Bynack More

Bynack More - Oct 2012 from Chris McMorris on Vimeo.

Ready for the off at Glenmore Lodge

An Lochan Uaine, Ryvoan Pass, Glen More

With the October holidays upon us, Emily and I headed to Nakiska for the week - I was hoping for an early cold snap for the Scotswinter! The weather was looking like it would be best today, with a fresh dump of snow last night. There hasn't been any cold spells to speak of so far so it looked like an early winter climb was out of the question. Instead, we set our sights on Bynack More - the most Northern Munro of the Cairngorms.

Autumn Trees, Ryvoan Pass, Glen More

Emily on the cycle in towards the River Nethy, Cairngorms

Looking at the route in from Glenmore Lodge, it looked like quite a way in so we opted to take the bikes. Some good organisation and an early breakfast, saw us getting on our bikes just after 9am. It was a chilly morning and the cloud was low and rain was threatening. Sure enough, a few minutes into our cycle, the heavens opened and we reached for our waterproofs. The track was pretty much a road through the forest and we made swift progress through the trees and arrived at An Lochan Uaine in no time at all. The rain had stopped but still threatened and there was now a fair breeze. We headed down the steps to admire the water, but were halted by a film crew who were busy making a Norwegian dance video. We weren't too put out, as the water was rather 'choppy'.

Looking South down Strath Nethy from the River Nethy, Cairngorms

Heading into winter in the Cairngorms, Bynack More

Heading on, the track quality degraded and became undulating as we rode through the Ryvoan Pass. We took the right branch of the fork and headed around the corner and up a rather steep incline - much to Emily's disgust. I think it's safe to say that she isn't the biggest fan of cycling up-hill!

Loving winter in the Cairngorms, Bynack More

Emily heading into winter in the Cairngorms, Bynack More

After working hard, our reward was a gentle run down to the footbridge across the River Nethy where we left the bikes. Looking South through Strath Nethy, the cloud base was down to around 700 metres but the air was still and the rain still absent. Now on foot, we made quick progress on the good path and gained height quickly. Into the cloud, we stepped into winter and a fair amount of snow and frost. It was interesting to see the vegetation that was all around - it appeared as though everything had been frozen in the state of spring or possibly summer. Due to the return of winter in May this year, many of the new shoots of the plants have been late in emerging; now frozen once again.

Wintery Tors on Bynack More, Cairngorms

Emily enjoying the winter in the Cairngorms, Bynack More

We made swift progress in the cloud along the flat and the snow was a little deeper - possibly two inches. Randomly a woman and young boy appeared in front of us, out of the mist, and walked by. The boy looked frozen and seemed to lack any kind of appropriate clothing; only an anorak. The path then started to climb up the North ridge of the main event: Bynack More. Emily and I were commenting on how new the path looked and how good it was, when I spotted two bright orange jackets in the mist just up ahead. These two guys were braving the weather and hard at work building the rest of the path we were actually walking! We stopped to shake their hands and to thank them for all their hard work - we also commented on the frozen boy we had passed and they agreed that they had also been concerned by his unsuitable clothing - some people...

Emily on the summit of Bynack More, Cairngorms

On the summit of Bynack More, Cairngorms

The path disappeared, visibility decreased and the snow got deeper. I lead the way up the ridge and we passed some interesting (and rather wintery!) granite tors - a welcome sight in the limited visibility. The West side of the ridge was rather blustery so we traversed left to gain shelter and continued up the East side out of the wind. At the the top, we spent a few minutes hunting in the clag for the summit cairn - which we soon found a triumphantly climbed to the top. There was a large amount of fresh snow at the top, but no sign of any ice - much to my dismay! We descended back down the ridge and found a sheltered spot for some lunch. As we set, the cloud started to thin and the sun tried hard to make an appearance... but didn't.

Looking West to Stac na h-lolaire after descending Bynack More, Cairngorms

Looking up towards the North ridge of Bynack More, Cairngorms

We headed down the same way we had ascended the ridge. The path builders had long gone, and as we walked down onto the flat once again, the clouds lifted, the sky turned blue and the sun shone down on us. We had stunning views to the West towards the crags of Stac na h-looaire - stunning. The way back down to the footbridge was extremely enjoyable and we were soon preparing to jump on the bikes. It had been tough going on the way in, but now I was reminded why I had insisted we bike into the bridge; the descent was now fast and exhilarating - much to our delight. In what seemed like a matter of moments, we were standing on the banks of An Lochan Uaine. Its turquoise waters were now completely still and we had it all to ourselves. Now we could see what all the fuss was about in the various guides and literature - this is truly a special place indeed. After snapping numerous photos, we sped back down the remainder of the track to Glenmore Lodge.

