From Taffs Well to Timbuktu; exploratory outings with Darren Neil Axe: Braemar & the Southern Cairngorms, 23-24 Feb 2013

What an outstanding weekend! Club trips to Braemar always install an excitement for adventurous backpacking trips out into the wild southern Cairngorms and this one was to be no exception! After a surprisingly comfortable wild camp at the Linn of Dee on Friday night, we were well prepared for the long walk to the high mountains along Glen Lui and Glen Derry on Saturday. The four of us (Sam, Lorna, Imogen and myself) had set our sights on a two day mission to the Hutchinson Memorial Hut high in Coire Etchachan, although we weren't bargaining on floor space in the bothy so carried our tents with us. It was a spectacular 13km walk in along the Glens, gradually rising through increasing neve-like snow cover to 700m up at the Bothy. We arrived at the Bothy just in time for a decent lunch break, and shared experiences over our lunch with a Royal Marines member (not on duty) who had spent the morning walking over Ben Macdui from Corrour Bothy. After lunch, we off-loaded most of our heavy gear for the camping and set off up the steep northern slopes of Derry Cairngorm. The first bit out of Coire Etchachan provided some interest in it's steepness, although we were soon up onto the vast gradually rising upper slopes. The views from Derry Cairngorm were spectacular, with the sun coming out across much of the hills to the South. After Derry Cairngorm, we decided to head north and then west up to the summit of Ben Macdui. It was a fairly long haul up to the summit, which was unfortunately cloud covered. Our decent back down to Hutchinson Memorial hut via the completely snow-covered Loch Etchachan was fairly rapid on the hard snow, although it was just breaking dark when we arrived back into the corrie. Given the temperatures, we didn't hang around long and cooked a quick meal on our stoves before retreating to the tents for an early night. The moon was out as the sky had mostly cleared through, so I managed to grab a few nice night-time shots on my camera through experimenting with the long-exposure setting! Sleeping was no problem as we were all pretty tired.

On Sunday morning, we decided not to proceed with our option of bagging Beinn Mheadhoin as the cloud had dropped down and we were not feeling up to another strenuous day. So after a leisurely start, we set off back down Glen Derry towards Derry Lodge and the Linn of Dee. It cleared through the morning and early afternoon and there was a feel of spring in the air as we dropped away from snow clad upper slopes and into the more forested sections of the Glens. I was pleased to see plenty of young Scotch Pines attempting to gain a foothold in Glen Derry, in some places aided by tree guards and deer fencing. I pondered optimistically over how the Glen might look in 20 years time if the pines manage to grow to maturity and recreate more expansive stands of beautiful Caledonian forest that once covered much of the Scottish Glens and Moors. We arrived back at the Linn of Dee around an hour ahead of schedule, which was nice as we could enjoy a cup of tea and a chat in the sunshine with those who had done walks and climbs at Lochnagar the previous day. We were on our way from Braemar by late afternoon which meant we were able to enjoy all the mountains through the Glenshee area in daylight, followed by sunset over the hills of the West Highlands as we headed south around Perth and on to Stirling.

A fine winter weekend in Braemar once again and thanks to all involved for making it an enjoyable trip.