Collected Musings of a Hill Wanderer

The chance of having a less laden rucksack for day two of my Aviemore escapade set my imagination to soaring when it came to walking possibilities. Thoughts of summits like Creag Dhubh and even a putative first Munro bagging all started to queue up for consideration. You would have thought that the efforts of the day before would have forestalled thinking like this but it simply wasn’t so. In fact, what proved to stall the putting of such schemes into action was something lowly: a thick blanketing of shin-high woody heather that obscured any paths that the OS chose to depict on its Explorer map for the area. That there was other woody growth abounding only could help in the return of an until then unleashed imagination to earth. Now that I cast my mind back over the day, I reckon that the outcome was only wise.

The day itself was blessed by sunshine with only the occasional light shower, a definite improvement on the preceding day. I took myself off to revisit Rothiemurchus as I made for Loch an Eilean, following tracks and trails that I first met last April. Showers were visiting the hills ahead of me but dry sunshine was my fare as I made my way around by Inverdruie and Lochan Mor. All of this remained familiar to me until I stayed with the shore Loch an Eilean rather than reprising that Easter Monday hike. Relaxed progress got me to Loch Gamhna from where I stuck with the lower slopes of Creag Fhiaclach. I had it in mind to check out the path leading to higher slopes from Inshriach bothy and the line looked anything but clear so I decided not to go doing the fool with it. If the path had looked usable, it would have taken me up by Allt Coire Follais before pathless progress would be needed to make it onto the summit of Creag Dhubh. Instead, I continued to Inshriach forest from where I checked out another seemingly promising track until it ran out at what appeared to be a weather station. Not being in the mood for cross country travel over low and not so low level vegetation, I decided not to persevere with checking out potential routes to the heights and took in low level views of them instead. Plenty of tempting targets lay before me with Munros like Geal-charn, Meall Buidhe, Sgòran Dubh Mor, Sgòr Gaoith, Carn Bàn Mòr and Meall Dubhag. Beyond a number of those lay Loch Eanaich, the cliffs that loom above it and other lofty summits such as Braeriach.

On walking back from Inshriach, I opted to round Loch Gamhna even though it was raining at the time. That rain wasn’t to outstay its "welcome" and passed on soon enough and I had a dry weather amble along the western shores of Loch an Eilean with some spotlighting of the surrounding countryside by the sun. I even got to taking some time out to stop and relax a little before leaving the loch to follow a different way back to Inverdruie in preference to the one that I had enjoyed earlier that day. The walk had been a good one for a subsequent visit to the area but it does amaze how I managed to call it right on that Easter Monday visit; choosing vistas over heights certainly paid off in spades and it was just as well that I did.

After getting fed and watered in Aviemore, I decided to go investigating the a short section of the Speyside Way only to find that its depiction on my map didn’t fully correspond with that on the ground. This type of discrepancy would also appear to have afflicted those various routes to the heights that I explored that afternoon so I am left wondering if OS need to issue a new edition to include any changes since 2007, not at all that long ago. Still, the hills were coloured russet from the evening sun and I got to walking off any excess that I had taken on board so it would be very thankless of me to be grumbling. All in all, it wasn’t a bad day at all.

My recollections of day one of my Aviemore escapade contain more greyness and rain than was actually the case. Skies may have been grey with a certain cool feel pervading the air on my arrival at the place’s train station on the Caledonian Sleeper but it wasn’t all thus. Awaiting the bus to Glenmore allowed me the time to both set myself up for a spot of hiking and feel any chilliness; the bus was a few minutes late so a little more time was available than planned. After the five mile bus journey, further organisation and orientation followed before I got to striking off up the road towards Glenmore Lodge.

Mercifully, the Forestry Commission saw fit to have a walking and cycling track shadowing the road so any traffic going to or coming from Scotland’s national outdoor training centre could not perturb me once I found the start of the thing. After some uneventful progress, I passed the said outdoor centre to reach Scotways’ signage for rights of way to Nethy Bridge and Braemar. There were no plans in my head for going as far as either of those destinations on the day though I was set for the Ryvoan Pass and would pass the bothy that’s there. Being around at an early around meant that I was far from surrounded by hoards with only a few fellow walkers going their merry way.

If you weren’t aware of the forecast, you’d have been tempted to assume that the day was set to remain fair and even get better and better based on the appearances that being put on at the time. This certainly was how it was starting to look around An Lochan Uaine and the pass itself. With the pleasant conditions and lack of midges, I lingered around Ryvoan Bothy for a while and pondered the possibility of using it on an excursion at some unknown point in the future. I still have nothing definite in mind but it’s good what’s there all the same.

