Cairn Bannoch and Carn an t-Sagairt Mor

Sunday 5th June 2016

This day started very misty with the midges out in force prompting me to adorn a mosquito head net while preparing my breakfast and thinking that the weather was going to be poor for this walk after the glorious weather I had enjoyed the day before. However, it wasn’t long before the clouds lifted, the sun came out and the midges scarpered. By the time I had packed my tent away there were clear blue skies overhead that promised another hot, sunny day in Scotland. I can’t believe how lucky I was being with the weather on this holiday. After a fabulous day spent walking around Glen Doll and up the two Munros that overlook this Angus Glen I now had to make my way back to Braemar. When I had come to Glen Doll three years ago I had taken a route over the mountain plateau of the White Mounth on a path known as Jock’s Road, which was the first right-of-way to be established in Scotland. This time I followed this route again to leave Glen Doll taking the marked path through the conifer plantation out of the trees and up the valley.

I have fond memories of Glen Doll from three years ago even though my stay then was brief and now after a longer stay I was just as sorry to leave this spectacular valley. The view up the valley after I left the dark conifer plantation behind was a reminder of what I was leaving and during the long climb I often turned around to gaze longingly down the valley. Slowly, in the baking heat, I made my way up the excellent path that climbs out of Glen Doll and reflected that it may have been better to have descended into Glen Doll on this route as in the afternoon I would have had the sun behind me shining all the way down the valley. Now the rising sun was spoiling my view back during my frequent stops to catch my breath. It was a joy to descend this path three years ago, but now it was agony in the heat and with a heavy rucksack on my back (though I must say that my rucksack itself is actually very light and it’s all my camping gear that makes it heavy!). Near the Lunkard, which is a great plug of rock and heather half way up the valley, I stopped and rested for a long time while drinking water from a nearby stream and admiring the view down Glen Doll.

Soon after this point the path levelled off and became boggier as it made its way up to the Munro Top of Crow Craigies that is the highest point on Jock’s Road. In view of the excellent weather, I decided I would divert off Jock’s Road and visit some of the Munros that are nearby on the tableland known as the White Mounth. The nearest Munro was Tolmount that overlooks Glen Callater, the valley that Jock’s Road drops into and the valley that ultimately I was heading for. However, Tolmount and many of the other Munros in this area didn’t seem to me to deserve the status of Munro, so I didn’t feel inclined to go to the effort of bagging them. After rejecting these Munros that lie to the south of Jock’s Road I headed north over featureless terrain with only the occasional mountain hare to enliven the tedium until I reached the well-built cairn that sits upon the Munro Top of Fafernie. The summit of Fafernie was bedecked with gorgeous little alpine flowers that were a special treat and rewarded me for my effort. From there I followed the ridge turning right around the head of the Burn of Fafernie to the Munro of Cairn Bannoch where I shed my rucksack before climbing up onto the rocks that crown the top.

I had stunning views from the top of this mountain even though the Munros in this area are a little dull, but in this weather it was still fabulous to be up there while the only Munro in the area that is worthy of the name, Lochnagar, was a distant peak hiding behind the wide plateau of the White Mounth. If I was setting the standard for differentiating Munros then I would use the same standard as for Corbetts and Grahams, which is that they need to have a drop of at least five hundred feet. Using that definition then none of these tops would qualify as a Munro except for Lochnagar. After having my lunch at the summit of Cairn Bannoch I made my way along easy slopes towards Carn an t-Sagairt Mor where I now had stunning views across to the snow-speckled Cairngorm Mountains, far away in the hazy sunshine. Once again I was revelling in being at the top of a mountain and wished that I could prolong the feeling and keep coming up mountains, but unfortunately this is not something that I can do very often so it feels very special for me whenever I am at the top of a mountain in good weather.

From the top of the Munro, Carn an t-Sagairt Mor, I dropped down the western slopes until I picked up the Lochnagar Pony Track that circles around this top on its way across the White Mounth towards that royal Munro. I had an enjoyable walk following this excellent path descending all the way down into Glen Callater where a long, leisurely stroll along a wide track took me out of the valley not far from Braemar. The hot weather that had agonised my ascent cooled slightly during the afternoon thanks to occasional dark clouds that passed overhead and threatened rain, but never delivered. Despite dismissing the Munros in this area I was still glad of the opportunity to climb to the top of two of them and enjoyed the unique experience of being at the top of a Scottish mountain in such good weather.

