The Cairngorms Effect

Cairngorms: Friday 6th - Sunday 8th June 2014
This weekend saw me with time on my hands. Pam and Rach were in London and Jack in Greece, so what better to do with my time than disappear to the Cairngorms for a few days, just me, myself and I. So I got some stuff together for a backpacking trip and packed my rucksack. Some of the most magnificent hill-country in Scotland in prospect and plenty of time to properly explore it - this is what makes me tick, quality time in the great outdoors.

Stage One: Linn of Dee to Corrour
Well, after a walk of around 3.5 hours, here I am at Corrour. The tent's up, dinner's on and all's well with the world. There's even a nice wee breeze keeping the midges at bay, and as I look out of my tent northwards, there's a splash of blue sky over Ben Macdui - hopefully a portent of things to come. Oh yes, the simple pleasures, hard-earned -the real McCoy!

Hilleberg Akto, with Corrour Bothy in background

Dinner consisted of macaroni (Mountain House) for main course, followed by rice pudding with strawberries (also, Mountain House) for dessert, washed down with a big mug of coffee. The macaroni wasn't exactly gourmet, but it did the job, and I'm now pretty full and just waiting patiently on the pudding. This is the first time I've used freeze dried meals in years, but in the pursuit of all things lightweight, freeze dried stuff is about a quarter of the weight of Wayfarer meals and that's good enough for me on this trip. After all, I am now, ahem, the wrong side of forty (stop laughing please) and out of condition for a thoroughbred mountain man, so my pack could definitely do with some lightening.

Blimey! The rice pud's a disappointment, and that's putting it mildly! I added 200ml of boiling water and then waited the alloted 4-5 minutes, so I kept my end of the deal. However, it's more like chicken soup than rice pudding - the strawbs are swimming in a strange milky liquid. To top it all, an unwanted guest decided to crash my dinner party and use the aforementioned liquid as a landing strip. He was soon fished out and given his marching orders though. The strawbs probably made him do it: "Come on in, the water's lovely!"

Anyways, most things are edible when you're outdoors. It's not that your standards slip very far, just that you're much more grateful and your body really craves the nourishment (if you've been working hard, that is). Consequently, pretty much anything's acceptable, including the odd blade of grass, sprig of heather and a variety of insect life (usually midges, but in tonight's case, a wee fly.... as long as it's hot). As a result, I'm now suitably sated and busying myself with routine camp chores, like fetching water, tidying the tent - all with a great big smile on my face. This outdoor life's great! Also, making idle chit chat with the numerous other outdoorsy folk who've also lined up the Lairig Ghru as their perfect weekend getaway.

Devil's Point

"In the north-east of Scotland between Speyside and Deeside is a great tract of mountainous country that contains four of Scotland's seven 1,220m (4,000ft) mountains. This is the Cairngorms, a region of high plateaux, deep corries, remote lochs, swift flowing rivers, ancient forests and Arctic-like tundra...here also is a wilderness where it is still possible to be truly alone."

"The Cairngorms consist of three major plateaux, running from Braeriach to Cairn Toul in the west, Cairn Gorm to Ben Macdui in the centre and Beinn a' Bhuird to Ben Avon in the east. Between these three plateaux two major corridors cut through the heart of the massif from north to south, forming classic cross-country routes that have been used since time immemorial. These corridors are the Lairig Ghru in the west and the Lairig an Laoigh in the east."
Exploring Scottish Hill Tracks - Ralph Storer

Ben Macdui

Hang on a minute - did Ralph say it was still possible to be truly alone??? Are you kidding? Man, it's busy here! Ten tents, including my own, dotted around Corrour Bothy, with plenty occupants inside the bothy too. Three tents occupied by Duke of Edinburgh's Award kids on expedition. Two (better not say 'occupied') being used by Germans. Also better not mention that today's the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings! Not been inside the bothy yet, but I notice it has a cludgie (an outside toilet, for the league of nations who read this blog), which means no wandering off into the storm like Captain Oates. "I am just going outside and may be some time". For the uninitiated, Captain Oates' classic phrase as he basically walked out of a tent to certain death at the South Pole, including Scott of the Antarctic, is part of the outdoor vernacular. So, Corrour, Lairig Ghru, famous mountain pass in the Cairngorms - not so much 'truly alone', but more like a home away from home.

