Killin' for Munros...

Munro bagging is indeed a strange pursuit. However it's appeal is incredible. Having not been out on a big ticking mission in a while, the prospect of a sneaky last minute trip to the Killin Hills in fine summer weather was very appealing.

The fine warm weather that had prevailed in Lancaster for the previous week promised to hold through the weekend so it was following a frantic packing session on Thursday evening, I was all set and stoked for another LUHC weekend in the north. The campsite at Cruachan Farm lived up to good expectations of comfortable toilet blocks with hot showers. Our reserved area was on a rather sloped section of the field, however it mattered not as it meant we were could spread out over a wide area, well away from any potential interruptions from late night BBQ's or snoring. 

The dome shaped Carn Gorm, 1020 m.

Saturday's bagging excursion saw myself, Imogen, Lorna and Mouse getting dropped off in a lush and green Glen Lyon at the small settlement of Invervar. We were sharp out of the blocks and soon found ourselves well above the forested valley pounding up the beautifully grassy slopes of Carn Gorm. We remarked at the novelty of finding ourselves on a reasonable path on the ascent which (for Scotland) made short work of the 800 or so meters to bring us to the summit of the first hill of the day; Carn Gorm, a fine concentric dome of a summit with great views of the west highlands, Rannoch Moor and Cairngorms to the east. The route following took in a collection of Tops and 3 further munros. With the weather being so fine, we took a leisurely stroll from one to the next with Mouse taking time for all important quick kips on some of the summits - 'it's surprising how comfortable lying down among the boulders of a Cairn can be'! Our descent from Meall na Aighan, the final Munro for the day was an efficient trot down a fine nose down into the wooded waters of the Ivervar Burn. Given that we had completed our round of the hills around 2 hours quicker than expected, we had time to kill prior to our minibus pickup. Finding a picturesque deep pool in the Burn, we took time out, and I took the opportunity for a refreshing plunge in the pool. For our return journey to the campsite, we were treated by chauffeur Ivar to a trip up over the Tarmachan road weaving up and down steeply among the high hills of the Ben Lawers range. 

Taking the plunge in the Invervar Burn. 

Saturday evening turned out rather damp and still on the campsite. This brought the midges out. We had come well prepared given the time of year and after all the cold weather of the spring, they were certainly far from their worst. 

After a clearing of the sky by the end of Saturday evening, it was a rather cloudy start to Sunday morning. There were signs of brightness around, and we knew the sun must be streaming down elsewhere in Scotland so it wouldn't be long before the mist gave way to clear blue skies. It was up and over the Tarmachan road once again, this time dipping into the cloud briefly at the top of the cloud, as we headed over into Glen Lyon. We were off to the dam at the end of Loch Daimph for a quick 'bag' of Stuc an Lochain. The cloud wafted around, with the sun making its best efforts to create a clear view for us as we rounded the corrie rim to the summit. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be until we were well on descent back down to Loch Daimph that the skies did their magic and the sunglasses once again came out of the rucksack top pocket.

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.

On ascent to the Hutchinson Memorial hut passing through the lower slopes of Glen Derry.

Approaching Ben Macdui Summit in 'bright mist'

Wild Camping spot in Coire Etchachan

Sunday's walk back to Linn of Dee... downhill all the way in the sunshine!