Weather/Conditions: Very heavy skies, but good visibility and dry all day. Graet for walking, but the skies made me nervous! Good day, though.
Distance/Ascent/Time: 32.7km / 1770m / 10h 55m
Accompanying: Alone

On the 9th June, after breakfast, I set off for my first Cairngorm Munro, Ben Avon. The skies were heavy, and a huge black cloud above Beinn a’ Bhuird made me nervous. But I was walking on good paths, all the way to The Sneck, which is the name for the saddle between Ben Avon and Beinn a’ Bhuird. Ben Avon was a popular place, and the atmosphere was suddenly social rather than pleasantly isolated.

Myself and Struan climbed these Munros last year and I was happy to revisit them. They seemed easier this time, which could just be a fitness thing. I was glad to see they were easy walking, lots of flat terrain where I could switch off and go into auto-mode. Beinn a’ Bhuird is a huge, flat mountain with enormous glacially-scooped coires that would repay a lot of further exploration. It's 1197m high: the 11th highest Munro. I've been up it twice and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface.

The advantage of the high mountains is that the terrain tends to get easier the higher you go, the grasses and heather thin out. The walking, especially in the Cairngorms is more akin to walking along a beach since the granite erodes into gravelly balls. Once I'd finished the first two Munros, it seemed an inconvenience to dip back to the heather-clad 900m contour and climb the next two of my day; Beinn Bhreac and Beinn a’ Chaorainn. You have to cross the Moine Bhealaidh to complete these: flat miles of heather, peat hag and grass, with a Munro at either end, each just a rocky swelling. I picked them off in turn, starting with Beinn Bhreac, beginning to tire of the relentless heather plodding. Leaving the rucksack each time was a minor relief, Beinn a’ Chaorainn was a simple formality and I descended back to the rucksack and headed off for the Hutchison Hut.

There, I met Ian, who was bothying in the Cairngorms with his dog Mallie (named after the bothy!). We shared a lot of good chat, I learned yet more about the Cairngorms. As a range, the Gorms are a slow-burner and the meeting somehow made the trip feel much deeper. I got a real sense of the deep cultural history of these hills, of which I’m always learning more. I understand for the first time how someone could spend a lifetime exploring this range. They're like an island on their own, elevated in altitude from surrounding Scottish mountains. Their character is unique, sometimes inhuman and there is just so much depth.

Reluctant to break the flowing conversation, I packed my rucksack once more after dinner, and climbed Derry Cairngorm that night. I would regret it in the morning if I didn't, when I already had a big day planned. I climbed directly up from the bothy for Derry Cairngorm, light mist rolling in and out, the evening sun breaking through to give life to the blue mist. I enjoyed the fifth Munro of my day, but ultimately it was a relief to descend to the bothy and be done with hills for the night.

Photos: Slugain

Ben Avon

Beinn a' Bhuird

Beinn Bhreac

Beinn a' Chaorainn & The Hutchison

Derry Cairngorm

360° Panoramas

Ben Avon


Beinn a' Bhuird


Beinn Bhreac


Beinn a' Chaorainn