After deliberating on the weather forecast all week and deciding to initially head NW, i changed plans at last minute to go East and do the Ben Avon round. The rain was supposed to come in around 17:00 so i set off at 05:00, on my bike. I'd been putting them off for ages, due the the heavy milage involved to bag 4 summits. Ben Avon it was.

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
GPS track log

Heading West from Braemar, i continued right up to the Linn of Dee, passed the 1st car park and kept heading East, right up to the small wooden bridge. There were few cars there at 05:00.

On my bike, there is a path starting before the bridge, heading West, uphill then onto a nice cycle through Glen Quoich forest.

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
heading up the glen

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
needed a rest but the ascent / descents were equal so i guaranteed a high speed cycle back ;

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
scenery ;

After around an 8k cycle in, i came to the Quoich river where i left the bike. You cold go further but i planned to descend from Meall an Lundain so it made sense to dump the bike here as this was my return point.

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
Quoich Water

Just after i crossed the river and headed up the track a few 100 meters, the track split. I took the right fork for Ben Avon and continued up. The tracks are excellent up here.

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
Follow the track for a click or so where i arrived a yet another river which was easy enough crossed in summer.

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
One good thing about sunrise. This wee spider had web weaved over the path. After a quick photo, climbed over his web and let him crack on ;

After crossing the river i was on about 2 photo's up, follow another track up past the river.

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
keeping on track after 2nd river crossing

After another 2k i discovered yet another river crossing which was a wee bit tricky to get over. Kinda scrambled over big boulders to the left of the track after throwing my water and rucksack over 1st.

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
another river crossing

After crossing the river, i followed the track up and around Carn Eas (see below pic), which will bring you up onto the bealach between Ben Avon and Beinn a'Bhuird.

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
Carn Eas (just right of the path)

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
on way passed Carn Eas

Keeping heading up the path, at another river, which was easy to cross, the path continues upwards.

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
head up the path passed the water

Keeping on up the path, the plateau appears. I headed Easterly where the summit of Ben Avon soon appeared.

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
ascending up to the plateau

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
summit finally appears

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
summit of Ben Avon

After a bite to eat and some views, i'm heading back down to bealach then Westerly up the scree to a rocky top. After this top, i headed WSW where i could see the North summit top of Beinn a'Bhuird.

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
heading West for the scree and the bouldery top in the distance

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
heading past the top to get the summit further on

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
just keep heading along the flat, grassy terrain.

After taking the previous pic, you'll catch the summit on the horizon (in good weather)

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
Beinn a'Bhuird's North Summit

After another bite to eat, i started heading West for Beinn a'Chaorainn which is quite a way off.

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
Beinn a'Chaorainn's summit (centre), overshadowed by Derry Cairngorm, etc

Keeping due west, when i dropped height, i headed slightly South, then West, to avoid quite wet, boggy terrain and not lose too much height. When i crossed over yet another burn, i headed right up through the boulderfield, for the summit.

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
cracking on up the bouderfield

After the boulderfield is passed, i found a well trodden path which showed the summit up in the distance.

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
keep heading straight on the path to the summit

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
summit of Beinn a'Chaorainn

Three climbed and one to go, the weather was still holding out but i decided to crack on and get to Beinn Bhreac. It's around 5k away and pathless. I headed SES over wet peat and a lot of burns. Every step was a gamble as to whether i was going to disappear up to me knees in foul black water. Eventually, the ground improved underfoot and i headed South to end up bestween the 2 summits of Beinn Bhreac.

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
heading for the East summit

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
Beinn Bhreac's East Summit

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
looking back over to Derry Cairngorm, Mheadhoin, Bynack Mor in background

I was pretty knackered by now and had to sum up the easiest way of getting back down to the river Quoich? it was straight down over heather to the SE or SSW over Meall an Lundain (top). The latter looked the easier option on my knees so off i went.

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
heading for Meall an Lundain

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
summit of Meall an Lundain

After a wee pause to regain my breath at the summit, i headed WSW down the way and headed for the edge of the trees to return to where i dumped the bike.

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
back to the bike

I then enjoyed quite a high speed cycle back to the car. A wise decision as the below pic show the torrential rain at Glenshee, heading straight for Braemar

Ben Avon (Cairngorms) Circuit by Barry fae Fife, on Flickr
Glenshee, just North of the ski centre.