I had some more visitors! Tash and Udani popped up for a weekend. We decided to base ourselves in Aviemore and Tash booked us a great B&B – the Cairngorm Guest House – so I also got a weekend of luxury in our en suite room. Showers whenever you want them – the high life!!
We eased into the weekend with a walk along the shore of Loch an Eilean, hopping on stepping stones in the loch, and dipping our feet in the water.
But the main walking event was our plan to conquer Ben Macdui and Cairngorm on the Saturday. Ben Macdui is the second highest mountain in Scotland at 1309m… but we did have a bit of a leg up since we started at the Cairngorm ski centre car park which sits at elevation of 635m. The forecast was for a windy, wet and misty mess in the morning, but some clouds/some sun in the afternoon. So we set off wrapped up but full of hope that the weather would get better as we got up the hill. I actually have evidence of the weather forecast lies this time since I screenshotted it the night before. See for yourself.
As usual, the weather gave me the finger. After about half an hour we were essentially walking in a rain cloud which was being whipped around us at high speed. It didn’t feel so much like it was raining, more like it was biting any exposed flesh. “Everyone having a good time?!”.
It took some stubbornness and some haribo to keep us going and get us up through the increasingly strong winds to the top. And the views at the top of Ben Macdui left everything to the imagination. Helpfully there was a marker pointing out what we *should* have been able to see in all directions to rub it in.
We huddled down into a little shelter and ate our filled rolls before wrestling our hands back into our soaking gloves. (Waterproof gloves made it to the top of my shopping list after this walk). The walk took us round the plateau, along the top of some impressive corries with some spectacular rock formations and (presumably) spectacular views we couldn’t see. Anyway we trudged on, particularly because the shortest route back was now up and over Cairn Gorm rather than retracing our steps.
We followed the edge of the corries round, veering off our route slightly because the massive cairn up ahead looked really cool. My map tells me this was Fiacaill a’ Choire Chais but pease don’t ask me to say that out loud. And just as we got there… the clouds parted and gave us a view!! Surprise!! We were disproportionately excited to see this after the weather we’d walked through, and taking snap after snap on our phones with our cold fingers.
Funnily enough when the rain eased off, the air temperature wasn’t all that cold. So when we got to the top of Cairn Gorm a short while later and the sun came out.. it was almost warm?! The warmish breeze did a good job of drying off a fair bit of our gear too – bit like walking around in a tepid tumbledryer. Though without the tumble I suppose. Anyway the sun came out and Cairngorm opened up for us to see!!!
Thank goodness for the B&B – a drying room and a hot shower sorted us out before dinner. We headed up to Carrbridge to eat at the Cairn Hotel – I had a steak and craft ale pie – 10/10 highly recommend. The bridge at Carrbridge is pretty special too.
The next day we woke up to sunnier skies and took a walk up past Lochan Uaine – the green loch – and up and over Meall a’ Bhuachaille. The sunny day lured us up to a very windy top.
Once we got back down we pulled up along the edge of Loch Morlich and brewed up some tea so Tash and Udani could have a tiny taste of vanlife. And Udani got a masterclass in selfie taking.
Only Young Twice 