Steven Loraine - 132580

After a day of recon on a ride to the south of Leabaidh an Daimh Bhuidhe, today was another attempt on Beinn a Bhuird's demoted Tops and particularly A Chioch, after February's 2023 planned day was altered due to being unable to cross the Allt Dearg safely. Today would again depend on a safe stream crossing, but much further up the glen, allowing a direct attempt on A' Chioch from the East, which is not mentioned as a route of a ascent in any guidebook but looked doable from many photos and map work.
I rode in from Braemar camp site in intermittent rain. It's long ride, first on road and then on estate tracks from Invercauld Bridge. In 2/23 I'd taken track to leave the bike above the ruined lodge at Slugain (missing the onwards track taken many years earlier on a long May day). This time I decided to follow the lower track marked on the map, which was a big mistake - almost instantly you are off the bike and pushing it over rough ground on a narrow single track for almost a kilometre. I'll take the 'high road' in future!
Eventually after almost two hours since leaving Braemar, I secured the bike and headed off up the narrow, hidden side glen to emerge onto the wide plateau high above the AlltDearg. I took a poor 4-track path but soon enough managed to locate the much better foot track which winds its way along the glen side towards the two giant Munros. Looking at footprints, someone else was about (and in descent I saw a parked bike) but I saw not a soul on a cold, wet day. As the track rises it passes below Carn Eag Dubh and once below the steep slopes of Carn Eas, I looked West and saw the lower slopes of A Chioch, and my ascent route, although nothing was visible from above 650m.
I dropped to the Allt, eventually finding a crossing which was as safe as any but not useable on the return due to the location of the rocks, so I knew I'd be looking hard to cross in descent, but that was later.
Once safely across, I set to work on the deep heather of A' Chioch's east ridge, gradually reaching the snow line. The water course issuing from the upper Coire was kept on my right as I ascended. Eventually I reached a small hanging coire and stopped to take on food and don crampons. The snow was soft but quite deep and I estimated it would be freezing as I reached the 1000m point. I was aiming from a clearly marked chute or mixed grass/boulder field which would point the way to A' Chioch's summit. Visibility was very poor now though and I climbed a short, steep chute without properly recognising that it was the very feature I was looking for (much shorter than I anticipated ands partially hidden under deepening snow (the first of three errors on the day). So, from here, I was further up and west of where I thought I was. Y second error was to be looking for a spot height of 1050m (the height accorded A' Chioch in Butterfield. This number had stuck in my head, whereas the latest height is given as 1152m on the 1:25k Harvey and 1151m in this sites' database. I reached an opening on the ridge that showed momentarily the huge drop to the corrie on the right of the ridge with Dubh Lochan therein. Whilst being a good handrail it also puzzled me as to how much higher I could go because my height on the OS locate app. was now showing at above 1100m, which was of course correct but see Error 1 above! And finally the 3rd error, the 6 figure GR/correct height I was searching for at the summit of A' Chioch were annotated on a map but not the one I had to hand. However, I made two more attempts to scale some huge blocks which on both occasions didn't open out on to a very small summit plateau as expected, but gave me more views of the corrie to the right, (which is accurate from the summit of A Chioch). I noted a final 6 figure GR & height (which on later review provided to be the correct one for the summit) but with really low visibility (10-20m), so many crags around and big drops nearby, I decided to call it a day and descend back to my point of donning crampons. I was happy enough to admit I had not got my micro-navigation correct and headed down to the stream. I crossed safely and took the long walk down the glen back to Slugain lodge ruins. I pushed the bike up a steep slope to find the upper track and then began the long ride out in the last minutes of daylight. By the time I made Invercauld Bridge, it was pouring with rain, completely dark and it was a wet ride back to Braemar in a stiff headwind.
In all probability I was almost certainly stood on the summit blocks of A' Chioch, but being unsure and having compounded some very small errors into one that reduced my confidence in my position, turning around was actually a very easy decision to make. I won't log this as a completed demoted Top and will go back, maybe again up this route if I can find better conditions to review exactly where I was.
In the end, I got some good winter mountaineering in, crampons and ice axe were used well with the errors got in some learning about on-the-hill self management. Even after ascending 508 Munros and Tops and over 70 Demoted Tops, there is always learning to be had. Above all, I made a sound decision, got down and out safely and that is the name of the game!