A Walk And Camp On The Cairngorm Plateau In Mist, Snow, And Sun

Loch Avon

After weeks of changeable weather, the second half of April has seen day after day of fine weather. The first mountain camp of the year called and I climbed up to the Cairngorm Plateau. The sun was bright and warm but the east wind was chilly.

Snowfield crossing

There were still large snowfields and I took out my ice axe to ascend one. The snow was sugary on top but hard and icy underneath. I probably could have managed without the axe but the extra security was welcome.

Cloud camps Cairn Gorm

As I reached the Plateau I could see clouds building to the south. Ben Macdui was hidden in greyness and soon the mist settled on Cairn Gorm. Crossing Stob Coire an t-Sneachda I admired the cracked cornices hanging above its eponymous corrie.

Cornices on Stob Coire an t-Sneachda

My plan had been to descend to the Loch Avon basin and camp below the Shelter Stone, a favourite spot, where I should be out of the strongest winds. However, the start of the steep descent from Coire Domhain was banked up with snow. I couldn’t see how far this ran and thought it might be tricky going down it. There was only a breeze in the corrie too. Avoiding the snow for a high camp was appealing so I pitched the tent here.

A misty dawn

The mist soon blanketed the sky and filled the corrie. There would be no sunset. There was no sunrise either, just a gradual lightening revealing greyness all around. I wasn’t despondent though – this had been forecast and was meant to give way during the morning. And by the time I’d had breakfast and was out of the tent the sky was clearing.

Clearing skies

I set off in sunshine for the top of the steep slopes leading down to Loch Avon. This rocky rim gives spectacular views and I spent some time wandering around looking at the dark cliffs of Hell’s Lum, the Shelter Stone Crag, Carn Etchachan, and Stacan Dubha and down to deep blue Loch Avon. Great bands of snow lined the rocks. I could hear the rushing waters of the Garbh Uisge Mor and the Feith Buidhe crashing down.

Carn Etchachan & the Shelter Stone Crag

Whilst admiring the views I met mountain and wildlife guide Gary Hodgson of Tarmachan Mountaineering. Appropriately enough he was out looking for ptarmigan (a poor Anglicisation of the Gaelic tarmachan).

Feith Buidhe

Turning from the cliffs I followed the Feith Buidhe up to half-frozen Lochan Buidhe. Where free from snow the wide burn sparkled in the sunshine, rippling over golden-brown rocks and gravel.

Caution needed!

There were large deep snowfields too, often cracked and broken where they were sagging into the water. I made a large detour round one tributary to find a way across that didn’t seem likely to send me plunging through the snow into the water.

At the lochan I reached the main path to Ben Macdui trampled into the snow. I had thought of climbing the peak, now barely two kilometres away, but walking in the soft snow was hard work and the day was hot so I decided to forgo another visit to the summit.

The March Burn

I crossed the path to the headwaters of the March Burn, just before it tumbles down into the Lairig Ghru. Here it spreads out and forms a small shallow flowing lochan. Like the Feith Buidhe it was shining in the sun.

The Lairig Ghru

I left the glorious Cairngorm Plateau on the path across the west flank of Cairn Lochan to Miadan Creag an Leth-choin. Here the wind caught me, rushing up from the Lairig Ghru, fierce and cold. It then hurried me down the long ridge above Coire an Lochain.

Coire an Lochain

Huge snowfields plastered the slopes beneath the Cairn Lochan cliffs. Below the massive Great Slab I could see avalanche debris. The Slab itself was still snow-covered but cracks at the top suggested the snow would soon slide off.

Looking back to Cairn Lochan

As I descended and the wind lessened, I could see two skiers ahead of me, or rather two walkers carrying skis as there was little snow down here. I caught one of them up as she stopped to fill her water bottle at a stream crossing. She turned out to be Angela Oakley, author of a 1991 guidebook called Ski Touring In Scotland, of which I have an old well-worn copy. She and her husband had just skied Lurchers Gully on Nordic skis (her guide is about Nordic touring) and she said there was plenty of snow there. We’d met before at some ski event in the 1990s but I must admit I can’t remember this. We walked the last short distance back to the car park together and reminisced about ski touring in days gone by. A pleasant way to end a wonderful trip.

I made a little video about the trip.