Mayar and Driesh

Saturday 4th June 2016

I had planned a walk up these two Munros, Mayar and Driesh, three years ago and I had wanted to climb them for many years before that, but I didn’t plan enough time then for the ascent so despite walking all the way to Glen Doll, at the foot of the mountains, I left the valley the following morning without climbing either Munro. This time I planned an extra day so after arriving in Glen Doll the evening before this walk I had a whole day to climb the mountains before I planned to leave. As always when walking, the weather is a key figure in its success, but I was really lucky during this holiday with some amazingly good weather, hardly any rain and bright sunshine almost every day. That changed two days before this walk when it clouded over Thursday lunchtime, however these started to clear when I reached Glen Doll so that by the time I got up for this walk I had blue skies and the promise of a great day. When you plan a walk on a particular day months in advance you never know what weather you will get (especially in Scotland), so it was a great relief for me to get brilliant weather for a walk that I had been looking forward to for many years.

Mayar and Driesh are sometimes known as the celestial twins of the Angus Glens as they sit near the end of Glen Clova above Glen Doll on the northern edge of the county of Angus and the southern edge of the Cairngorms National Park. One of the gems of the area is the nature reserve Corrie Fee, which I was keen to visit, so upon finding conflicting guidance on the route I decided to follow Ralph Storer’s direction which sent me into the corrie at the start of my walk. Therefore, setting off I walked through the conifer plantation that is typical of many that litter the Angus Glens following colour coded posts that I hoped would lead me into Corrie Fee. My walk through the wood was enlivened by small information boards designed for children that amused me and kept my interest as I continued along the forest tracks until eventually I reached a wow moment when I emerged from the wood into the great bowl of Corrie Fee.

An awesome sight lay before me of great crags encircling the corrie with a fine waterfall cascading into a stream that meanders delightfully through a beautiful meadow. The whole sight of Corrie Fee was awe-inspiring, but I had heard that the nature reserve was also a botanist’s dream with a host of rare, tiny, alpine flowers growing in the corrie, so eagerly I made my way along the path beside the stream and through the delightful meadow that covers the floor of the corrie. I wish I could name some of the flowers that I saw growing beside the path, but instead all I could do was gaze at the splendid flowers at my feet while occasionally gazing up at the awesome crags that surrounded me. Later the waterfall attracted my eye as I reached the far end of the corrie floor and began to climb the steep terrain on a good path that meanders up the corrie past the waterfall.

I was in a dream as I walked on this great path past a beautiful little waterfall beside spectacular crags and out of the delightful corrie to emerge onto the rolling mountain plateau. The terrain was a significant contrast to the delights of Corrie Fee as now the gradients were gradual with no rock underfoot and little variation in the blanket grass under foot. However, blue skies and the sense of being in mountain scenery again lightened my spirits and spurred me on out of the upper corrie and up gentle slopes to the top of Mayar. This may not have felt like a great Munro, but I was nevertheless at the top of a mountain more than three thousand feet high with hazy views south into the long Angus Glens. Although I had not seen many people during my ascent I would now encounter loads as my walk took place on the same weekend, without my realising it beforehand, as the Angus Glens Walking Festival.

Consequently as I made my way across the col following an old, broken fence I saw many people climbing the Kilbo Path that was to be my descent route, and so I felt as if I was in the Lake District as I made my way along the ridge that connects Mayar with Driesh. After climbing the steep, stony hillside I turned off the path, and away from the crowds, needlessly towards Little Driesh, an insignificant offshoot of the Munro, before headed across the saddle to the summit cairn of the Munro. I had stunning views from the top of Driesh that had me in awe of the sight of mountains all around me, which never fails to impress. Before this holiday it had been two years since I’d last been at the top of a Scottish mountain, but until this holiday I hadn’t realised how much I had missed them. I was frustrated at not having climbed more mountains before this day so I was determined to make the most of the wonderful weather now. I had forsaken Munros for far too long in perhaps the mistaken belief that I prefer long-distance walking, but this holiday was teaching me that I love being at the top of a mountain, especially in good weather such as I had on this holiday.

The walking festival people seemed to be obsessed with having their picture taken beside and on top of the summit trig point, despite the whole area being covered in daddy longlegs (crane fly). I was content to just have my lunch before setting off back down the mountain taking a more precipitous, craggy path steeply down into Corrie Kilbo until I reached the Kilbo Path on the Shank of Drumfollow. Rather than following the path I stayed at the top of the ridge and followed it all the way down the shank with great views west into Corrie Fee and Glen Doll. In near perfect weather the views over the craggy walls of Corrie Fee and onto the mountain landscape of the White Mounth beyond were spellbinding and kept my attention all the way down the ridge until I eventually joined the Kilbo Path and entered the Glen Doll conifer plantation. I had been in awe of Glen Doll three years ago when I spent just one night there, but now that I was able to spend the whole day I was even more in wonder of the spectacle of this amazing place.