From the bothy, I set off up the slopes of Meall a’ Bhuachaille with things starting to become greyer again. The uphill path is well engineered but there’s nothing more that it can do to ease what is a hefty workout for any pair of legs, especially those carrying everything for a multi-day trip like mine were (a possible disadvantage of using an overnight service when some items cannot dropped off somewhere). There was nothing for it but to take my time and go at a sensible and steady pace. Time often passes slower than you think on uphill stretches and you have got to watch that it doesn’t skew your judgement of height too. My ascent of Meall a’ Bhuachaille had the same ingredients so that was further encouragement not to go rushing at anything that might turn out to be a false summit. The real summit was to be reached in its own good time so there was no need to hurry; allowing plenty of time is essential for this type of thing.

Thankfully, the gradients eased as I neared the summit cairn and I paused a while and noted the coming predicted dampness elsewhere around and, as it was soon to turn out to be the case, coming my way. On the descent, doubts were bubbling up with regard to including further summits in my trot. After having the 810 m summit to myself, there were a few groups coming up against me, some clad in t-shirts and shorts or tracksuit bottoms, a definite contrast to what I normally use and possibly foolhardy with the weather predictions. After all, some passing dampness had frequented the hill while I was on it.

The path down Coire Chondlaich offered an escape route but, thinking that spells of lighter rain might be what we’d get, I continued to Creagan Gorm on a clear if rougher path. There were still views round about me to be had with rolling hills of Abernethy and Cromdale to my north along with the more dramatic craggy affairs of Cairngorm and Braeriach to my south. After this point, the weather very definitely deteriorated and I was glad of the waterproofs that I had with me. The wind-pelted rain was one matter but the loss of visibility was another and retention of one’s wits was mandated by the conditions. One good thing was that the path remained clear and I could see enough to avoid any calamity. The hills that I was traversing may have been humpy but rolling or sliding down a steep slope in error does not appeal to me one bit. Patience was another necessity with plenty of ups and downs that could so easily deceive as I passed over Creag a’ Chaillich on the way to Craiggowrie; there definitely seemed to be more summits than were on my usefully waterproofed Explorer map. The conditions that I met certainly weren’t fair and I hope that the lightly-clad brigade made it down in time.

Craiggowrie identified itself both by a definite left hand turn in the path and a clear if broken down fence. The loss of height helped to inspire confidence too as did the improving visibility. Though conditions underfoot were understandably boggy, the forest that I intended to enter came into view and the transmitter-topped of Creag a’ Ghreusaichie could be picked out from across An Slugan. The air remained damp but the wetness was less windblown and a sodden but not soggy Irishman made his way in among the trees.

From there on, continuous improvement was the order of things. Having been out for a few hours with a goodly number of ups and downs along the way, fatigue was beginning to make its presence felt. Nevertheless, I was by now on good forestry tracks though forestry operations (a fellow walker had forewarned me of these when we met on high in the murk and it was well signed in any case) meant that one’s guard could not be dropped just yet. Though it may not have felt that way at the time, progress was steady with Badaguish Outdoor Centre being passed in good time with not much more time being needed to return to Glenmore from where I had started earlier in the day. The prospect of making my way back to Aviemore on foot did enter my mind but the encountered wetness meant that it had no staying power.

The by then glorious conditions had me tempted with the idea of extending my walk but, even though it was only about 14:30, I decided to listen to my body and recognise my need of the services of a drying room. That had me returning to Aviemore by bus to book in at its SYHA. Somehow, the option of the SYHA in Glenmore never came to my attention until I went there this time around! It’s an accommodation option that I’ll be keeping in mind for a future visit.

Back in Aviemore, I duly tidied myself up and placed whatever needed drying into the drying room. After a spot of shopping and obtaining sustenance, I decided to potter into the Craigellachie NNR for a short wander that took me up high enough to gain me some decent views towards the Cairngorms on an otherwise sunny evening beset with light showers; two came upon me while I was out. Even so, it was a good way to walk off some of the evening meal and I settled down for an early night. It had been a day when the weather both flattered to deceive and, at times, tested to the point of irritation. Only for the photos that I had made, I may well have recalled the discomfiture more clearly than the pleasant interludes, something that the day wouldn’t have deserved.

