Thanks for posting this, Owen; time for a detailed reply. And thanks for giving the Gaelic pronunciations - I struggle and I often try to pronounce the names in a Welsh way - I lived in the Cymraeg heartlands for 10 years before I moved up to Orkney (indeed my daughter went to a Welsh medium school).
I've just been following your route on Bing Maps, and it is making me itch to get out there again; I'll have to wait until late August before I can let myself loose in the wilds again, although I do have family camping trips to Glen Nevis and the far NW Highlands to look forward to before then. I fancy camping at Loch Avon, returning via Loch Etchachan and Ben Macdui, and I would be taking the same route as you as far as the "Fords of Arn".
As well as the usual Road and Aerial view, Bing Maps have an
Ordnance Survey view, which allows you to pan around at either 1:50000 or 1:25000 - very useful for route planning! Their aerial view resolution is rubbish for the Cairngorms and Monadliaths, unfortunately, but is excellent elsewhere; good for checking whether paths exist. If you want to add a route map, you are allowed to download from Ordnance Survey's
OpenData maps at 1:250000 scale with coutours and height shading, as long as you acknowledge their copyright. I simply do a screen print and then paste into Paint, where I crop and then add my route as a series of dots. Sometimes I do need to splice two screens together, though. I do this for my journal as well as for posting trip reports online.
Finally, a few questions:
- By the Hayfield, I take it you mean the large grassy area to the W of the road after you have passed through Glenmore? I'm looking for a place to leave the car overnight.
- How reliable is the crossing at Fords of Avon? I imagine that it could quickly become a 'no go' if the heavens open.
- I'm intrigued by your references to a 'dire consequences' sign; I passed Ryvoan on my way up Meall a Bhuchaille with my family last year, and I cannot remember it.
All the best, Richard