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| Camp in the pines, Meall a' Bhuachaille in the distance |
Meall a’Bhuachaille is a familiar hill that I climb several times a year. It’s ideal for a half-day walk. It’s great for taking up visitors who don’t have enough time for a full day out. It’s excellent when the higher Cairngorms look unpleasantly stormy. The views from the summit are excellent. The walk-in past An Lochain Uaine through the woods of Ryvoan Pass is lovely.
However although it is a familiar hill there’s a side I didn’t
know, a side I’d never even visited, the north side facing Abernethy Forest. I’ve
seen this from afar, looked across it from the track from Ryvoan Pass to Nethy
Bridge. Long brown heathery slopes split by burns. Moderately steep in places.
Not much sign of trees. Untracked. Like many other hillsides in fact. Not
exciting, nothing outstanding. But what was it actually like to be there, to
walk there? Places are always more individual, more interesting when you set
foot on them.
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| An Lochan Uaine |
So on a late September day I finally decided it was time to go and have a look. The forecast was for showers and a gusty wind with maybe some sunshine, which sounded fine for a walk that didn’t go very high, though I thought I might finish on Meall a’ Buachaille itself. Walking through Ryvoan Pass the air was warm and humid, my jacket soon in the pack. An Lochan Uaine was blue, white, and green, reflecting sky, clouds and trees. The water was still low despite some recent rain.
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| Lochan a' Chait |
Leaving the thicker forest I soon caught the wind, though it wasn’t very cold. The clouds began to clear. At Lochan a’Chait reeds were bending in the breeze. Across the water the tops at the end of Cairn Gorm’s north ridge, Mam Suim and Stac na h-Iolaire, and beyond them higher Bynack More glowed in the afternoon sun.
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| A squall in the distance |
I’d spotted a faint path on the map that led north-east from the main track in the direction I wanted to go, at least at first. This turned out to be a narrow trod, easily missed, leading through deep vegetation. A sign warned that there were cattle here, brought in by the RSPB, whose land this is, to help break up the ground and trample the heather so more varied vegetation can grow.
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| Stone walls & Bynack More |
I followed the old path past the low stone walls of a former shieling to more stone walls on a low rise amongst big old larch trees. There had been several buildings here at one time. Cattle were grazing nearby. A touch of rain fell. I could see squalls in the distance and twice short bits of rainbows. The evening light was glorious.
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| A touch of rainbow |
Beyond the old settlement the path became indistinct and hard to follow and the walking was much harder as I waded through thick deep heather and bunches of tall reeds. I headed towards the Allt Mullach, the stream that ran down from the col between Meall a’Bhuachaille and Creagan Gorm, hoping to camp at the point where the slopes started to steepen. The terrain did not look promising though, very rough with big tussocks and dense vegetation. Walking became even harder. Progress slowed.
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| Another touch of rainbow |
An old rough ATV track appeared and made the going easier
for a while. I reached the Allt Mullach. There was nowhere for a half-decent
camp. Going up meant steeper ground so I followed the burn down to a small rise
with a scattering of old pines. The four hundred metres or so took me half an
hour. There were young trees amongst the big ones. This grove is renewing itself.
It took a while wandering amongst the pines before I found a
small mossy spot that looked just big enough. In wetter times it would probably
be too boggy for a camp but it would do for this night. I pitched the tent just
as the light faded.
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| Relaxing in camp |
The wind dropped and the clouds cleared. The temperature fell to zero. There was dew on the flysheet and condensation inside at dawn. The sun soon warmed the tent and I moved outside to sit in the bright light and enjoy the quiet of the trees over a mug of coffee. I’d slept well and this was a peaceful relaxing spot.
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| Mist in Strathspey |
Moving on was not relaxing though. It was tough and arduous. I headed back beside the little stream and up the slopes towards the col. In places remnants of old ATV tracks eased the walking but mostly it was a thrash through deep heather and reeds with tussocks and deep holes everywhere. Some of the vegetation was chest deep. At one point the tips of reeds were pricking my chin. I could rarely see where I was putting my feet. Terrain doesn’t come much tougher than this.
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| The clouds begin to close in over Meall a' Bhuachaille |
There were a few old birches on the hillside and rather more tiny saplings just poking through the heather. Now grazing pressure has been removed the forest is slowly returning.
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| A grizzled old birch |
The early morning sun soon faded as thick grey clouds moved in from the west. At the col the wind was strong. I wouldn’t go up Meall a’ Bhuachaille. Instead I followed the path down to Glenmore, relishing the sudden ease of walking. I’d experienced the north side of Meall a’ Bhuachaille closely and enjoyed solitude in an area few people go despite its nearness to popular places. It had been a good trip.
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| Overcast sky above the col |