View from the tent - Ben Macdui

I had a couple of places in mind for this weekend - it was either Glen Nevis/Steall (The Ring of Steall) or the Cairngorms. But when I saw the weather forecast, there was only One Direction I wanted to  go - Lairig Ghru. "Weather likely to be drier north and east," it said. Glen Nevis can wait for another day. And so a cunning plan was hatched, to chase the good weather and revisit the Cairngorms on my own terms, seeing as last year's foray was under the auspices of "work."

The plan was to walk from Linn of Dee, near Braemar, via Glen Lui and Glen Luibeg to Corrour Bothy on day one - check! Day two, climb Devil's Point, Cairn Toul and Angel's Peak. Chill a bit in the evening, then walk out again on day three - at a leisurely pace, which can indeed be done when you're on your lonesome and making your own decisions.

Glen Luibeg

So, day one's almost done and dusted and it's now 9.00pm. Will probably have a nice early night, seeing as I'm not that used to this backpacking malarkey and am just a tad tired. Then, up first thing in the morning, pack some essentials in the rucksack and head up Devil's Point, the magnificent rocky peak that's now on my doorstep, followed by Cairn Toul and Angel's Peak, just down the bottom of the street. Then I'll see how these auld knees are bearing up, before deciding whether or not to head across town to Braeriach (a long way!), or retrace my footsteps to my humble abode - decisions, decisions.

Saturday 7th June

Breakfast

Thought I was making an early start this morning, but it seems that most tent occupants were up at the crack of dawn, and not afraid to share their morning optimism with the rest of us sleepyheads. So, up at 7.45am - and that's fairly early for me. After all, we're situated right on mountain country's doorstep, Cairngormarama - it's time to party! After some porridge and coffee, I headed up the garden path next to my tent to climb Devil's Point (Bod an Deamhain in Gaelic - I'll leave you to work out the literal translation! John Brown had a similar conundrum when asked it's meaning by Queen Victoria, as they passed by one day, a while back), the amazing conical peak at the bottom of my garden.

My back yard - Devil's Point

I was still coming to as I headed up into Coire Odhar, the exertions of the previous day lingering in these tired limbs, when I was rudely startled by a cackling grouse, exploding out of the heather nearby. How inconsiderate - I almost woke up! It took two more similar experiences for me to wake up completely, and the third time it happened the pair of grouse I'd disturbed didn't fly off into the distance. The reason? Six wee grouse chicks. I stood rooted to the spot as this beautiful feathered family scattered in every direction, all frantically trying to locate each other whilst mum and dad tried their utmost to gather the group back together again. "Awww," I hear you say. I felt all warm and fuzzy (no pun intended)!

At the col above the corrie, I headed south east for Devil's Point, by this stage a short 20 minute jaunt away. The views from here are absolutely stunning! The uninterrupted vista of the infant River Dee making it's winding way south is superb. As was the view across to Carn a' Mhaim and Ben Macdui, both of which I'd climbed, along with Derry Cairngorm, many moons ago on my Mountain Leader assessment week.

View from summit of Devil's point

However, the views were to get even better still. That's the thrill of exploration - there's always something different and enticing around the corner, or over the next hill. And in the Cairngorms, everywhere's worth the effort and always yields rich rewards.

Then, as I retraced my steps from Devil's Point to the col, the weather was improving dramatically, and although it was windy, the sun was out in force, re-charging the body with heat that the wind was trying to take away. I stopped again at the head of the corrie to refill my Platypus. It's always good to take advantage of a good, clean water source wherever you can. The water on this col seems to come from nowhere, and before long it's tumbling headlong into the corrie below as if there's a loch overflowing the corrie lip. I couldn't see the source, as water just appeared - underground aquifers, perhaps?

Anyway, as I was replenishing my tank at nature's filling station, I happened to look up just as a herd of        around 35-40 reindeer appeared, grazing the moss as they sauntered over in my direction. They seemed very curious and I was amazed as they surrounded me, apparently unconcerned, as they had a fair number of young calves in tow. I'm relieved to say, though, that they are very docile and gentle creatures - no wonder Santa likes them!

