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| Sunset |
Before the predicted ‘changeable’ weather arrived with high winds and rain, ending weeks of mostly windless dryness and heat I decided on a high camp on the slopes of Bynack More, a stony Munro lying across the deep trench of Strath Nethy from Cairn Gorm.
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| Clouds |
The walk-in through wooded Ryvoan Pass and round the tip of Cairn Gorm’s long north ridge to the footbridge over the River Nethy was in the now familiar hot, humid, sticky conditions. The forest was lovely though, as it always is. An intermittent breeze blowing down Strath Nethy encouraged me to hope there would a more constant one higher up to keep off the midges. I needn’t have been concerned! The sky was cloudier than I’d expected and the conflicting masses and layers suggested turmoil and the change to come.
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| Bynack More. The path I took can just be seen right of centre. |
My pace slowed as I headed up the Lairig an Laoigh path to the featureless plateau that makes up the northern end of Bynack More. Leaving that path for the well-trodden one that runs directly up the north ridge to the summit I noticed a dark line cutting across the western slopes of the hill into Coire Dubh between Bynack More and its subsidiary Top, Bynack Beg. It looked very like a path. I must have seen this on my many previous ascents but it had never really attracted my attention. This time it did and I decided to go and have a look.
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| The path into Coire Dubh with the main route in the background. |
The line didn’t quite join the main ascent route but was visible not far away. Once I reached it I found a clear narrow path that curved round the hillside into the upper corrie. Here it faded away on the gentler terrain, which looked like it would be boggy in wet weather. There was no difficulty in continuing up the slopes to the col between the two Bynacks though. I thought it a pleasant route and a nice alternative to the standard ascent.
Rather than continue the short distance to the summit of
Bynack More I contoured south to the headwaters of the Allt a’ Choire Dheirg
where I planned on camping. If there was water, that is. The ground was parched,
the burn in Coire Dubh had been dry. If there was no water I might have to descend
to find some.
I was delighted to see the burn was flowing and I soon found
a flattish spot not far away for the tent. The clouds were thicker and lower
now, shrouding Cairn Gorm, so I decided to leave the summit of Bynack More for
the dawn, when it was forecast to be clear. Settling into the tent I soon had
the stove on. A gusty wind kept off any midges.
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| A colourful dusk |
The clouds began to break up at dusk, making for a colourful sunset that had me leaving the tent to enjoy it fully. The wind was stronger now and the air chilly.
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| A beautiful morning. You can't see the wind! |
Overnight the wind continued to increase, big gusts waking me at times. By dawn they were powerful enough to make walking into them hard work. I decided to forego Bynack More’s summit and head for Bynack Beg with the wind at my back and then descend. The sky was blue and the early sunshine beautiful though and I was glad to be here.
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| Cairn Gorm from Bynack Beg |
On Bynack Beg I sheltered behind the summit rocks in order to hold the camera steady. The wind was even stronger here. The way was down now though, on the loose gravel path on the steep north-east ridge and into Strath Nethy.
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| Distant reindeer |
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| Enlargement from the photo above |
Distant movement on the horizon caught my attention. A line of walkers heading for Bynack More? Something didn’t look right for that. I looked through the telephoto end of the zoom lens on my camera. It was the Cairngorm reindeer herd heading purposefully somewhere.
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| The steep descent into Strath Nethy |
As I dropped into Strath Nethy the wind only lessened slightly. I felt it was chasing me down. It continued doing so all along the strath and back through Ryvoan Pass and was still buffeting me when I was back in Aviemore for a late lunch. It had been a good trip but I was glad I’d come down early.
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| Strath Nethy |
I made a little video of the trip
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