walkhighlands

Braeriach and the Hidden Waters Trilogy

Munros: Braeriach

Date walked: 30/06/2022

Braeriach and the Hidden Waters Trilogy (The Foxys Mountains & Lochs)

Our early family holidays are still vivid in my memories; the adventure of taking the overnight train from London into the Scottish highlands. In those days our family split into 2 groups, My parents and 2 of my siblings taking the car train whilst myself and my other brother bunked down in the carriage compartments on another train each independently migrating north. There was always some shunting in Crewe which would raise us from our slumbers before we awoke once more gliding through the expanse of Rannoch Mor enroute to Fort William or skirting the Cairngorm massive heading to Inverness. At the terminus our family would reunite, cram into the Morris Traveller and head further North.
In 2021 I undertook 2 overnight train journeys from London to Aviemore and back and found that the sense of adventure of the train journey had never left me. This year I was heading to Aviemore once again, with a train up one night and a return the following night with an itinerary of biking tramping, dipping and packrafting planned.

Braeriach & Loch Coire an Lochan
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The train pulled up in Aviemore at 7.30am. I unloaded my panniers onto the platform first and then unhooked the bike from its rack and wheeled it off. I had booked the tickets a few weeks earlier hoping for some reasonable weather for late June but looking at the forecast a couple of days earlier heavy rain and wind was predicted. Not many people disembarked from the train beneath the overcast grey and drizzling sky. I moved my gear under the platform canopy and assembled the panniers. I strapped the packraft on top of the bike rack, put on full waterproofs and then with some misgivings about the impending adventure I set off up the road. Slowly.

The track to Loch Eanaich climbs steadily through the Rothiemurchus forest, and as I progress upwards the cloud base appears to be lifting. About 1 mile short of the loch I stop. Up above me and below the summit of Braeriach is Loch Coire an Lochain the finale of my Hidden Waters trilogy.

The Hidden Waters trilogy was inspired by the writings of Nan Shepherd in The Living Mountain; the idea that there are places that are normally unseen from the valley and are rarely touched; places that are not the summits but are of equal importance in the make-up of the mountain landscape. The idea of a ritual dip in high and hidden waters took form and extended beyond the Cairngorms to the high places of England and Wales, from Loch Coire an Lochain to Red Tarn and Ffynnon Llyffant. These would be journeys that would again take me to places that I had not been to before.
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I leave the bike reasonably out of sight above the track and put a lock around the wheels; I set off across the bog to climb up by the side of Allt Easan na Bruaich. As I ascend the clouds start to disperse over the head of Loch Eanaich and there are welcome patches of blue sky emerging. It is a long steep haul up after the first rise to reach Loch Coire an Lochain. The cloud is swirling in and out of the bowl occasionally revealing the loch, as atmospheric as I anticipated. I dump most of my gear here and after a refuel I start up the eastern ridge of Coire an Lochain and emerge onto the Braeriach plateau. It is a shortish walk over easy ground up to the summit of Braeriach. Just behind me I spot two people coming from the south on the same trajectory. We meet at the summit. We appear to be the only people up here today as no doubt everyone had been put off by the weather forecast. There are fine views down the Lairig Ghru and across to Lochan Uaine. After 10 minutes I track back down to the Loch, have a brew and then slip on my swimsuit and ease myself across the rocks and into the water; it’s a bit cold. I finish with a float in the pack raft and thereafter having changed back into walking clothes I descend back down to the bike. The cycle out is as good as it was the last time I was here and it is a helter-skelter ride all the way down. As the sun is out I take detour through the woods to Loch Morlich taking in the perimeter track before heading back into Aviemore for fish and chips and some beer before catching the night train home.
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Red Tarn & Helvellyn
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Some weeks earlier I started the Hidden Waters trilogy with an excursion to Red Tarn and Helvellyn. The logistics are simple; a train from London to Penrith in under 4 hours with my bike booked on board. From Penrith station it is an almost 16 mile cycle ride with a final push up to the Youth Hostel in Glenridding.
For this journey I had planned to camp out over night at Red Tarn; camping out for a night is one thing in terms of gear to take, adding in a full swimsuit adds a few more kilograms and then at the last moment, I decided to add my pack raft. I think my rucksack was plus 20kg by the time I had transferred the contents of my bike panniers and rack into my pack and heaved it up onto my back.
It was a slow climb up to Red Tarn and I was quite surprised to see numerous tents pitched when I arrived. It’s a popular spot and quite rightly so. With limited daylight left I cook supper and have a few drams whilst I sit back and watch the sun set on the last of the walkers trooping across the summit ridge of Helvellyn.
I had set the alarm for an early start and after quick coffee headed out and upwards towards Swirral Edge and the short scramble to the summit of Helvellyn which only took about 45 minutes. I was the first on the summit but about 10 minutes later a group turned up who has also been camping by Red Tarn. After a few photos I scrambled back down the way I had come. After breakfast it was on with the swimsuit for my ritual dip and then out onto the lake for a relaxing float in the pack raft. By 10am I was packed up and heading back down to Glen Ridding and the Ride back to Penrith and the train back to London.

Fyynnon Llyfant & Carnedd Llewellyn
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Several weeks later, after keeping an eye on weather conditions I decided to drive up to North Wales. Several weeks earlier we had attempted a walk in to Fyynnon Llyfant, but the weather had conspired against us, and we had to beat a retreat as the clouds rolled off the mountains, sinking to the valley floor and eventually engulfing us as we walked out. It almost midnight as I turn off onto the single track road at Tal y Bont; the road rises sharply upwards before levelling out and, after negotiating a few gates I arrive at the Llyn Eigiau car park. I sleep in the back of the car; in the past we used to term this ‘dossing in the car’, apparently it is now called ‘car camping’, I still have trouble selling this concept to my daughters. I awake to a bright sunlit and still morning.

I set of as soon as I have had a brew and take the path up to Melynllyn reservoir. At the high point I take the short climb off the track up onto the plateau of Crag Eigiau. It is easy walking across the top and up the rise to reach the ridge; it’s a relatively short walk thereafter as the grass gives way to a rocky path on the approach to the summit to Carnedd Llewellyn. From this ridge the small body of water of Ffynnon Llyffant is visible below enclosed by the steep rocky flanks of Carnedd Llewellyn. I pause for a while at the summit taking in the full view of the surrounding peaks; It takes a while to realise that Tryffan is hidden in front of the bulk of Glyder Fach and in this light it is difficult to discern. I back track along the path before it’s safe to drop off the ridge and make my way carefully down to Ffynnon Llyffant. As it is so warm I do not feel the need for a swimsuit, and I enter the water for my ritual dip. It is a very silty bottom and I sink almost up to my knees before I find enough depth to swim. I dry off in the sun before having a leisurely paddle in the pack raft. From there it is all downhill back to the car park. A week later I will head to Braeriach & Loch Coire an Lochan the finale of the Hidden Waters Trilogy.
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Foxy2022
Hidden Waters Logo.jpg

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Statistics

2022

Trips: 2
Distance: 14.3 km
Ascent: 750m
Munros: 1
Corbetts: 1

2021

Trips: 9
Distance: 37 km
Ascent: 714m
Corbetts: 1

2020

Trips: 1


Joined: Mar 14, 2021
Last visited: Aug 12, 2023
Total posts: 22 | Search posts