Rudolph

Next on the agenda was Cairn Toul (Hill of The Barn), the fourth highest mountain in Scotland, magnificent, but very bouldery and difficult to negotiate. Just then, I must've got a phone signal, as my mobile rang - my Good Lady on the line from down south, London calling. It was good to make contact and let her know I wasn't dead just yet and that the life insurance money would have to be put on hold yet again. It was also good to hear that it was raining in The Big Smoke, but a veritable cauldron in the Cairngorms (only joking, Dear!). One Direction at Wembley - so not for me!

Cairn Toul

The only others I saw all day, apart from the reindeer, were two fell runners and the odd walker. Splendid isolation indeed. And it's at times like this, when I'm marvelling at the awesomeness of creation, that I burst into song - and the mountains grimace! "The wilderness, the barren place, become a blessing in the warmth of your embrace." When I stopped for a bite of lunch at Sgor an Lochain Uaine (commonly known as The Angel's Peak) I literally had the place to myself. And as I looked down into the vastness of An Garbh Coire, below mighty Braeriach, I reflected on how fortunate I was to be here, snug and warm, filling my belly and surveying the magnificence of this remote corrie. There's literally no place I'd rather be, and that's a fact!

Angel's Peak

After a good long rest, I headed back rather than going on to Braeriach. That journey would've resulted in an epic and I wasn't sure if I was ready for it. That fine mountain could wait for another day. I managed to cut out Cairn Toul on my return journey by contouring below and onto Stob Coirie an t-Saighdeir. It was fair getting gusty at this point and I had to hold onto my sunhat.

The bird count was increasing as the day went along, as my feathered friends the Ptarmigan had put in numerous appearances. And I'm sure that there were plenty more nearby too, just that this dottery git didn't spot them, due to a combination of good camouflage on their part and bad eyesight on mine. There was also a lovely wee, unidentified as yet, black and white bird mooching around at the summit of Angel's Peak - it had a green tag on it's leg, so I'm assuming it has some degree of importance to someone. If you can ID it from the picture below, you could win yourself a matching set of luggage from Tesco.

Unidentified Flying Object (since ID'd as a Snow Bunting - thanks Neil)

So, another fine day, all told, and now I find myself back at Corrour, after a wee snooze in Coire Odhar on the way back. Well, if you can't relax and enjoy yourself up here, you'd be better off back in so-called civilisation.

Catchin' up on some shut-eye

Much later, I'm back at the ranch, the kettle's boiled and I'm pouring myself a rather large mug of tea, with milk courtesy of a friendly Italian climber who wished to lighten his rucksack before heading out into the wild blue yonder. And as I was enjoying my tea, he popped over with a choccy biscuit - Italian hospitality in Bonnie Scotland! Should've been the other way around. He'd enquired as to my whereabouts earlier in the day and I'd regaled him with brave tales of derring-do up on the wild and remote plateau. He wanted to know if the traverse all the way along to Braeriach was possible, to which I hinted that, due to his relatively youthful position, it was do-able. Anyway, a couple of hours after he headed off, the rain swept in and didn't let up until way into the wee small hours - hope he made it okay. Oh, and by the way, dinner was much better this time. In fact the best - Mountain House Pasta in a lasagna sauce - very tasty and lots of it.

Writing the blog - the old-fashioned way

All that's left now is for a night of writing this blog and then a walk out to Linn of Dee in the morning. And if the forecast's correct there'll be heavy thundery downpours throughout the day. Now I don't much like heavy thundery downpours, but I'd much rather they graced us with their presence at the end of a trip than the beginning, so good timing.

Well, it's now 6.30pm and the rain's arrived. At least it waited till most folk were off the hill (sorry my Italian friend). So now I'm zipped up in my sleeping bag, sheltering in my wan man tent, reading Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence - a fine read by any standards - and eating trail mix. Yes I know you're meant to eat it out on the trail, but it's rather good and it's making me forget the gathering storm outside. So now it's isolation of a different sort - never mind, I'd have to write this nonsense sometime, so no time like the present.