Soon after entering the wood I crossed the Kilbo Burn and came across some delightful woodland flowers growing in a place where sunlight had broken through the dark conifer canopy. This beautiful and unexpected display kept me going while later in the descent I passed through the dreary conifer plantation until I eventually reached the bottom of the valley. By the time I reached the packed car park it was still quite early in the day, so I decided to pick one of the way-marked walks which climbs the western slopes of Cairn Derg on a zigzagging forest track through the plantation until it reaches a viewpoint beside a lovely stream looking along the length of Glen Doll, unfortunately the view was spoilt by a dense haze. However, while drinking the water from the stream I was able to reflect on this amazing day when I had enjoyed walking through awesome Corrie Fee that alone demands a return visit and up to the celestial twins of the Angus Glens, and on this day as part of the Angus Glens Walking Festival, two, deservedly, very popular Munros. After waiting for this walk many years, Glen Doll and the weather had not let me down.

Balmoral, the Lochnagar path and the Capel Road

Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd June 2016

After my long walk the previous day I was happy to have planned a rest the following day which I spent in and around Balmoral, the Scottish home of the Royal Family. After a visit to the nearby Royal Lochnagar distillery, I made my way back to the gates of Balmoral and hitched a ride on the provided transport into the estate where I followed the excellent audio guide around the grounds. When I had left Braemar the sun had been shining warmly under clear blue skies so I hadn’t worn a coat or brought any warm clothing, however when I came out of the distillery I found that it had clouded over and for the rest of the day it was quite cold which prompted me to keep moving throughout the tour so that I completed it within a couple of hours. For the rest of the afternoon I undertook a brisk walk around the estate visiting several cairns constructed for Queen Victoria’s children. This was an enjoyable walk through the woodland and up the hills south of the castle until I finally returned to the castle where I finished my visit with a walk back to the gates.

Despite the overcast and rather cold weather, this was a relaxing day and prepared me for the next when the weather was no better. I returned to Balmoral and took a road around the estate through Easter Balmoral, past a policeman on sentry duty and through woodland close to where I’d been walking the previous afternoon. Three years ago I had walking from Braemar to Glen Doll on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park with the intention of climbing the two hills that overlook the valley: Mayar and Driesh. However, I hadn’t planned enough time for the climb so I left Glen Doll the following morning without having the opportunity to explore the valley. When planning this holiday I quickly made Glen Doll a target with an extra day planned to ensure that those hills were climbed. In order to provide a difference to last time I decided to reverse the direction of the routes that I had previously taken into and out of Glen Doll, so I was now retracing my steps of three years ago out of the woods and towards Lochnagar.

The weather for this holiday had been excellent, but from noon the previous day things had turned much colder, however now that I was properly clothed for the conditions and since all I was doing was travelling to where I would be starting the next day’s walk, I wasn’t particularly bothered about the weather. On emerging from the woods I headed up the heather moor on a landrover track in virtually windless conditions, despite the low cloud, which actually made the walk quite pleasant, though as the terrain steepened and I began to get hotter I wished for a cooling breeze to match the grey and murky weather. This was a long walk up to the top of the pass and with Lochnagar hiding under low clouds my only views were westwards across the bleak, heather moor of the Balmoral Forest so I just struggled on up the track weighed down by my heavy rucksack until eventually I reached the top of the pass beside the path that branches off towards Lochnagar.

Three years ago I didn’t take this path towards the Munro, despite good weather, and likewise I didn’t bother this time and instead stopped briefly to have my lunch before setting off down the steep pebbly path to Glen Muick. Turning right at the Spittal of Glenmuick I took a path that is known as the Capel Road that climbs steeply up onto the heather moor of the Capel Mounth. The cloud cover on the Capel Road was significantly lower than on the Lochnagar path and it wasn’t long before I was enveloped by clouds that continued until I reached the edge of the Capel Mounth where the views opened out for me into Glen Doll. I have great memories of being in Glen Doll three years ago despite my brief stay and I was looking forward to my return. After such a grey and overcast day it was a surprise for me to see a ray of sunshine falling into Glen Doll as I descended the zigzagging path into the valley, and even more of a surprise when a little bit of blue sky appeared.

