly enjoyable walk. I'm really beginning to like these Cairngorm things.

Some piccies (sorry for the wonky blueness of the sky in some - they're stitched panoramas and I had the polarising filter on - I would fix it but I'm too lazy):

Golden eagle taking off from the Summit of the Devils Point - just managed to grab a snap
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Reindeer
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Muppet of the Glen
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Golden eagle soaring above Cairn Toul - different one I think, this one was smaller.
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Ridge leading down Stob Coire an t-Saighdeir
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Looking over Lochan Uaine to Ben Mcdui from the summit of Sgor an Lochan Uaine
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Carn na Criche from the Angels Peak
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Pinnacles Buttress
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Sgor an Lochan Uaine (the Angels Peak)
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Sgor an Lochan Uaine from Carn na Criche
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Braeriach
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Carn na Criche, Sgor an Lochan Uaine and Cairn Toul
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View over the Lairig Ghru from the West Gully on Braeriach
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View from East Gully the summit of Braeriach
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Lairig Ghru
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edit: if I've messed up the naming on any of the pictures, please let me know (time and all that)
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Re: Sunny couple of days from the Devils Point to Braeriach

Postby Frogwell » Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:05 am

Forgot the piccies from the walk down Lairig Ghru the day before

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Re: Sunny couple of days from the Devils Point to Braeriach

Postby The-Big-Grey-Man » Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:40 am

Wow some fantastic pics there, a must do this route.
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Re: Sunny couple of days from the Devils Point to Braeriach

Postby trailer » Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:45 am

Cracking shots!
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Re: Sunny couple of days from the Devils Point to Braeriach

Postby Alastair S » Thu Jun 09, 2011 7:36 am

Lovely set of photos there. And two goldies on the same day... and crackin' weather... I'm not at all jealous :sick:
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Re: Sunny couple of days from the Devils Point to Braeriach

Postby Paul Webster » Thu Jun 09, 2011 8:42 am

Hi Frogwell

Cracking pics. We must have met as Helen and I walked the route the other way round the same day. We only saw the one reindeer though!
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Re: Sunny couple of days from the Devils Point to Braeriach

Postby Frogwell » Thu Jun 09, 2011 2:59 pm

Thanks for all the comments :)

Paul Webster wrote:Hi Frogwell

Cracking pics. We must have met as Helen and I walked the route the other way round the same day. We only saw the one reindeer though!


What sort of time were you on the hills on Friday Paul? I was on the Devils peak just after 07:00, Angels peak about 12:00 maybe around13:30 - 14:00 ish. Just trying to remember the people I met along the way. I would have been hard to miss, what with being the most handsome man on the hills on any given day and all that. People often tell me I'm like a better looking version of Brad Pitt.

No, really.

I don't know who the unshaven, balding, half pasty white half sunburnt guy following me around was though.
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Re: Sunny couple of days from the Devils Point to Braeriach

Postby ndhudson » Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:41 pm

Absolutely beautiful, Frogwell! You are a fabulous photographer...keep 'em coming!!!
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Re: Sunny couple of days from the Devils Point to Braeriach

Postby monty » Thu Jun 09, 2011 5:49 pm

Great photos Frogwell. Done this last year in the clag and didnt see much. Your photos are stunning. Superb :D


I don't know who the unshaven, balding, half pasty white half sunburnt guy following me around was though.

Might have been paul :lol: :lol: :lol:
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Re: Sunny couple of days from the Devils Point to Braeriach

Postby Jock McJock » Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:14 pm

Loved the pics Frogwell. This ones on my list only I plan on doing it the other way round and having a wee camp up at the Wells of Dee. Can't wait. Hope I get your weather though :D
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Re: Sunny couple of days from the Devils Point to Braeriach

Postby kevsbald » Mon Jul 25, 2011 3:27 pm

I just saw this - stupendous - am intending on a wild camp up on the Devil's Point this weekend - are the venison friendly?
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Re: Sunny couple of days from the Devils Point to Braeriach

Postby Frogwell » Tue Jul 26, 2011 8:52 am

kevsbald wrote:I just saw this - stupendous - am intending on a wild camp up on the Devil's Point this weekend - are the venison friendly?

Yeah, they're friendly, if slightly insincere once they realise you're not going to feed them.

I hope you take plenty of pics when camping there - a great spot to catch sunset and sunrise I suspect
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Re: Sunny couple of days from the Devils Point to Braeriach

Postby Steve B » Tue Jul 26, 2011 10:47 am

Great photos. Do you have a filter on your lens?
I used to have a UV filter on an old SLR (film days) but now have a Leica compact camera without one or a means of fitting one I think.
Looks like you know what your doing, any ideas, or anybody else for that matter?
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Re: Sunny couple of days from the Devils Point to Braeriach

Postby The Summiteer » Tue Jul 26, 2011 2:44 pm

Fantastic photos! Wish I had that kinda weather when I was there last month. :lol: Never mind!
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Re: Sunny couple of days from the Devils Point to Braeriach

Postby Bonzo » Tue Jul 26, 2011 3:18 pm

Great photos - again!

I'm glad, in a funny sort of way, that the 'turning purple' and swelling after too much sun reaction has happened to someone else as I've known many people to suffer from bad sun burn but not suffer from this particular reaction.

Many years ago, after walking on the hills around Wasdale, I feel asleep at the side of Wastwater with just my shorts on. I awoke a couple of hours later and felt nothing more than a slight reddish tinge on my back and the back of my arms and legs. As the night progressed however things took a turn for the worst as my back and arms turned purple and began to swell. I could press into the swelling, which seemed to have a playdough like quality, and watch the 'liquid' squeeze out of what I assume were pores.

I wasn't well at all for a couple of days but the colour and swelling soon subsided with a very valuable lesson learned - don't get sunburnt again!

Well, as I'm stupid, I have suffered from sun burn since but never seen a return of the purple swelling.

Is this a common reaction?
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