Author Topic: Lochnagar 22/12  (Read 6077 times)

JCM

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Lochnagar 22/12
« on: 13:38:19, 23/12/07 »
Hi first post!

We started in the Spital of Glenmuick car park - me and a guy called Paul driving to Braemar from Aberdeen that morning, Taff and Floyd the two guys we were meeting up with staying  at the bunkhouse at the Braemar Lodge overnight after ferrying it across from Northern Ireland the day before.

The day unfortunately had started dull with a fair amount of low level cloud which was a real shame as there had been high pressure and blue skies all week until Saturday morning.  Nevertheless we started off from the car park, taking the landrover track past the vistor centre and up through the woodland towards the fords past Alt-na-giubhasaich, picking up the path next to Old Shielings.

As we gained height, it started to rain and it was getting windier too.  Rising higher, past the Ptarmigan Butts and passing the Fox Cairn memorial stone, it started snowing fairly heavily and the ground was becoming a mix of snow and ice.  Just after the memorial it started to turn into a pretty steep scramble up a boulder field, adjacent to the Corrie of Lochnagar - easyish in normal conditions, but the wind and snow, as well as the icy conditions made this a little hairy at times.  Floyd runs for his battalion and was fair flying up ahead of Paul, Taff and me - fairly frequent stops for getting breath back, but keen to press on to stop chilling down to much. 

We reached the Lochnagar plateaux fairly quickly but then realised pretty much instantly that we weren't going to see much of the cliff face itself - or the views of the whole area that you'd normally enjoy.  The Loch sitting at the bottom of the cliffs itself was invisible - the conditions were pretty bad - the wind was ferocious as soon as we reached the other side of the corrie, and it was a near white out due to low cloud - plenty of pockets of deep snow and ice - a few lethal snow cornices at the edge of the face too - it looked like the kind of place you'd die in to be honest.





We got a bit lost at this stage - having Taff's GPS along with the map was invaluable - but it did take us ten minutes of standing around getting very cold (windchill was probably -10 at this stage easily - the wind gusting a steady 40-50 mph) before we picked up the path, contouring the edge of the the cliff and headed towards the summit - Cac Carn Beag, passing the cairn at Cac Carn Mor on the way.





Another out of breath scramble and we were there - 1155 metres - Cac Carn Beag - Lochnagar - my first Munro!  Photos, video etc. ensued - Taff hoisting the Welsh flag and the rest of us realising that it was probably the first time a Jamaican chef from Northern Ireland had climbed Lochnagar!   ;D



We stayed for ten minutes or so at the trig point but it was starting to get [censored] freezing cold, so we messed about getting our bearings again before finally picking up the path that took us back down via Falls of the Glasalt - we had planned on contouring around and doing the scramble up The Stuic to get to the other Munro - Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach, but as we couldn't even see it, and it was bound to be quite icy we decided to give it a miss.

So a slippy slidy falling on our [censored] descent down the line of the falls before coming out onto the most beautiful view of Loch Muick, turning back on ourselves slightly to actually get into and under the falls - spectacular!







After that a long weary trudge along the banks of Loch Muick - about 2.30 pm by now and starting to get chilly - 4.30 saw us back at the visitor centre then the car park but not before seeing the totally awesome sight of a stag and three deer up on a ridge, silhouetted in front of a huge (almost) full Winter moon - what I would have given for a decent camera and long range lens!  Beautiful! 



Brilliant but hard day - 21Kms in total - 6.5 hours moving time.   8-)
« Last Edit: 20:49:45, 23/12/07 by JCM »

summitzero

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Re: Lochnagar 23/12
« Reply #1 on: 20:37:10, 23/12/07 »
Hello and welcome to the forum JCM, great write up  O0

i have a problem seeing your pics though  :-[

yet again welcome to the forum  O0
Are we there yet ?   http://walkingforlife.piczo.com

JCM

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Re: Lochnagar 23/12
« Reply #2 on: 20:46:32, 23/12/07 »
Yep I realise now why - I renamed the album in Photobucket!!   :o

Try now!

And thanks for the welcome too!   8)
« Last Edit: 20:48:54, 23/12/07 by JCM »

Mr. Blister

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Re: Lochnagar 22/12
« Reply #3 on: 09:41:38, 24/12/07 »
Hi JCM, welcome to the forum, mate!  ;)

Wow!  What an ace first post on this forum, surely you must take the prize!  I could see the pictures just fine, so I think it was just Summit's old hand cranked computer  ;).

