Chronology is not the strong point of this blog. This is a write-up of a trip I did back in November through the Cairngorms just before the winter season began, and it was a truly beautiful couple of days alone in the mountains.
Solitude in the mountains is like an old friend, one whom you can go a long while without seeing and then pick things up as if you had never been apart. You become aware of the sound of the wind on the grass, the smell of pine needles in the forest, the sensation of wind on your face and the gentle crunch of gravel under your feet. The awareness extends beyond the surroundings: a long walk in the mountains allows you to reconnect to yourself – often, decisions that had been troubling you or dilemmas you have in your everyday life become trivial in walking through a wild place. The mountains provide you with the path to contentment, and in wandering through them alone you open yourself to deeply moving experiences that only the hills can offer.
After a tiring and stressful week – I very much wanted to spend some time in the hills: specifically my favourite hills, the Cairngorms. I was craving a night in a bothy drinking tea, and I wanted to revisit some of my favourite spots in the range. I spent Friday morning trying and failing to study, then hopped on a bus up to Aviemore. A short ride to Glenmore and I began walking.
The air was cold: only just above zero and the darkness was thick. November in Scotland can feel rather gloomy – on a dreich day it can feel dark by two and the night is long. Starting walking at six in the evening meant I never saw my surroundings, but I appreciated the smells and sounds nonetheless. Tonight, I would walk through the Rothiemurchus pine forest to Ryovan bothy: a peaceful bothy nestled in an ancient woodland. The walk was short, just five kilometres and I knew soon I would have dinner on the go.
I reached the bothy and went inside: people were already inside and I wasn’t feeling particularly social, so I set up my tent and read some Lord of the Rings. I cooked some gnocchi and relaxed in the warmth of my sleeping bag – relishing the peace of the hills.
Day 2: Ryovan to Hutchies
I awoke to a beautiful sunrise over the Cairngorms. The sky was orange and I enjoyed some cake for breakfast: nutrition is not important when walking. I set off towards the top of Bynak Mor under a blue sky – what a fantastic treat!
Bynak Mor made for a pleasant start to my walk, with a gentle climb of about 800m vertical to a wonderful summit. Upon reaching the top – I was treated to a glorious cloud inversion over the plateau. The summits were only just poking out, the sun was shining, and it was truly a glorious sight.
I chatted to some other walkers at the top. One of whom was an Aviemore local who had seen the possibility of an inversion on the weather forecast and got up early to try and get some photos; another was an older chap who had walked through the highlands his entire life but was beginning to struggle. We spent some time chatting about the hills, the mountains, and the view.
“It’s days like this you live for – you can’t beat them, and they’ll stay with you for the rest of your time.”
The chap is right, I’m sure. An inversion over the Cairngorm plateau is a great gift.
Eventually, I left the summit and bimbled to wards the Barns of Bynack – a Dartmoor esk tor of rock (one of the largest tors on the Cairngorm plateau). A sharp descent led to the valley which I followed to a small bothy called the Fords of Avon Refuge.
The Fords of Avon Refuge would not be a nice place to spend the night. It is essentially a small windowless room designed to offer a survival shelter. Although warmer than a tent – with just a few folk in there it would quickly feel stuffy and damp and generally not be particularly pleasant. It did make a fine lunch stop, though, especially as the weather was beginning to deteriorate a little.
After lunch, I bimbled on to Hutchies, another ten or so kilometres away. A beautiful glacial valley between Ben Mheadoin – my favourite Munro, and the Ben Avon plateau led over a small pass and towards Glen Derry. Here – the walker is offered a choice: continue on towards Bob Scott’s bothy and Braemar, or turn back towards Hutchies and Loch Etchecan.
I wanted this trip to be somewhat of a Cairngorm greatest hits and have fond memories of a week spent at Hutchies: this made it an appealing place to spend the night. I arrived in good time and got some tea on, relishing the shelter but fearful of the cold night ahead, for I had no firewood.
Soon, someone else arrived. Charlie was doing a PhD in soil at the University of Stirling. He was a lovely bloke and immediately we got on extremely well. We shared some food, and enjoyed talking about ways to conserve the highlands better.
Then, four New Zealanders arrived, not only were they lovely, but they’d carried in firewood and soon the bothy was absolutely toasty. We shared some whiskey and enjoyed a night of good company on the high plateau – topped off with some more Lord of the Rings. A perfect bothy night!
Day 2 – Hutchies to Glenmore
I woke up and made some tea – a fruity and delicious herbal blend. Soon – I said my goodbyes to the other bothy residents and set off towards Loch Etchecan. A beautiful spot in the high plateau – this place felt like a wonderful place to be. I had a small snack and then continued down towards Loch Avon.
Loch Avon is massive – comparable in size to Derwent Water – but the slight catch is it’s at 750m or so – the height of Harrison Stickle. Yet again – the immense scale of the Cairngorms never fail to amaze me!
After a short bimble along the lake, I made a final climb up to the Saddle at 807m. From here, I followed a remote valley called Strath Nethy back to Glenmore forest. The environment was remote and wild, but sadly boggy at times. The valley is beautiful and is underappreciated; tourists to the range prefer to visit the nearby Larig Ghru, which, although more spectacular, has far more traffic.
At long last I reached An Lochan Uiane, where I enjoyed a pack of MnMs and a final rest before the journey home. The last few kilometres of the walk would be through the beautiful ancient Caledonian pine forests.
I reached the road, got a hitch quickly, and enjoyed Fish and Chips in town before journeying back to civilisation.
The Cairngorms, yet again, delivered. These mountains have become a home away from home for me: not a month and barely a week goes by where I don’t spend some time walking or climbing among these hills. It was a great pleasure to visit in Autumn, just a week before the first snows, see the wonderful colours of autumnal Scotland and spend two nights away from civilisation enjoying peace and quiet away from the crowds. What a success!
Oscar Outdoors 