Ben Macdui & Cairn Gorm

Cairn Gorm

Natsuyo’s annual visits to the UK have seen her scale Ben Nevis, walk in Kintail & Torridon and experience deep winter on the Cairngorm plateau.  She now has her sights set on conquering the 3 highest peaks in the country and having started with the Ben in 2012, she has just returned to the Cairngorms to claim No 2: Ben Macdui.

Loch an Eilein

We started her 3-day visit with a gentle amble through the Scots pines of Rothiemurchus and around beautiful Loch an Eilein - unfortunately, under dark clouds and steady rain.  So, a soggy start for someone who had just got off a plane from Tokyo, but enjoyable all the same and infinitely better than a long-haul flight in economy class!

Approaching Coire an t-Sneachda

Bright skies and calm conditions the following morning offered the prospect of a quality mountain day and our spirits were distinctly upbeat as we left the ski car park and walked up into Coire an t-Sneachda.  There were surprisingly few folk about - perhaps influenced by a recent rockfall in the corrie.  The aftermath of this instability ensured I kept a very close eye on the cliffs as we climbed below them up the goat track to the plateau.  Tragically, a female climber lost her life on the cliffs the following day when she was hit by a falling rock whilst descending one of the popular climbing routes.

 

Coire an t-Sneachda

Once safely on the plateau, we strode out on the excellent path across the arctic tundra towards our goal.  Pleasant conditions developed into near-perfect ones as the sun came out and the cloud dispersed.  Natsuyo was able to do what she’d come to do - enjoy a quality high mountain traverse in summer.

Braeriach From Ben Macdui

The path is well-marked and clear all the way across the plateau and the flat summit dome was soon directly in front of us.  There is very little climbing once on the plateau and we reached the summit trig point in under 3 hrs:  Ben Macdui (1309m; MacDuff’s Hill)).

Ben Macdui

Such was the sublimity of the conditions (and Natsuyo’s remarkable recovery from jet lag), that we were able to extend the afternoon and take our time wandering back across the plateau.  On reaching the top of the goat track, we elected to stay high and traverse across Stob Coire an t-Sneachda (1176m) before climbing Cairn Gorm (1244m; blue hill).

A Quality Mountain Day!

Having recorded her 2^nd ascent of Cairn Gorm, Natsuyo was now ready to descend which we did, past the Ptarmigan restaurant - with its ridiculous discriminatory signage for walkers - to spend our money in Aviemore where access to catering establishments is a less-complicated affair!

Afternoon Sun on the Cairngorm Plateau

Having now secured the 1^st, 2^nd and 6^th highest mountains in the land, Natsuyo is already eyeing up No 3 - Braeriach!  She was content to leave that for another time though and we spent her last day in the Cairngorms cycling through Rothiemurchus and enjoying the sight, smells and sounds of that wonderful place!    

Cairn Gorm

Check out my plans for this autumn at:  http://www.hillways.co.uk/