Thursday 4 August 2011

Sunshine, Clouds & Midges


Compared with the Western Highlands and islands like Skye the Cairngorms have a reputation for less fearsome midges. Now I’ve always felt this was exaggerated. Yesterday I found it to be completely untrue as I was engulfed in clouds of ravenous beasties within seconds of stopping to take water from a burn. I’d set out earlier for an ascent of Bynack More, the easternmost of the 1,000 metre summits of the Northern Cairngorms.


I left late as the forecast suggested the low damp mist of morning would clear to give a fine afternoon and evening. And so it proved. The long walk-in from Glenmore round the eastern edge of the hills was in some of the hottest weather of the summer so far with a blazing sun and a sharp blue sky. Yet to the north and east it was hazy and towering clouds suggestive of thunder heads drifted by.



Sweating heavily in the still air I climbed the final rocky north ridge to the jumble of boulders at the summit. A westerly breeze cooled me down as it dried the sweat on my t-shirt. South and west the mountains shone in the sun. Turning the other direction and the sky was grey and the hills indistinct. A giant cauliflower cloud was building just east of the top. This not being the place to be caught in a thunderstorm I didn’t linger but was soon cutting across the stony slopes to the lower top of Bynack Beg, whose north-east ridge I took down into Strath Nethy, a rough descent on sketchy gravel paths and through deep heather.



I was under cloud cover now and the air was hot, humid and heavy. It was during this descent that, having emptied my water bottles, I stopped for a refill and the midges found me. Using my sun hat as a whisk to repel the hordes I was very quickly on my way. Down in the glen I forded the shallow River Nethy and crossed the ridge above before descending into the lovely natural forest above the Ryvoan Pass path. This is an interesting and unfrequented route, with only traces of paths and much rough terrain that slows progress. On this occasion I rarely stopped to look around, let along take photographs, as the second I did the midges poured over me. Indeed, on the ascent out of Strath Nethy I could barely move fast enough to stay head of them. It was with relief that I reached my car and was just left with the problem of how to get in it without bringing in too many midges.

Pictures: from the top - the summit of Bynack More; clouds building up over the shoulder of Meall a'Bhuachaille above Ryvoan Pass; Bynack More and Bynack Beg; Strath Nethy with Bynack More top left.

12 comments:

  1. Uuuurgh! My skin is crawling just thinking about the little beasts!

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  2. Chris, I have had midges annoy me around that part of the world around this time of year a few years so it isn't just you; muggy windless weather seems best for them too. Well done on getting some decent photos and a good walk in spite of the hoards.

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  3. I've had swarms of the beasties often in the Cairngorms. Last week was no exception. I'm heading there again just shortly for the weekend. Maybe all the rain that is forecast will keep them quieter! :)
    I've also noticed an increase in ticks in the Cairngorms. Every time i've camped there in the last few months, i've had at least one.

    Mike fae Dundee.

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  4. This increase in tick numbers is interesting.

    I thought that deer populations were being controlled more aggressively recently. So, if that is the case, where and what are the little devils living on? Are there more ticks on each deer? How does it work?

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  5. There must be biting things around my home*, two nastey nibbles out of my calfs. Dartmoor had a few on my last visit, don't ever remember them in years gone by...
    *Or were they bites from my Cheddar walk the other day.

    Do you ever use a repellent?

    Tony

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  6. Chris,in my experience, the midges are bad all over Scotland (and can be bad in the North of England). I was walking in Wester Ross yesterday and like you as soon as I stopped for more than 30 seconds, there were clouds of them. It was only the 4 hour downpour in the afternoon that stopped them !! Head net and DEET helped.
    Some nice photographs taken on your trip.

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  7. Tony, I carry repellent - non-DEET - and a head net. I didn't use them the other day, preferring to keep moving.

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  9. Thanks Chris, do you ever wear the head net walking or is it only really used when stopped?

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  10. Tony, I've never worn it when walking and I hardly ever wear it in camp as I hate having it on. It's an emergency item!

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  11. Just back from the Cairngorms, and the midgies were amongst the worst i've had. For the first and only time in my life, i had to wear a head-net whilst walking. At the end of a long day, i was too tired to outrun them!
    Mike fae Dundee.

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  12. Had a meeting with the midges last Monday,Tuesday at the Geusachan end of the Lairig.Never ever saw them as bad.Strange however,in the inner tent of my scarp1,the multitude seemed content to fly into and around the corners and left me alone both days/nights.However the move into the outer to cook/get out, brought immediate attack,but only in that between space.back in the inner again and eat/drink/read ok.Does the white light of the inner make them want to fly to it and ignore the meal lying inside.?? strange but thankful that I could dress and pack other than the tent in peace.

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