Meall a Bhuachaille

Unusually, I find myself writing with a hangover - a 21-year old from Glengoyne did the damage - was good at the time but I'm suffering today. Apologies if this report doesn't really flow or have any jokes. I returned from the Cairngorms after a magical outing - one of those days that doesn't really require a full verbal account of what happened - hopefully the photos do it justice. I had longed to do Bynack More for yonks but knew that the snowfall was immense and I'd likely be wading for hours before giving up and returning Munro-less or worse, actually become part of hill folklore - "he just waded into the sunset and was never found again - sometimes you can hear him cracking jokes and laughing at his own tales - then you hear the wading again...he wisnae right...." Sorry, where was I? Got up to Glenmore Lodge quite late in the day - 1330. I parked just past the Lodge and as I disembarked, I was rounded up by two excitable collie dogs - Come High! The path down through and on to the Ryvoan gap is a simply magical place to be - the different fauna and flora are outstanding and I was lost in a world of idyllic surroundings. As things tend to happen, this simple walk turned awkward when I obviously began ascending up Meall a Bhuachaille too early - it was rather steep going - so steep that I had to grab heather and roots to pull myself up - I had clearly taken the wrong way up. It did however provide rapid ascent and fantastic views across the Cairngorms - and there was Bynack More popping out in the distance. The only problem I have is the ski paraphernalia which really leaves a sour taste in the mouth as these hills are beautiful to look at. By using strategically placed trees, I was able to capture the hills minus the bumpf. I plateau'd out and enjoyed the final walk up to the huge summit cairn - I donned all my gear, sat down and just revelled in the heat on my face, while being insulated against the perishing Cairngorm wind. It was a beautiful 10 minutes of afternoon peace - probably about 1645 and not another soul on the hill. Quite a moving experience and I was genuinely reluctant to get up and move on. However, I did and although I wasn't planning on the full traverse of Creagan Gorm and Craiggowrie, they did look very tantalising. No, it was getting late and I had to get down - although fun at first by virtue of skooting (ski-ing in Scarpa boots - quite fun), the snow softened up further down and I was actually wading back to the forest. The track alongside the road brought me back to my starting point. Once again, another brilliant Corbett in the bag and a superb day out.