And now, seeing as I'm officially bored, tent-bound and desolate in wild Lairig Ghru, let's give some purpose to proceedings by having a new gear review. First up - the Hilleberg Akto wan man tent.

Hilleberg Akto
So far, so good. A great, well-designed one man shelter. Everything about this tent smacks of quality, durability and well thought-out design. It has loads of space for the solitary traveller, as when the inner door is fixed open, it's almost like being in a two-man tent, as the porch is so spacious. Also, it's tall
enough in the middle that I can sit upright, dangling my legs out the door, and that means everything's within easy reach. It also has clever wee zipped ventilation hatches at floor level at each end and a triangular flap on the inner door to see out and keep the dreaded midge from sucking your blood. Great stuff Hilleberg!

Hilleberg Akto - with Corrour Bothy

Thermarest Neo-Air XLite
This inflatable mat is pure luxury. I justified forking out the £120 quid or so for it by telling myself that, with my dodgy back, nothing's too expensive. Helps when you have a Cotswold 20% discount card, though.

It comes, rolled up, in a size that's roughly equivalent to a one litre drinks bottle and it weighs a fraction of it's nearest competitor. It really is very comfortable, and it's great for side-sleepers like me, ensuring that your hips don't make contact with the ground below. Additionally, it has a clever internal design that reflects body heat. I was a bit wary of it at first, as it feels really flimsy, so I stuck a good old-fashioned Karrimat on my rucksack, just in case the ground was stony and it got punctured (belt and braces), but glad to say - it's survived intact. Wait! What's that hissing noise??? Only joking!

Rab Silk Sleeping Bag Liner
This liner weighs next to nothing, but for the extra layer of insulation it provides, it's invaluable - I was real warm and snug as a result of using it inside my flimsy summer sleeping bag. It also means your sleeping bag is kept clean for longer, as you'll only need to wash the liner. What a great wee luxury! In the past I've used a cotton liner, but it's amazing just how much heavier they are than silk (really buying into this lightweight ethos!). Well worth the forty-odd quid purchase price. Hopefully it's durable.

Black Diamond Head-Torch
This was an enforced purchase, as my daughter managed to lose my previous head torch on a recent Duke of Edinburgh's Award expedition. It's a great design, with two modes - full-on, or spotlight, and it looks pretty funky too. In fact, in the looks department, this is the most attractive of all the gear reviewed here. And let's face it, looks are important. The only time it's been deployed so far though, was in the cludgie at Corrour, and I'm not about to describe what it illuminated within those four walls - but at that moment, if I'd had the choice between a torch or a gas-mask, I'd have opted for the latter. Suffice to say that this torch is re-assuringly bright.

Sorbothane Insoles
Last, but by no means least, I'll go out on a limb (again, no pun intended) and say that these insoles are the best buy I've ever made in outdoor gear, and that's no exaggeration. My feet take me where I want to go, and that's generally over rough terrain, up hill and over dale, so it's fair to say that they're well worth looking after properly, especially as I suffer periodically from Planter Fasciitis. I was tempted to spend the extra for a pair of Superfeet insoles, but at less than half the price of those, these boys have really delivered. I can honestly say that after all this weekend's walking, my feet have been extremely comfortable throughout, with not a hint of aching heels, as in the past. So, these are my star buy. The purchase that's delivered the most value for money. Thank you Sorbothane.

Sunday 8th June
Well, my planned long lie never materialised, as again the early morning habits of my fellow campers impinged upon my quest for slothfulness yet again. So I was up, breakfasted and ready to roll by 9.30am. The day had started off dry after the heavy rain of the previous evening and today's weather looked a wee bit dicey, so I started off in my waterproof jacket. Before long, however, the sun put in an appearance, I ditched the jacket, and most of the rest of the walk out was fine. I stopped for lunch at Derry Lodge, before making my way down that fine sandy track back to the car at Linn of Dee. What a weekend!!!

Enjoying the fine weather at Derry Lodge

To summarise, I'd say that I don't think I've smiled as much in a long time. And anybody who knows this typically dour Scot will vouch for that. Let's just call it The Cairngorms Effect.