The weather prospects may have been uneven if anything but I grabbed a few days away in Aviemore this week. The Caledonian Sleeper conveyed me there and away again overnight before today’s heavy rain ensconced itself over Scotland. Tuesday saw me trot over Meall a’ Bhuachaille, Creagan Gorm, Creag a’ Chaillich and Craiggowrie in ever deteriorating conditions (eventually leading to wind blown rain and poor visibility) that left me needing the services of a drying room afterwards. Ironically and maybe irritatingly, the weather improved in leaps and bounds after my descent until the sun appeared on my return to Glenmore. Never let it be said that the Scottish weather doesn’t appear to have a sense of humour but it was decent walking nonetheless and I later got in a shower dampened yomp around Craigellachie after an early evening meal.

A mix of sunshine and light showers was what awaited me on Wednesday when I went poking around Inshriach. Whatever sights I might have set on reaching the summit of Creag Dhubh were given something of a cold bath when I saw the thickness of the heathery carpet that I would needed to cross and ascend. After the previous day’s exertions, I very sensibly thought better of it but have noted the opportunities for a first Munro hereabouts but reckon that more low level explorations are in order first. I may not have made it to a summit but a circumnavigation of Loch Gamhna and Loch an Eilean more than made up for that, even if that meant contending with other holidaymakers. More poking followed my evening meal when I got to seeking out the Speyside Way only to note that the route has changed since 2007 when my OS Explorer map was published.

As if to prove that mountain weather has a mind all of its own, Thursday started out damp, so damp that I retreated indoors to the comfort of a return journey along the Strathspey Railway. The dampness hadn’t been predicted but the weather started to turn for the better as I got back to Aviemore again and a spot of wandering was in order for the afternoon and early evening ahead of my overnight trip south. In short, the steam railway trip had made good use of an otherwise uninspiring morning and it doesn’t take you through ugly surroundings either.

A bus journey conveyed me to Glenmore again from where I ventured over the Ryvoan Pass on my way to Strath Nethy, where views towards Bynack More and Bynack Beg distracted. In fact, the sight of a good path towards Bynack More has me wondering about doing a trek to its 1090 metre high summit sometime; having more time available may have seen me make an attempt on the day. As if that weren’t enough, there are far too many other options to considered for the same small area, never a complaint. Sun was in short supply but it stayed dry and that state of affairs was well appreciated after Tuesday’s dousing. Saying that, it was still midge weather so stopping places needed careful selection so as not to be overrun by the infamous irritants.

Returning to Glenmore meant reprising the outbound journey until after An Lochan Uaine where I selected a forestry path climbing the lower slopes of Meall a’ Bhuachaille more enthusiastically than I might have liked at this point. However, I didn’t go unrewarded with the sun coming out to enliven the vistas that opened out before me at the top of the path. Kinder gradients awaited me for the way down a forestry vehicle track.

From Glenmore, I followed the "Old Logging Way", a new off-road cycle and walking track shadowing the road back to Aviemore without appearing on my 2007 OS map. Catching the bus back might have been the less tiring option but I wasn’t going to leave even an ever cloudier evening go to waste. In fact, I was back in Aviemore without feeling too shabby after my exertions and with ample time ahead of my train for getting some food. Whatever doubts surfaced in my mind about the sense of my decision proved groundless.

Looking back at it now, imperfect weather failed to put paid to a well packed and well used few days. A trip to Aviemore may not be as attention grabbing as one to the Western Isles like mine last year but it was a break from the daily hurly burly and that was what was really needed. Mallaig may have surfaced as an option for a multi-trip this so-called summer, in line with my usual drift to the West Highlands, but the prevailing weather sent me east to follow up on my April excursion and more can follow from this one again. That western drift has left much unfinished business in the east, always a shot in the arm for when it is needed. This posting itself is, as long as it is, the start of an unfinished business with my intending to elaborate in the fullness of time. In a way, it’s like the trip itself: a lot done but more to do.

The trouble with going somewhere for the first time is that you need to decide what to see. That reality is heightened when there are so many options that there is an embarrassment of riches. My Easter visit to Aviemore was a good example of this last point in every way. The weather could not have been better so it would have been a pity to waste that too. Having only a day available to me for on foot explorations meant that making best use of it was very much in mind.

In the end, I opted for a walk around the Rothiemurchus Estate in order to savour as many sights as possible. Leafing through Ronald Turnbull’s Cicerone guide, Walking in the Cairngorms, revealed a tempting option in the shape of Creag Dhubh and the Argyll Stone but I ruled out the idea of a quick ascent of a single hill in favour of a deeper incursion that took in more of the surrounding scenery. The prospect of a trot up Gleann Eanaich was also sorely tempting but I, perhaps erroneously now that I look at it again, thought it too confining an idea. It might have its difficulties at the time but leaving something for later has its rewards when one idea unleashes many more.