It seems as if Glen Doll was just as happy to see me as I was to be back in the valley and it was shining its greeting. The excellent Capel Road zigzags all the way down into the conifer plantations that have taken over large swaths of the valley and yet failed to ruin it. A short walk along the valley track brought me to the ranger station and picnic site where I had camped last time. Now I saw signs indicating that free, wild camping was only allowed in three particular spots in the valley, so wearily I made my way up the hillside on a winding path until I reached the approved site and there I set up my tent. This may have been just a travelling day, but it was rather tiring as I dragged a heavy rucksack over two mountain passes, though the lack of wind made the walk peaceful. Even if the walk there had been a challenge, it is always a pleasure to be in glorious Glen Doll where it seems the sun always shines.

Glen Feshie to Braemar

Wednesday 1st June 2016

I knew this was going to be a long walk, so I got up early and set off from the Ruigh Aiteachain Bothy in beautiful Glen Feshie before half seven in the morning. It was a very misty start to the day with low cloud that gradually lifted to reveal another amazing day in the Cairngorm Mountains. I made my way along the track through delightful Glen Feshie to the river where I found extensive evidence of the destruction brought about by the heavy rain over winter. Whole trees were lying, uprooted, in the middle of the bed of stones scoured bare through the valley floor by the savagery of the river. However, rather than detracting from the beauty of the valley, I thought it added to the wildness of the area and made it even more appealing for me. The footpath that I was walking upon was washed away in places and I had to take several tricky diversionary routes up the hillside, but even this just made the walk more of an adventure and exciting as I headed up the valley while on the other side I could see views of the Slochd Mor track coming down off the hills.

A short distance further up the valley I was walking through a magical wood with the delightful white flowers of wood anemones growing either side of the path and many other woodland flowers adding to the wonder. This was a lovely place, but I couldn’t linger and I had to keep going up the valley where more delights awaited me as the trees gradually thinned and I took a narrow path that climbed above the valley floor while the landrover track descended to and across the river. This narrow path continues through wonderful woodland that at one time must have covered most of Scotland, but is now sadly restricted to oases such as Glen Feshie. Hopefully this natural woodland will spread up the valley and eventually join up with the manmade plantations in Glen Dee. I still had a long way to go until I got there, so with the sun now shining warmly under clear blue skies I made my way up the heather covered valley with the river glistened spectacularly in the sun and was strongly enticing despite the vast distance I still had to travel.

However, as soon as I put my hand in the water all thoughts of a refreshing dip were banished from my mind by the coldness of the water, so I kept going along the increasingly boggy path until I eventually reached the fragile-looking Eidart Bridge across the River Eidart near to a splendid waterfall. The River Feshie swings one hundred and eighty degrees beyond its junction with the River Eidart as it heads back west towards its source in the Gaick Forest. I continued east following a faint, boggy path across the watershed until at exactly twelve noon, and with the ruins of Geldie Lodge in sight, I stopped beside a large rock and had my lunch. A track that comes down from Geldie Lodge provided me with considerably easier walking so that I was now able to relax and enjoy the walk in gorgeous weather beside the Geldie Burn. Eventually I passed the ruined Red House and joined the track that I had walked upon three years ago on my way from Braemar to Glen Tilt so that I was now retracing my steps along the valley to White Bridge (which isn’t white) in Glen Dee.

A walk past the abandoned townships in Glen Dee brought me to the road at Linn of Dee where I decided to follow the road on the northern side of the valley past Mar Lodge towards Braemar. When I reached the end of the road, at Linn of Quoich, I found that the heavy rains that had caused so much destruction in Glen Feshie had washed away the bridge and there was no way for me to get across to East Quoich. I had planned to continue along the north shore all the way to Invercauld Bridge, or ideally to cross the River Dee opposite Braemar on a bridge that I’d once heard was going to be built (it’s not). With no other alternative I turned around and headed back towards Linn of Dee despite having already been walking for nine hours. Fortunately I didn’t have to walk all the way back as I was able to take a track through woodland near Mar Lodge to the magnificent Victoria Bridge that crosses high above the River Dee.

On the two previous occasions that I have been in this area I have started walking from Braemar to Linn of Dee with the aim of crossing the river over Victoria Bridge and on both occasions I was offered a lift to Linn of Dee by kind motorists. With no such luck this time and with aching feet suffering from blisters, partly because of the road walking, I staggered all the way into Braemar to finally end this mammoth walk that had taken me eleven hours. The floods that had made Glen Feshie so spectacular later forced a change to my plans onto the busy road to the south of the River Dee that I had been trying to avoid. The weather continued to be amazing all day without a cloud in the sky and added to my enjoyment of the walk, but by the time I reached Linn of Dee the walk was pure torture. Glen Feshie is an amazing place and I wish I had spent more time there, but the day deteriorated as the many hours passed until towards the end I was almost crawling along on all fours.