The
Garbh Choire Refuge which is suffering from over 50 years of use and Cairngorm
weather is in need of repair; Neil Reid and Kenny Freeman are putting forward
the case for restoring this historic shelter. There are some that would like to
see it removed, not a view I suspect shared by those who have sat out a Cairngorm
storm in this remote location. To find out more click here.
I’d like to grab a quick trip to Scotland, but question is what should I do? Do I just bag a few more Munro’s, or do I go somewhere new and remote, wild camping?
If take the Munro’s option then the itinerary is easy, because I’ll take the opportunity to climb some of the peaks that my brother has already done.
If I go for the wild camping option, then I’m really am spoilt for choice.
My first thought is always the Cairngorms, because their wild beauty keeps calling me back.
Time may be running out for the Monadhlaith, so should I revisit this wonderful place, before those money grubbing b******s and politicians ruin it forever.
Then there is Skye. Loch Coruisk has been on my wild camp wish list ever since I read a Chris Townsend article in TGO magazine a few years back. But would I survive the Skye midges in August?
Last but not least, there’s Torridon or somewhere in the far North West, I haven’t been there for 30years, but can I really justify the fuel costs for such a long solo trip?
The MonadhliathMountains are a wild and wonderful place, not protected by national park status, they are currently being desecrated by the construction of dozens of wind turbines. You can help save what’s left of this once road free wilderness by signing the Save the Monadliath Mountains petitionhere. Chris Townsend’s blog has more information about the MonadlaithMountains and the Cairngorms wild places here, and Allan Sloman continues to keep a watchful eye on the wind generation industryhere.
Chris Townsend has just published his latest book, A year in the Life of the Cairngorms; it’s a collection of photographs depicting the Cairngorms throughout the year. I’ve ordered a copy, because I couldn’t resist a book containing 120 pictures of my favourite area, and I’m sure it will give me some great ideas for future backpacking trips and wild camping locations.
There are two tracks that descend from Slugain Lodge, the Argo track which I’d used this morning, and what I assume is the original path which I followed this evening. This original track follows the Allt an t-Slugain through a narrow valley, where I found a well sheltered spot to camp.
After a restless night, I rose to another beautiful sunny morning. Whilst eating a leisurely breakfast I began hatching a plan for the day. There was blue sky above, but over the higher ground the cloud was building, and moving quite quickly in the wind. Yesterday had been a long day and I had a couple of hot spots on my feet, so I decided return to Keiloc and the car. If the weather looked ok and the hot spots didn’t deteriorate I would do another two night trip from Linn of Dee. Otherwise I 'd drive around to the fleshpots of Avemore, buy a meal and check out the gear shops before deciding what to do next.
The walk back to Keiloc was very enjoyable. I had the track to myself for the first hour or so, then I began meeting a steady stream of people, most were making for Ben Avon, although there were some groups of cheerful teenagers doing their DOE Gold award. They were on a four day camping expedition, with rucksacks the size of small buildings. If they ever become mountaineers after this experience, it will show great strength of character.
When I arrived back at the car my feet were pretty sore, so made a brew, then put Plan B in to operation, and drove to Avemore via Tomintoul.
By the time I reached Avemore the weather had really deteriorated, with cloud covering the hills. I stayed just long enough for a quick look around the gear shops, followed by a rather greasy portion of fish and chips, then headed for home. It had been rather a shorter trip than I had hoped for, but I had to be pleased that I'd managed to grab a couple of sunny days in the hills, given the poor weather of late.
It was quite early when the sun woke me, as its rays warmed the tent. I wasn't in a hurry today so I fired up the stove for a brew, before settling back down for another hours snooze. My rough plan for Friday, was to climb the Munro of Leabaidh an Daimh, and then find a high camp on the Ben Avon plateau or at the Sneck. I was packed and on my way by , the day was perfect, with blue skies and bright sunshine, as I wondered up the track listening to the birds and enjoying the solitude. At Slugain Lodge I stopped for a snack, before continuing up the path which soon leaves the confines of Gleann an t-Sluggan for open moor land with a superb view of Beinn a’ Bhuird
The path from here is excellent, it follows the sometimes distant Glas Allt Mor, before crossing the river, and climbing through a steep sided valley were it breaks out onto the open hillside, some distance below the rocky boulders of the Sneck.
