Cairngorm and Bynack More

Cairngorm from Aviemore

The Commonwealth Games were to start today but lack of tickets suggested that I would be better off taking advantage of the remarkable summer weather and heading north. I still had to climb Cairngorm and Bynack Mor to finish off all the Cairngorm Munros and I could meet Aileen in Aviemore at the end of the day before heading for the far from forgotten north-west of Scotland. I arrived at Loch Morlich at 11:30am after the usual plod up the A9 dodging camper vans and having to play follow my leader with the trucks and Nissan Micras. I decided to drop in on my niece who is an outdoor instructor at Loch Morlich and walked across the deep, soft, hot sand on what must be one of the best beaches in Scotland. She was out kayaking with a group so I parked my car behind Glenmore Lodge and decided to walk up Cairngorm from Loch Morlich instead of starting at the ski car park. I have done that on numerous occasions and it always felt cheating to be starting at 650 metres.

Meall a' Bhuachaille from Allt Choire Chais

Loch Morlich and Aviemore from Cairngorm ascent

Beinn Mheadhoin and Derry Cairngorm from Cairngorm

Cairngorm Corries

Loch Avon and Beinn Mheadhoin

Loch Avon from Cairngorm

Granite Tors just below the summit of Bynack More

Barns of Bynack

Wednesday, 23 July 2014

Ascent:        1360 metres

Distance:      20 kilmetres

Time:           6 hrs 49mins

Cairngorm          1244m      2hrs 35mins        

A' Choinneach   1016m      4hrs  5mins

Bynack More      1090m      4hrs 42mins

Starting behind Glenmore Lodge had seemed a good idea, I could return from Bynack Mor via Ryvoan but it involved a long climb up to the start of Cairngorm just below the ski car park. I followed the paths that twisted around Glenmore Lodge, they were a veritable maze and it took almost half an hour before I emerged on the road to the ski slopes. I vaguely thought of hitching a lift to make up time but there was little traffic and the path that followed the river through the Caledonian Forest was the very best of walks. I emerged just below the car park and tried to find the start of the footpath shown on Harvey's map up An t-Aonach. The path was faint at first, no longer used now that there is a more direct route from the car park, but it held a good line cutting through the rough granite and heather clad slopes. I had been walking for an hour and a half getting this far and I stopped after crossing the ski tow at 750 metres to have some lunch and admire the view back to Loch Morlich and the Spey Valley. 

Suitably reinvigorated by the break it seemed easy going to the summit, first meeting the broad path from the car park and then climbing steadily to the Ptarmigan restaurant. A number of walkers were on the descent, having presumably caught the mountain railway to the restaurant. I managed to get in by knocking on one of the doors and replenished my supply of water and took a look round where tourists were tucking into cooked lunches before their descent.  I managed to find a way out of the restaurant which seemed to be hermetically sealed from the great outdoors. There is a fenced in granite staircase that ascends 160 metres to the summit of Cairngorm and a few neophytes had escaped the clutches of the restaurant to climb their first Munro. The ugly cairn held no attraction so I ambled off to find a quieter spot overlooking Ben Macdhui and Loch Avon and to finish my lunch. The conditions were perfect with just a gentle breeze to fend off the afternoon sun and insect life.

There is a long descent down to Loch Avon, I reached the crags above the loch and had to detour around them to reach the saddle and the excellent path that wends its way through the granite to the plateau-like top of A' Choinneach. It was a blazing heat and the long gentle drop and climb to Bynack More took longer than I remembered. The granite tors to the south of the summit beckoned and I looked down to the Barns of Bynack and across to the massive northern corries of Ben Avon. I stopped on the jumble of rocks that provide a fine summit to Bynack More and ate the last of my food.

Time was getting tight, I had to be in Aviemore by 7:30pm to meet a train and I had a notion to climb the Corbett, Meall a' Bhuachaille, above Glen More lodge. I began the charge down the rocky ridge and then the long but well graded and recently built path to Bynack Stables from where it would take another hour and a half. Sadly, despite still feeling frisky and making good time, I was 30 minutes too late to attempt the Corbett. I had wasted time at the start of the walk so I had to content myself with a walk back through the beautiful Ryvoan pass. It contains An Lochan Uaine where a number of local teenagers were enjoying an evening swim. I was in Aviemore by 7pm on a perfect summer evening with the tourists lapping up the sun and the train disgorging another batch of holidaymakers including Aileen who had travelled up from Glasgow. The Cairngorms had provided ideal conditions for walking on one of the hottest days of summer.