Disney land in Scotland, I hear you proclaim – well no it isn’t actually the Disney land that your all remember taking your excited young’uns too, it’s just what I call Coire an t-Sneacha in the cairngorms, and why I hear you ask;
1, because it has that climb referred to as Aladdin
2, In the height of climbers season (winter) the clanging and banging of their axes resounds around the coire reminding me of that scene from snow white and the seven dwarfs, and lastly
3, in winter the cairngorm is in reality just one big boys/girls play park.
This is not the route report I had planned, as originally I was going to go up onto the plateau and go somewhere, perhaps macdui, had not made my mind up. However, on the day the leaving of one important piece of equipment at home changed my plans dramatically. Only a few weeks ago, the cairngorms were as void of snow and cold wisp of wind as smoking is of healthy goodness where as today the place looked more like a scene from frozen planet, the bit where the male penguins withstood high winds and blizzards. ye wasn’t far off that where me and the surprising many others who braved the place today were blown around like rag dolls.
It was OK walking in as the wind was behind me and was helping now again to blow me from rock to rock, but as I neared the top of the coire (using the easy route) the wind picked up even more and more consistently. Which was OK but upon whenever I planned, returning it would have been blowing a blizzard right into my eyes, due in part to the fact that I’d forgotten my goggles and seeing as the wind only seemed to be getting higher as I climb, I thought it best to retreat until it got too bad. Ye I know only wimps do that but have you ever tried breathing in high wind as well as see where the heck you’re going. After all it’s not like the cairngorms are going anywhere soon, plus I’ll wait for a crisp clear day to finish what I planned.
I think the route today was only a few miles and not much climbing, but I took a few photos and thought perhaps others would like to see what the place looks like if they have plans going there.
click
here to see pan of coire
just beyond the ski centre car park
fiacail buttress ridge
approaching the coire
looking down from the coire to frozen lochs
view of cairngorms on drive in