I had considered leaving my rucksack at the Sneck, and returning for an overnight camp after visitingthe main summit of Ben Avon and some of its subsidiary tops, but there was a very strong wind blowing which put paid to that idea. Maybe if the wind was confined to the col, I'd be able to find a sheltered spot by one of the summit tors where I could spend the night.
When I reached the Leabaidh an Daimh, I dumped my rucksack and scrambled to what I hope was its highest point. The wind was still blowing fairly briskly so a wild camp on the Ben Avon Plateau would have to wait for another time, I took one last look at the summit and returned to the Sneck, to fill my water bottle at the infant Glass Alt Mor and have lunch.
The climb from the Sneck to Beinn a’ Bhuird starts off up steep stony path which played havoc with my tired legs, but once the initial climb is over it’s a straight forward if lengthy walk over a subsidiary rocky top to the North Top, which at 1197m is the highest point of Beinn a’ Bhuird. The summit itself is a disappointment just a pile of stones set on a rolling grassy expanse, but the fabulous view made up for this. Ben Avon looked miles away and I could hardly believe that less than three hours ago I’d stood on its granite tors. To the west Ben Macdui and the Central Cairngorms looked close enough to touch, it was just magic!
However, closer to home, finding a place to camp was uppermost in my mind, the wind was still strong and I had the feeling that weather might change fairly quickly, and frankly I felt pretty tired, certainly too tired to contemplate a stormy night in such a bleak location. So I laboured over the A’Chioch and descended the grassy slops between a late snowfield that stretched down from the South Top and the boulder strewn edge of Coire na Cliché. When I reached the col before Care Fiaclach, I could clearly see the path that descends its western slopes, before turning east, crossing the Glass Allt Mor and rejoining the path to Slugain Lodge.
I followed the path down, then as I crossed the heather slopes to the river crossing looked in vain for a decent pitch for the night but nothing appeared, eventually I resolved to camp in the grassy banks in the beautiful little gorge below the ruin of Slugain Lodge.
My plan was to arrive at the Keiloc off road car park just outside Braemar at around , and head off into the Eastern Cairngorms for a few days wild camping, taking in the summits of Ben Avon and Beinn a' Bhuird on the way. I'd packed sufficient food for three days, so there was no need to rush, just enjoy the hills and take in the views. Unfortunately I was delayed for over an hour by a vehicle fire on the M6, so it was nearly when I shouldered my rucksack and set off up the track past Invercaud House, and its ancient woodlands, towards Gleann Slugain.
I'd covered about 4.5 km when I emerged from the trees into Gleann an t Slugain. The sun was beginning to drop below the skyline, as I continued along the track looking for somewhere to camp. A few minutes later I spotted a flattish area of grass alongside the river at NO14794. On closer inspection it proved to be reasonably level and dry, so I gratefully pitched the Laser Comp and began to settled in for the night.
With a few days of good weather forecast for the Caingorms, on Thursday I headed north towards Braemar. I was hoping to spend a few nights in the hills,which would give me the oppertunity to try out my recently purchased Golite Jam and Thermarest NeoAir. I’ll post an account of my trip in the next couple of days, but meanwhile here’s a photograph of my first nights camp.
I’m travelling to Scotland on Thursday; it’s the AAC meet (UK section of the Austrian Alpine Club) in the Cairngorms. My plans are fairly fluid at the moment, but I hope to tick off a few more peaks if the weather is good, and if not, I’ll be exploring the forestry tracks and drove roads on my mountain bike.
