07.15 - 17.10. Bike 6.4km + 260m, 21.8km + 1160m, bike 6.4km + 145m.
Linn of Quoich Car Park, cycle track up Glen Qoich to river crossing (08.15), left the bike and continued on the track / path to An Dìollaid where I cut east, entering the mist, to the old south top of Beinn a'Bhuird South Top (10.20). From there I heard to A'Chioch another deleted top (11.00) getting out of the wind briefly at the top of Hourglass Buttress. Back to the new, and very boring South Top before cutting north west to the col and out of the mist and rain (finally) at GR065004 (12.15) where I had some lunch. A gentle plod brought me to Beinn A Chaorainn Bheag (13.10) before heading to Beinn A Chaorainn (13.50) via the north end of Lochan Beinn A Chaorainn. I then headed off the plateau via the west bank of the Allt an Aghaidh Mhilis (looked easiest on the map) to a rest at GR065981 (15.10) where I donned the waterproofs again as the mist and rain rolled back in. A weary trudge, the lower section pathless, took be back to the bike and back to the van (17.10). All in all a very good day combining two planned walks into one.
Area :
The Cairngorms
The Cairngorms are ‘a little piece of the arctic in Scotland’ according to the SMC Munros Guide and the area contains many of the tallest peaks in the East Highlands. Ben Macdui (1309m), Cairn Gorm (1244m) and Braeriach (1296) are probably three of the better known and the whole area is full of steep corries and high plateaux. Access to the mountains is typically from Aviemore or Braemar.
