Sunburned in the Cairngorms

AAC early spring Scottish meet, 2015

by Paul Marginson

'The plateau is the true summit of these mountains. It is bare and very stony, and since there is nothing higher than itself (except for the tip of Ben Nevis) nearer than Norway, it is savaged by the wind. By continental measurement its height is nothing much, but for an island it is well enough, and if the winds have unhindered range, so has the eye.' So wrote Nan Shepherd of the Cairngorms in the opening chapter of 'The Living Mountain'.

Cairn Toul and Corrour

Based in chalets at Braemar for the first full week in April, it was the good fortune of nineteen members of the Club to savour seven unbroken days of fine, often sunny, weather in which the 'eye could range' from the summits and plateau across a vast panorama and down towards awesome chasms such as the Lairig Ghru, Loch Avon and the Sneck, but without being 'savaged' by the winds. Sweeping, long views were gained by groups amongst the party from Ben Avon to the north-east, its enticing granite tors adding spice to the plateau, from the White Mounth to the south-east, where Munro summits protrude almost imperceptibly above a vast area of high ground, from the borders of the Moine Mor in the west capped by remote Beinn Bhrotain, and from the elevated tundra-like expanse which surrounds Ben MacDhui. A further characteristic of the expansive nature of the Cairngorms' topography is the length of the approach routes to the summits. In these days of the mountain bike, the tradition of the long walk-in (which used to be integral to exploration of these mountains) is honoured more in the breach than its observance. Although bikes featured for the approach for a number amongst the party, a few still opted to foot-slog it along the wide glens leading to the higher ground instead.

Top of the world

The warmth and sunshine caught several out: sun block hadn't featured on packing lists and, by mid-week, the local pharmacy was doing a brisk trade. In contrast, waterproofs, packed with a high degree of confidence that they would be used, remained buried inside 'sacs. The benign weather notwithstanding, the terrain, fauna and flora remained very much between seasons. Copious volumes of snow remained on the plateau and in the corries. Soft(ish) and prone to avalanching, care needed to be taken in selecting ascent and descent routes in places. Scottish Avalanche Information Service reports ( www.sais.gov.uk ) reports indicated slopes facing an arc from north-east to south-east as particularly at risk. On this, we benefited from a timely and informative talk on avalanche awareness given by mountain leader and trainer Tim Ayriss, who travelled up from Killin for the evening. Vegetation lay matted and pale in colour where it had recently emerged from a winter under snow. Mountain hares, seen in abundance, sported some grey patches but remained largely white. Ptarmigan, similarly, displayed more evidence of their winter than summer plumage.

The meet involved social as well as mountaineering highlights. Groups brought back and shared information about routes and conditions for others planning on making the same ascent later in the week, like a bush telegraph. For example, with the bridge over the River Derry near Derry Lodge swept away by flash floods in the summer of 2014, where the places were to ford the river or to shimmy across a fallen tree straddling it was vital information. Evening get-togethers (thanks to Tish Woulds) included glühwein and nibbles, the avalanche awareness talk and an excellent meal on the final evening at the Braemar Lodge hotel in whose grounds the chalets are situated. The glow surrounding the conversation reflected the satisfaction brought by a wonderful week in these distinctive mountains.

Beinn a'Bhuird North Top
Photos by Paul Marginson

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