Lochnagar

Sunday 31st May 2009

On the first walk of my fortnight's holiday in Scotland I climbed up the Royal Munro, Lochnagar, situated on the Queen’s estate of Balmoral. The weather for this walk was really hot without a cloud in the sky all day, which just made the day even more exhausting. However, it was the long distances and the pathless moorland crossing that made this a really tough walk. I started in Braemar walking over a low hill at the foot of the dramatic cliffs of ‘Lion’s Face’ on a great woodland path before dropping back down onto and along the road to Invercauld Bridge. Only now could the walk described by Ralph Storer in his excellent book, "100 Best Routes on Scottish Mountains", begin. I climbed through the lovely Ballochbuie Forest along excellent tracks until I reached a metal bridge over the stream, Garbh Allt, above stunning falls. From here the path seemed to disappear so I decided to descend the hillside in the hope of picking up a path.

This was a mistake and eventually I turned around and headed back up the steep hillside while trying to get a signal on my GPS, but failing because of the tree-cover. When I finally did get a signal I discovered that I shouldn't have crossed the stream, so with no hope of finding the bridge again I continued heading uphill through deep heather until utterly worn out I crossed the stream again (this time without the aid of a bridge) and finally reached the track that I never should have left. Hot and exhausted I collapsed onto the ground beside the path, and only once I had recovered did I continue up the track beside the Feindallacher Burn, eventually leaving the wood behind and venturing out onto the open moorland. Once clear of the last tree I reluctantly left the path, and crossed the stream once again to make my way wearily across the bleak, heather-covered moorland. The only compensation on my tiring trudge was the sight of Lochnagar far ahead of me slowly getting ever closer as I approached.

After a long weary climb through the heather I reached the picturesque lake of Sandy Loch in its majestic mountain setting with the western cliffs of Lochnagar behind. While collapsed on a rock near the loch I had my lunch and gazed out over the inspiring scenery. After a lengthy stop I crossed the stream that issued from the loch and made my way towards a notable peak in the impressive surround of cliffs, the Stuic. A steep rocky ridge climbs up to the top, the Stuic Buttress, and this was what I was aiming for as I trudged up the steep slope until I reached the foot of the buttress and began to scramble up it. This was an exhilarating climb, sometimes scary, but great fun all the way until, with great satisfaction, I reached the top. All my weariness of earlier in the day was now a distant memory as I surveyed the awesome scenery across the Dee Valley and nearer to hand across the grass topped hills of the White Mounth. It was great to be at the top of a mountain in good weather as it seems like it’s been a long time.

Just behind the Stuic is a boring Munro, Carn a’Choire Bhoidheach, that doesn't really deserve the honour; if only the Stuic was twenty metres higher as that would have been a much more fitting Munro. Since it was so close I walked across the grassy terrain to the summit cairn before returning to the path that runs along the top of the cliffs. My main objective of the day was at the end of the path up a steep rock and grass slope through markedly different terrain to the grassy plain of Carn a’Choire Bhoidheach. On reaching the top of Cac Carn Mòr I touched the top of the summit cairn before walking over to the awesome cliffs that surround the Corrie of Lochnagar. Following the edge around the corrie and having a good look down the vertiginous cliffs I made my way to the Munro, Cac Carn Beag, the highest point on Lochnagar.

The views across the Dee valley to the Cairngorm Mountains were simply stupendous, as were the cliffs that bound the northern edge of this awesome mountain in a territory of otherwise boring grassy hills. Reluctantly I left the summit of the Munro and descended by the western ridge boulder-hopping down the steep boulder-strewn hillside. I thoroughly enjoyed myself during that pathless descent but eventually returned to Sandy Loch where I had to walk back across the vast, boggy moorland that I had ascended. The crossing was easier in descent but it was still a long time before I reached the track beside the Feinballacher Burn. Following the track down through the wood I saw where I’d gone wrong on ascent and decided that the guide book was out of date, but I still shouldn’t have wasted so much energy before I realised I had gone wrong.

Coming back onto the road I had a long weary walk back to Braemar that included walking up to and across the Lion’s Face, and down the other side. There may be better ways up Lochnagar, but they would have been really popular with manufactured paths throughout. On this route I didn’t see another soul until I was almost at the top so I think this really was a good way up an awesome mountain though there were several negative points to the walk. The long moorland climb was wearying in the hot weather, but since I didn’t have a car this was the only to do it from Braemar. Getting lost early on didn't help, but the main problem was that the most interesting part of the walk was a long time in coming and was over far too quickly. Lochnagar is a fabulous mountain; I just wish the ascent hadn't taken me so long.