Loch Avon

As we close the old year I'll conclude the series on the walking that I did in Scotland in the summer of 2005. 

Thursday 28th July 2005 

The weather was probably even worse for this walk than it had been for my walk the previous day up Breariach with rain for most of the morning and through until about three o'clock, but I still managed to have a good, long walk in the mountains. I set off before nine again, through the Ryvoan Gap just as I had two days before, and veered off from my former route at the site of the Bynack Stable to head up Strath Nethy. This is a long narrow path that seemed to take e forever as it slowly meanders its way up the valley, with rain pouring down as I headed all the way up the valley until eventually my perseverance paid off and I climbed through the clouds to reach the Saddle. Passing through I descended to the spectacular Loch Avon, made perhaps even more special by the low cloud, with the huge, ominous-looking crags at the head of the loch peering through gaps in the clouds. Slowly I made my way along the shore towards the western end, constantly gazing at the impressive rock forms that overlook this end of the loch. I had my lunch in the shelter of a huge stone (perhaps the appropriately named Shelter Stone?), and while the rain poured down the midges had their way with me.

After lunch I decided that an ascent of Beinn Mheadhoin would have been a waste of energy - there wasn't the time and I just couldn't be bothered. I was too tired to make the effort after all the walking that I'd been doing during the previous ten days, so instead I started to head back to Glenmore. The most direct route is to go up and over the Cairngorm plateau so I headed off along a footpath up the side of the cliffs beside the smallest of the three streams that flow down to feed Loch Avon. After a lot of careful climbing in the wet conditions I reached Coire Domhain on the Cairngorm plateau and crossed the marshy ground to reach the northern edge near Cairn Lochan looking out over Coire na t-Sneachda. The rain had just stopped at this point with the clouds lifting sufficiently to afford me with a tremendous view towards Glenmore and Loch Morlich, and my route was clear. Any thought of going around or over Cairn Lochan and down my route of two days earlier disappeared; instead I descended the steep walls into the corrie and across the boulder field to join a manufactured path that took me to the Coire Cas car park. This was an enjoyable end to the day with a relaxing stroll to the ski centre and along the Allt Mhor trail back to Glenmore. I may not have climbed a Munro, but this was still a long walk in the mountains in bad weather; after all, the Cairngorm plateau is higher than any mountain in England or Wales, and most of the mountains in Scotland as well. I should not be ashamed to have this walk end my holiday in Scotland.