Looking Northwest towards Meall a' Bhuachaille, Cairngorms

An Lochan Uaine, Ryvoan Pass, Glen More

Before heading back to Nakiska, we stopped at Loch Morlich to enjoy the last of the day's light (and I also wanted to see what the Northern Corries were like!). The loch was lovely and still, as the sun disappeared behind the trees on the faraway bank. Looking up at Coire an t-Sneachda and Coire an Lochain, I could see that there had been a considerable dump of snow, but it looked like it was all melting and things were looking rather black. Nothing looked like it was in condition, so I was happy that we had made the most of the winter day. Things were now feeling rather mild, and I was pretty sure most of the snow would be gone by tomorrow.

An Lochan Uaine, Ryvoan Pass, Glen More

Sunset over Loch Morlich, Cairngorms

We headed back to the car and reflected on what a great day it had been. It had certainly been a day filled with everything that Scotland in winter has to offer.

Cairngorm and the Northern Corries from Loch Morlich

The Cairnwell Munros

My folks are over for a long weekend and Emily and I are staying with them for two nights in the Dalmunzie Castle. As usual, Dad was keen to bag a hill of description but we didn't want it to be the main focus of the weekend either, as we were staying in a rather nice hotel for the weekend after all!

Saturday was looking like a decent day, but it wasn't looking too good while we were having a late breakfast. However, as we headed towards Braemar, the clouds lifted completely and were replaced by a blazing sun and bright blue sky. As the weather was favourable and we didn't have much time, I set our sights on the easy round of The Cairnwell Munros from the Glenshee Ski Centre.

Carn Aosda from the main Ski Centre car park, Glenshee

Herbie checking out the route for the day, Glenshee

We parked up at the Ski Centre and were soon making our way up the stoney path to the summit of Carn Aosda. It was very easy going and straightforward. Not the most interesting of summits but on such a nice day we had a great view of the hills all around us. Herbie even recognised the An Socach ridge from earlier in this year - I was most impressed.

Looking Southwest towards Carn a' Gheoidh and Loch Vrotachan from the summit of Carn Aosda

Herbie nearing the summit of Carn Aosda with The Cairnwell behind, Glenshee

We pressed on quickly, as it was extremely windy on the top. The wind continued to hammer us as we made our way down to the bealach above Creag a' Choire Dhirich and past Loch Vrotachan. Here, we had a good view of the way up to The Cairnwell summit - which we would be back for later on. The landscape was more dramatic and far more scenic than I had expected, as we first headed to the top of Carn nan Sac and then on to the summit of Carn a' Gheoidh (passing a couple of Arctic Hares).

Loch Vrotachan, Glenshee

Heading along the top of Creag a' Choire Dhirich towards Carn a' Gheoidh

The Cairnwell from Creag a' Choire Dhirich

Herbie at Carn nan Sac

The summit of Carn a' Gheoidh from Carn nan Sac

We paused at the summit to slap on some more suncream before retracing our steps and heading for the ugly summit that is: The Cairnwell. It wasn't long before we were heading up the steeper scree and approaching the summit buildings. However, it was a bit of a struggle as the wind was absolutely hammering across us and made the final few metres quite challenging indeed. As soon as we reached the top, we took shelter behind the buildings and admired the view to the East across the Cairngorms.

Heading back towards the summit of The Cairnwell

A little blustery on The Cairnwell summit!

An Acrtic Hare on the side of The Cairnwell

As we headed back down to the car over the grassy, we passed more hares darting around. Herbie was buzzing that he was able to increase his Munro tally by 3 so easily and I was really happy with how the short day had gone. The walk was actually a great deal more enjoyable and scenic than I had expected - very underrated. On the way into Braemar for some grub, we spotted a large heard of Red Deer in the heather at the side of the road - a great day.

Red Deer in Glen Clunie

An Socach

After sucessfully bagging Clisham last summer, Herbie was keen to get his teeth into something bigger and more challenging. With the time fast approaching, a few weeks ago I was a little concerned with the large amount of snow on the ground. But in the last few weeks, the temperatures had risen dramatically and spring was now in the air. I had set our sights on An Socach, near Glenshee in the Cairngorms. It was one that I hadn't done before and I mainly picked it because it looked quite a straightforward day and there weren't any slopes on the map that looked particularly steep.

Herbie on the bridge at the entrance to Baddock with Sgor Mor behind, Cairngorms

Red Deer on the side of Coire Fhearneasg, Cairngorms

We left Edinburgh before 7:30am and were walking by 9:30am - we made good time on the roads without the traffic. We parked by the bridge at the side of the A93 at the head of Glen Clunie. Looking around, the hills were black and the ski runs were very patchy and far from complete; I was quite shocked at just how quickly the thaw had taken place. I was beginning to regret only packing my winter boots and leaving my lighter summer ones at home.