You certainly had the weather for it, but I have to say that place looked bleak - how did you put it? A place where people could die.  What an awesome day it must have been.  Well done, and thanks for sharing.  O0

JCM

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Re: Lochnagar 22/12
« Reply #4 on: 12:55:53, 24/12/07 »
Thanks Mr Blister - it was a very memorable day - I can't wait to go back in better, brighter conditions!   O0

summitzero

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Re: Lochnagar 22/12
« Reply #5 on: 12:29:14, 27/12/07 »
Yep gave the wheel a bit more of a turn and i have the pics now........ great shots and looked like a great day. I see you had the furtec jacket on, what did you think of it, as i was sent one to test out and mine has been up mountains, middle of the Atlantic and into frozen and wind blasted planes and i think they are really a good bit of kit. don't see many about.
Are we there yet ?   http://walkingforlife.piczo.com

JCM

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Re: Lochnagar 22/12
« Reply #6 on: 12:49:38, 27/12/07 »
That was my walking buddy Paul wearing the Furtech - he rates it but has reservation over the pit vents - says that they leak rain when you open them?  I was toasty warm and comfortable with my Montane Extreme smock on - just that, no baselayer.  The Montane Terra Thermic winter pants I had on proved their worth too - very, very pleased with them.

 O0

walkinggirluk

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Re: Lochnagar 22/12
« Reply #7 on: 17:24:39, 27/12/07 »
Hi there! JCM, great write up of you're walk I absolutely love Scotland, don't get there very often.  splendid  pictures as well looks a bit chilly though.  When I did Ben Nevis the views were out of this world and yes I did feel on top of the world 28 miles we did on our visit to Scotland last time we were there we was doing the WHW which was absolutely amazing.  Out of most of the places I been Scotland is just a fantastic place to visit and the people we met a long the way wore just quincentenary overly incredible  very friendly indeed we had the time of our lives each time we visited Scotland  congratulations on completing you're first Munro.  Many more to come this is just the start of new adventurer to come...

A BIG WELCOME TO THE FORUM.  As well
peace and tranquillity in the countryside. clean your rubbish up after you  respect it.


clean it bin it

JCM

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Re: Lochnagar 22/12
« Reply #8 on: 17:50:37, 27/12/07 »
Thanks Walking Girl and thanks everyone for the warm welcome - I'll certainly post again with my next trip report.   8)

Scotland is great, it's why I moved up here!   O0

walkinggirluk

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Re: Lochnagar 22/12
« Reply #9 on: 23:43:36, 27/12/07 »
No problem.  We been thinking about a possible move to Scotland for some time now but a few thing's have changed and now a poss move to Ireland is in place I'll miss England in so many ways I know I can come back from time to time, but I think before the move, we fancy doing some of the Cairngorms area staying in some of the bothies and doing some windy camp log fire's if possible without setting fire to the area.  Yeah I know the CODE OF THE C/SIDE.  And the surrending  area.  Scotland is a lovely place to live and with some Stunning  beautiful of wont hide in our beautiful country there so much out there to see and do.  Out there and not just in Scotland, the rest of England as got some gorgeous area and country side that need exporling.  Oh siree the love of the place.  JCM yeah post you're next report up love to read about it.  There a couple of guy's on here who post there walk's on here which are outstanding report on there walk's I for one haven't had time to put one together but one day will do

If you look out for Mr Blister, Dazza and KIDSTYPYKE who take time out to post such report's and are very enjoyable.  About there walk's I for one have enjoyed them from time and time again and hope you'll post more on what you've been up to on you're adventure of Scotland and hope you adventure out more.  Stay frosty WG
peace and tranquillity in the countryside. clean your rubbish up after you  respect it.


clean it bin it

summitzero

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Re: Lochnagar 22/12
« Reply #10 on: 15:05:48, 30/12/07 »
Yep i found when you leave the pit vents open they tend to open wide, with the back section sticking out ? Love the hood though  O0

And before anyone says it,  ;D i know close the zip in the rain  ;D
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summitzero

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Re: Lochnagar 22/12
« Reply #11 on: 15:11:55, 30/12/07 »
Hows the weather up there ??? more so the ski road/ Aviemore ???
Are we there yet ?   http://walkingforlife.piczo.com

 

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