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| Camp in the Lairig Ghru below Sron na Lairig |
Early April has been a time of warmth and sunshine. A few days ago I sat on the summit of Cairn Gorm, shirt sleeves rolled up, gazing at the golden-brown hills, the snow on which I’d camped less than three weeks before gone. It felt and looked more like July than April.
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| Summit of Cairn Gorm, April 9 |
As we approach the middle of the month the weather is changing though, the sunshine soon to be a memory. Snow is forecast for Cairn Gorm, rain for the glens.
During the hot weather I had one overnight trip. I’d looked
down into rocky defile of the Lairig Ghru many times during the last few years
but I hadn’t walked through this magnificent pass since a trip
with Tony Hobbs in October 2022 when the weather was wet and windy. It was
time I went back in more benign conditions.
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| Leaving the forest |
As on the trip with Tony I started out in the wonderful Rothiemurchus Forest, slowly climbing through the magnificent old pines until these began to fade away and I could see the cut of the pass not far ahead. A late start meant as the steep sides began to close in I was soon in shade though the hills above glowed in the evening sun. A chill breeze blew down the pass between the craggy northern sentinels of Creag an Leth-choin and Sron na Lairig.
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| Creag an Leth-choin catching the late sun. |
I camped just before darkness fell on a patch of rough grass between two arms of the stream that runs out of the Lairig, the summit of which wasn’t far above. The ground was dry though I guess it’s damp most of the year and not that good a place to camp. On this occasion it was fine.
The cold breeze kept me in the tent*. Thin clouds meant
there was no starry sky so I had no incentive to leave the warmth of my
sleeping bag.
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| Waiting for the sun |
Dawn was chilly, the temperature down to -2.5°C. There was ice in my water bottles. The days might be hot but the nights were still cold. When I ventured out the ground was crunchy with frost. But high above the sun was brightening the hills. I thought how often I’d waited for sunshine and warmth to reach a cold camp, how many mornings had been like this. It must be hundreds. I’d relished every one. An early riser passed by on the path not far above the camp
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| An early morning walker passes by |
The sunshine arrived just as I was starting to pack up, causing a delay as I took pictures of the camp in the new bright light and waited for the light dew on the tent to dry. Then It was hefting the pack and heading up to the boulder fields that lace the pass, making the walking awkward. This is a rough, rugged, hard place.
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| Sunshine! |
Beyond the top of the pass there’s not much of a descent at first as the path, such as it is, wends a way past the three Pools of Dee, one of the sources of the river Dee. Once past the last of these dark waters, hemmed in by steep, stony slopes, the view opens out. The Allt na Lairig Ghru emerges from a boulder field and begins its race down the slopes. Soon it will join the Allt a’ Garbh Choire to form the infant river Dee.
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| A Pool of Dee |
The main Lairig Ghru route keeps to the left of the stream. I was heading into An Garbh Choire though and took a less distinct path on the right that curves away from the Lairig Ghru and into the mouth of this huge corrie, one of the finest in the Cairngorms. Away down the glen I could see the silver thread of the young river Dee twisting between the steep dark slopes of Cairn a’ Mhaim and Bod an Deamhain (the Devil’s Point).
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| Sgurr a' Mhaim, Bod an Deamhain, & the River Dee |
Soon my attention was seized by the huge spread of cliffs around An Garbh Choire. There was still much snow though not the usual amount for this time of year given that snow usually lingers here longer than anyone else. Shapely pointed Sgurr an Lochain Uaine, often overshadowed by higher neighbour Cairn Toul, stood out in the sunshine. On the other side of the corrie huge rock pinnacles rose out of the smaller Coire Bhrocain to the summit of Braeriach.
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| Sgor an Lochain Uaine & An Garbh Choire |
I sat on a rock and admired the tremendous view. The sun was hot. I looked at the steep stony slopes leading up to Coire Bhrocain. I planned going up those and then on to Braeriach. It looked hard work in this heat with a big pack. Maybe a snack and some water would energise me. It didn’t. I was just happy to sit here and absorb the wild beauty all around.
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| Back through the Lairig Ghru |
Eventually I conceded that I didn’t have the desire to climb further. This was enough. I’d retrace my steps back through the Lairig Ghru, no hardship as it’s such a fine route and the light and shadows and views would be different.
Looking back to Creag an Leth-choin from the top of the forest
Notes:
During the walk I took some little videos which I put
together for my YouTube channel. My last
post has the link to this. I am still learning how to make passable
videos!
The Hilleberg Akto in the Lairig Ghru
*The tent was my original 30-year-old Hilleberg Akto,
which I’d used on my continuous round of the Munros and Tops in 1996. I was
using it for the first time in many, many years as it’s the 30th
anniversary of its launch. It performed faultlessly.