Looking Northeast back down to Baddoch from Coire Fhearneasg, Cairngorms

Looking West up to the main ridge from Coire Fhearneasg, Cairngorms

We crossed the bridge and set off up the track past the old farmhouse in Baddoch Glen. We made good progress along the track and we raced along chatting and enjoying the clear skies and mild weather. After about 4km we arrived at the Alt Coire Fhearneasg and, after crossing it (needing walking poles to do this), headed up the gentle slopes of Coire Fhearneasg. We were still yet to encounter any snow and I was keen for my Dad to get a taste of what it was like walking in it. The guide books suggest following a worn path up the East shoulder to gain the summit but I had other ideas. From the map, I could see that we could continue up the more gentle slopes of the corrie to the bealach just North of the main ridge and I could see from looking up that it still had a generous amount of snow covering it.

Looking Northeast back down to Baddoch from a snowy An Socach ridge, Cairngorms

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As we neared the bealach, we finally got stuck into some snow - allbeit quite thin and 'crispy' on top. To make things interesting, the ground was mostly peat hag and covered in heather: not at all uniform underfoot. Herbie had a great time laughing at me leading the way and falling through the snow into every hole possible, while I was not ammused...

Heading up to the An Socach ridge through the snow, Cairngorms

Herbie enjoying the snow with the Northern Cairngorms behind

On reaching the bealach, we were treated to spectacular views North into the Northern Cairngorms - still quite snowy but clearly thawing. I pushed on and kicked steps as Herbie followed behind; cursing more and more with every step he took. One final push saw us at the first stoney top admiring the views all around. Herbie was delighted to hear that the climbing for the day was now finished and all we had to do was dander along the wide ridge to the actual summit.

Herbie working hard in the snow to gain the An Socach ridge, Northern Cairngorms behind

Looking West along the An Socach ridge, Cairngorms

We soon got there and celebrated with the traditional father and son embrace at the small wind shelter made out of stones. The wind had now picked up and we were getting blown around a little so we didn't hang around too long - but the view was truly spectacular and uninterrupted all around. We retraced our steps to the col halfway along the main ridge and then followed the Allt Boruiche back down to the main track and back towards Baddock.

Looking South from the summit of An Socach, Cairngorms

Looking East back along the An Socach ridge, Cairngorms

Herbie was over the moon to have bagged his first Munro and was beaming all the way back to Edinburgh. I was really pleased with how the day had gone and it was great that Herbie got to experience some snow (what was left of it). A fantastic day.

Herbie and I on the summit of An Socach, Cairngorms

Looking Southwest to Creag Easgaidh on the descent from An Socach, Cairngorms

Heading along the track back down to Baddock at the end of the rainbow, Cairngorms

Red Deer, Cairngorms

Baddock with Creag nan Gabhar behind, Cairngorms

Skiing at Glenshee

After a great day bagging Driesh and Mayar yesterday, most of the GWC staff were heading back down the road to Edinburgh to get back before dark. However, as we were this far North I wanted to make the most of the time we had in the wintery conditions. A few of us decided to head to Glenshee to get a day in skiing. I had been skiing in Andorra and Austria before a few years ago but I had never skied in Scotland; this seemed like a good opportunity as there was so much snow about.

A snowy Glenshee with all lifts open!

A group of us left early, said goodbye to the others and set off up the road to Glenshee. As we approached the ski centre, we could see just how good the runs looked; they all had a good covering of powder. I had driven through this way a couple of times in winter in the past but the runs never looked anywhere near as good as they did today. It was also clear that many other folk had the same idea as we did - the car park was rammed with families.

James adjusting his skis, Glenshee

After we had braved the crowds to hire skis, boots, poles and purchase our lift passes, we headed for the slopes. I was a little unsteady at first so took a bit of time to get my ski legs and ski head back on with a few easy runs down on the Carn Aosda side before heading up for a few runs on The Cairnwell. The runs were in great condition and the skiing was just as good (if not better) than what I remember experiencing in Austria a few years ago.

Glenshee skiing

After a while we headed across the road to the runs on the Meall Odhar side. I wasn't sure what to expect here because I had never seen these tows running before today. To my surprise, there seemed to be even more snow and even better skiing on this side! There was so much snow that you could pretty much ski on any part of the mountain and there was little to distinguish between what was a 'run' and what wasn't. We had great fun skiing down the small valley to the North of Glas Maol.

After a full day on the slopes, we were treated to a fantastic orange glow of the sun setting to the West above the snowy Cairngorms - what a day and what a weekend!

Sunset over Glenshee