A High Camp & A Walk On Sgor Gaoith

Ben Alder at dusk from Carn Ban Mor

The longest spell of fine weather since May has brought the hottest temperatures of the year in the Cairngorms. Wanting to enjoy the sunshine I decided to head up high to camp for the second time this month, and for the second time since my two-month layoff due to a hand operation. That first trip (see here) went well but I did suffer aching legs the following days, something I am unused to! Due to that I decided not to push myself but to split a one-day walk in two.

The forecast was for sunshine both days with a touch of cloud and a gusty wind overnight. It was to prove almost correct. As the wind was from the SSE I picked a camp spot high on the slopes of Sgor Gaoith that should provide some shelter from that direction. It was somewhere I’d thought about camping before but had never got round to doing so.

Forest colour

I set off in afternoon sunshine through the lovely forest of the Invereshie & Inshriach National Nature Reserve in Glen Feshie. Stands of birches amongst the pines were showing the first touches of autumn colour.

As the path left the last trees behind the sun vanished too as flat grey clouds covered the sky. The air, already hot, became heavy and humid. No breeze blew and I was soon soaked in sweat. Reaching the broad ridge that runs above the deep trench holding Loch Eanaich I crossed the wide path to Sgor Gaoith into the damp shallow hollow of the Fuaran Diotach spring. Here there’s the ruin of a small stone shelter on the edge of a little pool with just enough flat ground in front of it for a tent.

This ruin is called Ross’s Bothy, apparently from a deer watcher who used it in the distant past. There is a steep path running up to it from Loch Eanaich called Ross’s Path. The age of the ruin isn’t certain. The Highland Historic Environment Record gives information from Ann Wakeling that “Mae Marshall, whose family were gamekeepers in Glen Einich believes that there was a bothy here in pre-sporting times”. 

Evening light at Fuaran Diotach

It is a lovely spot with water and shelter from southerly winds. A Colonel Thorton was here in 1786 and described it as “a charming spring”. Ian R. Mitchell  in Scotland’s Mountains Before The Mountaineers says Thornton may have made the first recorded ascent of Sgor Gaoith on this trip in time taken off from his usual activity of slaughtering the local wildlife. Thornton reckoned Sgor Gaoith was 18,000 feet high (it’s 3,668 feet/1118 metres) with a drop of 13,000 feet to Loch Eanaich! Mitchell suggests that “the potent mixture of excitement, heat and champagne had affected his judgement” (Thorton describes his party “depositing our champagne, lime, shrub, porter etc. in one of the large snow drifts” in his 1804 book A Sporting Tour).

Having pitched my tent I was delighted to see the clouds begin to break up and shafts of sunshine illuminate the landscape. Maybe the night would be clear. Maybe I would see the full moon, the Harvest Moon. Maybe.

Creag Meagaidh at dusk from Carn Ban Mor

An hour later I noticed bands of pink, orange and yellow streaking the sky to the west as the sun set. I was the wrong side of the ridge for the view. This was a site for the morning sun. The sky looked wonderful though so I grabbed my camera and hurried up the slope above camp, knowing the gorgeous light would not last long. When the landscape of Strathspey stretching out the hills in the west appeared I knew the effort was well worthwhile. Waves of ridges in shades of grey rolled away to Creag Meagaidh and Ben Alder under rippling bands of clouds above the sunset colours, glorious and mysterious. I gazed until the colour faded and darkness started to descend, remembering then that in my haste I hadn’t bothered to pick up my headlamp. Luckily it wasn’t far back to camp and the ground was fairly flat and soft – a wet foot was more likely than tripping over a rock.

The promise of clear skies was false. Soon the clouds were thick again. The forecast wind did begin though, sweeping the clouds past not far above. Only occasional gusts reached the tent, however. I woke a few times during the night. Once there was a faint glow from the cloud-shrouded moon. Once the tent was enveloped in mist, as it was when dawn came. The tent was soaked inside and out.

The clouds begin to clear

Knowing the day was meant to be hot and sunny I lingered in camp a while. The clouds did begin to lift and by mid-morning the sky was clear and I was on my way up Sgor Gaoith, thrilled as always by the dizzying views down the crags to Loch Eanaich. 

Loch Eanaich

Two others were on the summit and I was to see several more walkers during the day, though fewer than I expected given the weather.

Sgor Gaoith from Sgoran Dubh Mor

From Sgor Gaoith I continued along the ridge to Sgoran Dubh Mor, which is just seven metres lower, then turned onto the long north-west spur over Meall Buidhe and Geal Charn. Like the other two the latter is now classed as a subsidiary Top of Sgor Gaoith in Munro’s Tables but until the revision of 1981 it was listed as a separate mountain. Whatever their position in a list the traverse of these hills this is a good walk with splendid views. On this day Loch an Eilein stood out, a deep blue in the green forest.

Loch an Eilein

Geal Charn is a stony hill with steep bouldery slopes on its west side. I’ve never found a comfortable way down these, except when the snow is deep enough for skis. The difficult walking ends at the col with Creag Mhigeachaidh where a path runs south down to the forest and my outward path. Underfoot may have been much easier but down here the breeze that had kept me reasonably cool high up had gone and the heat was stifling. I was relieved to reach the shade of the pines. Later I heard that Aviemore was the hottest place in Britain that day at 25.5°C.

Cairn Gorm & Cairn Lochan

Across the shoulders of Sgor Gaoith & Braeriach to Creag an Leth-choin

Sgor Gaoith