Author Topic: TR Eastern Cairngorms.  (Read 3337 times)

Owen

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TR Eastern Cairngorms.
« on: 19:13:44, 23/06/18 »
This is a little walk I did last bank holiday. I parked by the Hayfield in Glenmore village and took the road past Glenmore Lodge this turns into a track to The Green Lochan - An Lochan Uaine and the Ryvoan pass. By a sign warning of dire consequences should anyone proceed further I take a right turn and head in the direction of Strath Nethy. Once over the river I start to climb up and over a shoulder of Bynack Mhor before dropping down into the start of the Larig An Laoigh path, which I follow to the Fords of Avon (pronounced Fords of Arn). Here someone else has the cheek to be camping in my usual spot. I make do with another site a kilometre away, a very lumpy spot.

Looking down the Larig An Laoigh from Bynack Mhor, On the right is Beinn a Chaorainn (the C is silent) and Beinn Mheadhoin (pronounced Ben Vane).

Looking back over Strath Nethy.


Beinn Mheadhoin from my camp.
Next day I was up early, packed and away by six. To start with it was steeply uphill but it soon eased off as I gained height and reached the top of Beinn a Cheorainn.

Ben Macdui and Beinn Mheadhoin from Beinn a Cheorainn.

Coire an Dubh Lochan from Beinn a Bhuird.

The summit of Ben Avon.

Home sweet home.

Where ever I lay my hat.
From Beinn a Chaorainn I head east across miles of open moors to the Summit of Beinn a Bhuird (pronounced Ben a Vord). This part of the Cairngorms is a huge high moor with some enormous Coires carved out of the plateau by glaciers long ago.
I then made my way across to the Garbh Choire on the north-western side of Ben Avon then followed the rim of the coire to the summit Tor before dropping down into the Garbh Choire and follow the stream to it's confluence with the river Avon and finding my second camp.
On the Monday morning I followed the river upstream to the fords and retraced my outward route back to Glenmore.     

richardh1905

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Re: TR Eastern Cairngorms.
« Reply #1 on: 19:27:37, 23/06/18 »

Really enjoyed reading that; whets my appetite for more of the Cairngorms.
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richardh1905

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Re: TR Eastern Cairngorms.
« Reply #2 on: 00:06:11, 24/06/18 »
Particularly like the coire an dubh lochan photo Owen; gives a good sense of the vastness of the Cairngorms.
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richardh1905

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Re: TR Eastern Cairngorms.
« Reply #3 on: 08:13:20, 24/06/18 »

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
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adalard

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Re: TR Eastern Cairngorms.
« Reply #4 on: 09:38:34, 24/06/18 »
Really enjoyed the TR and the photos, Owen.


Especially liked the one of Beinn Mheadhoin from your camp - and the view down Coire an Dubh Lochan is beautiful.  O0

Owen

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Re: TR Eastern Cairngorms.
« Reply #5 on: 10:33:25, 24/06/18 »
[quote author=richardh1905 link=topic=36701.msg522217#msg522217 date=152982


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



Yes that's the hayfield, I just park in the layby. There is a car park but you can only pay per day, no good for overnights.


The ford at Ford's of Avon is across a major mountain river, when it's low you can get across dry footed, in spate it can be impassable.

vizzavona

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Re: TR Eastern Cairngorms.
« Reply #6 on: 09:48:09, 25/06/18 »
Grand place for a camp when the weather is right.
On the area between Beinn a'Bhuirdh and the Garbh Choire, to visit the coires Garbh and Dubh-Lochain, when packing up from a camp there and on our way down to Faindouran Bothy....weather on the change with a flat cloud settling in and witrh the light fading. I had possibly the only encounter that I will have with a snowy owl....quietly making its way not far above my head. I don't think that these guys have ever bred in Scotland.

dittzzy

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Re: TR Eastern Cairngorms.
« Reply #7 on: 22:01:11, 25/06/18 »
Particularly like the coire an dubh lochan photo Owen; gives a good sense of the vastness of the Cairngorms.
I agree.  Really good set of pics altogether tho'  O0 O0

richardh1905

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Re: TR Eastern Cairngorms.
« Reply #8 on: 08:12:26, 26/06/18 »


Yes that's the hayfield, I just park in the layby. There is a car park but you can only pay per day, no good for overnights.


The ford at Ford's of Avon is across a major mountain river, when it's low you can get across dry footed, in spate it can be impassable.


Thanks; sometimes difficult to avoid the No Overnight Parking signs. And I thought as much about the Avon; quite a big mountain catchment area.
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Owen

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Re: TR Eastern Cairngorms.
« Reply #9 on: 10:39:13, 26/06/18 »
Here you go Richard, the actual ford at Fords of Avon. This is at very low water, I've see that grass island underwater before.



richardh1905

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Re: TR Eastern Cairngorms.
« Reply #10 on: 11:32:00, 26/06/18 »

Here you go Richard, the actual ford at Fords of Avon. This is at very low water, I've see that grass island underwater before.


Another stunning photo to whet my appetite.
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snoopdawg

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Re: TR Eastern Cairngorms.
« Reply #11 on: 19:36:32, 26/06/18 »
This your camping spot Owen? stayed there on my TGO on 19/05/2018.

opposite the refuge looking down Glen Avon


Owen

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Re: TR Eastern Cairngorms.
« Reply #12 on: 20:07:48, 26/06/18 »
Yes, somewhere not very far away.

 

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