Getting from Aviemore to Inverdruie meant facing progress over tarmac. However, a short off road crossing over the Spey and the presence of useful roadside footways provided some relief as did the ambiance of a sunny morning. Inverdruie was where I left tarmac after me for a while to pick up a pleasant footpath through heather-carpetted heath with a good scattering of pines. That took me by Lochan Mor where I lingered a little while I enjoyed the pure idyll that was on offer. It’s the sort of spot where you could stop all day in the right conditions but I was minded to go further.

At Milton Cottage, I met up with tarmac again and watched with some amazement as a truck negotiated a narrow bridge with some difficulty before I continued to Loch an Eilean after it had passed. At the loch, where tarmac was left after me until evening and I could have got to Creag Dhubh from here if that was my plan. The tracks are good and were playing host to cyclists as well as walkers so a certain state of alertness was very much in order.

Another meeting of tracks was where I might have turned for Loch Eanaich (or Einich if you prefer; the OS use both spellings) and the crags above it. They certainly look dramatic on OS maps so I suppose that they are yet another addition to the ideas shelf. I stayed my course to pass Lochan Deo and crossed Am Beanaidh using the Cairngorm Club Footbridge. My onward progress was to have me shadow Allt Druidh as I continued on in the direction of the Lairig Ghru.

After another meeting of paths called Piccadilly, I took the one signposted as being for the said famed mountain pass. It was at this point that I left any gentle strollers and cyclists for quieter terrain. That allowed me a spot of lunch-taking before commencing my ascent. That ascent was steady rather than tiring but the results of any labours were there to be seen, particularly whenever I looked behind.

However, I wasn’t bound for Lairig Ghru; I was happy with a glimpse of that pass and what surrounds it. Instead, the idea of mounting Creag a’ Chalamain and Castle Hill became a prospect. Sticking with the Chalamain Gap wouldn’t have left me disappointed either. Being mindful of time, I decided against the roundabout route followed by the tracks shown on my map for a more direct and cross country route. Whatever doubts may have lain in the back of my mind regarding the strength of my legs were dispelled as I made my way up the slopes. It didn’t take so long to reach the track that I would have been following if I had been using the route marked on my map.

My eventual course to the top of a hill was made all too tempting by the sight of a good clear track up the side of Creag a’ Chalamain from the gap. The reward for my energy expenditure was ample views of all that lay about me. The experience laid the seed of an idea for resolving hill identification questions, an occasional bugbear of mine: to work out what hills feature in one of your photos, get on top of one of them to simplify your view of the landscape. Cairngorm and Braeriach lay among the cornucopia that lay about me. Both were holding on to snow with the latter really succeeding in its hoarding of the white stuff. By staying lower down, I was avoiding any such difficulties.

Hopping over to Castle Hill didn’t cost me much in labour or in views either. Loch Morlich and Lochan Dubh a’ Chadha lay beneath me with lower hummocks like Airgiod Meall, Craiggowrie, Creagan Gorm and Meall a’ Bhuachaille being easy to pick out from the map in my possession. I probably should have dropped into Eag a’ Chait to pick up a path to Rothiemurchus Lodge but my meandering course took me further east around the hillside before I gingerly picked my way down a steep slope to join an alternative track to the same place. This was to be no exact route march and I didn’t mind so long as I knew where I was and remained safe; there are bigger worries in life than whether a route was followed exactly or not.

Given that I was now on more level terrain, I snatched some time for a breather after Rothiemurchus Lodge before scotching any ambitions to visiting the shores of Loch Morlich in favour of a return to base. Ironically, my route back to Aviemore was to take me not far from the said loch before I headed along another track to join the one that I had been using that morning. Somewhere along the way, my brain had jumped time zone to CET, or double summer time if you like, to reduce the perceived amount of time that I had until the light failed. This silly development would have been worse if it lured me into a false sense of security so I’ll be more careful in future. It might be after so many years with digital watch faces that using one with an analogue style has not become second nature to me just yet and I’ve had it a few years. Still, the last time the my brain jumped time zone was on a walk among the Brecon Beacons a few years and the movement was in the same direction and with the same watch too. Maybe, a return to digital displays is in order…

That mental time shift did not deprive me of the ability to enjoy the walk back in the late evening sunlight. If anything, its direction and its warmth of colour suited my surroundings better. Naturally, photographic activity continued as a I plied the paths and tracks on my way back to base. That there were less folk about added to the sense of relaxation too as I reached Piccadily to begin reversing my outward route. From there, it was back over the Cairngorm Club Footbridge, past Lochan Deo to reach Loch an Eilean again. From the latter, I stayed on tarmac for the journey to Inverdruie rather than reprising my earlier off road route. Traffic was light so I only had to contend with the effects of tarmac bashing on my feet. From Inverdruie, I reversed the way that I had earlier trodden with a stop to give directions to two young ladies in a car wanting the SYHA hostel. It was after they had left that I wondered about having joined them for the sake of giving better directions because that’s where I was staying too. There was another cause for that perhaps aberrant brainwave: the tarmac tramping was taking its toll. There was woodland prior to my crossing of the Spey so I pottered along a softer track there for some respite. In the meantime, my brain had returned to BST and I felt a bit of an idiot but was glad to have had the extra hour anyway. It had been the only real howler on an otherwise stellar and long day of walking in Highland countryside with a different feel to that to which I have been accustomed.

It might be the presence of well maintained paths and tracks along with the mixture of heather and pine trees that covered the ground but I got the impression that this was a drier part of the Highlands that other areas that I have explored before now. Even the higher slopes seemed to possess none of the boggy stuff. That’s not to say that I met no messy conditions underfoot because the track that I joined after coming off Castle Hill was very rough but that was the exception to the norm as far as my hike was concerned. Geology and weather might also have their part to play. After all, the Cairngorms do lie in the east so the rain-bearing westerlies might have jettison much of their cargo by the time that they get this far. Then, there’s the hand of humankind too. Whatever the causes, my surroundings felt a world apart from the sogginess that I have encountered in the west and that was without the airborne moistness that I have met in parts of Argyll and Lochaber. Yomps from Corrour train station to Spean Bridge and from Loch Awe train station to Taynuilt by way of Glen Kinglass certainly took over sodden terrain but my taste of Badenoch felt very different to this.

From an Easter weekend for which the forecast was none too promising, I managed to extract a decent walk. Having a well stocked ideas shelf and some free time meant that a getaway proved possible when things started to look better for the U.K.. The rain stayed in Ireland to saturate the countryside and annoy people like my father. I suppose that it sounds perverse to have some gaining from the discomfort of others and it’s not the first time that I remember that happening but I suppose that’s life.

Having possibilities is all very fine but I have found that they can cause indecision and delay too. That’s when I find that having an informal pecking order helps and having not walked in Scotland for a little while pushed the Cairngorms plan higher up the wish list. Saying that. it helped that it was possible to book a place to stay at the Aviemore SYHA too. Having that option open to me meant that unexpected good weather wasn’t left to go to waste and more ideas not populate that walking wish list too. Those may form part of a longer visit yet but that’s only a pipe dream right now.

Travel Details:

Whichever way that you do it, this is a long schlep from Macclesfield. It’s the sort of journey that makes the Caledonian Sleeper an appealing idea were it not for the cost. Still, if you allow the time and avoid engineering works, a return train works out well enough if a little on the expensive side. Travelling at Easter as I did meant that engineering works on the West Coast mainline sent me around by York to Edinburgh before continuing to Inverness. Logistically, I needn’t have done it on the way back but return ticketing was probably best from the cost point of view. Flying is another idea but times aren’t always in your favour and I’m not sure how they’d cope with walking poles unless a duffel bag came too. Of course, there’s the environmental consequences to be considered too. Sitting back on a train with a music player and something to read isn’t so bad, is it?

There is a certain distraction occupying my life at the moment so that’s why that trip report from my Easter visit to Aviemore has yet to make its debut. Nevertheless, my weekends have been left sufficiently free for some sampling of the springtime awakening that surrounds us right now. Yesterday saw me pay a visit to Derbyshire for the first time in what feels like an age. My amble started in Baslow and took me through the Chatsworth Estate en route to Matlock by way of the Derwent Valley Heritage Way. The weekend before saw me heading west to Wales for a yomp from Dolwyddelan to Llyn Ogwen. Both walks saw dry mild weather with cloudiness obstructing the sun at times and had plenty to offer the wanderer. Today’s chilly dampness may be a contrast to all of this but there a prospects for some decent weather over the coming bank holiday weekend. Only time will tell if that’s hopeless optimism on the part of weather forecasters or becomes reality. After an enormous bank holiday howler made by Met Éireann a now frightening number of years ago, I won’t be holding my breath but I remain hopeful of being ready for any opportunities that arise. In the meantime, I suppose that I’d better get to doing those trip reports and processing accompanying photos (picking what to include or exclude often takes more time than the Photoshop work itself…).