Post Lockdown Trip to the Cairngorms

With Scotland opening up for tourism again, and the warmer weather closing in, we were keen to get out and about in the hills once more.

It’s been a while since the opportunity to get into the glorious Scottish countryside has arisen. Present circumstances have meant we’ve been staying home, but with restrictions easing, we’re now allowed to open up for bookings, so we wanted to get ourselves back into the swing of things.

Heading out into the Cairngorms, the idea was to get the feeling back for the trail in and around the Cairn Gorm area of this mountain range, where we could try out our scrambling skills too, on the rocky coires and enjoy stunning views of this part of the country. Whilst, we don’t offer scrambling or climbing experiences at AP Mountaineering, it was a good way of getting back to nature whilst flexing the proverbial (and literal) muscles of our outdoors skillsets.

Heading out from our Edinburgh base with a friend, the idea was to park up somewhere near the edge of the stunning Loch Morlich, a freshwater loch that has won awards for its long stretches of sandy beaches and was even featured on the TV show Game of Thrones. With plenty of parking, we could set up camp with a stunning view of the still waters, with the hills punctuating the background, whilst not having to lug our equipment too far from the car. We’d still technically be wild camping, but with the assurance that the getaway vehicle was nearby.

However, with the weather holding as we neared our destination, we decided to forego finding a place to set up straight away, and instead pulled up by the loch to wander through the Rothiemurchus estate. One of the largest areas of natural forest in Britain, you can’t help but admire the stunning Scots pines that surround you, and we pushed on through the dense woodland scenery to make our way into the Lairig Ghru, towards Lurchers Crag.

Scrambling

As the name suggests, Lurchers Crag is ideal for some scrambling activity and we set about on Doorway Ridge - Grade 2* to get ourselves warmed up before trying out Ptarmigan Ridge - Grade 3**. As rain set in midway through this, the conditions became a little more difficult with slippery moves hindering us, so once finished here we thought it best to pack up and return the same way to the car in order to find somewhere to camp.

Wildcamping & Climbing in the Cairngorms

Re-packing our bags with camping stuff, we then moved around the loch to find a good place to pitch up and settle in for the evening. Spot found it was dinner & brew time before pouring over the guide books for tomorrows plan.

Friday morning comes far too early as we decide to get a head start on things and head back to the car. This way we can drive up to the Cairngorm ski-centre where we can walk into the impressive Coire An t-Sneachda. We start the days climbing with Fingers Ridge - Diff* and once onto the route it’s filled with easy climbing and good protection but with some loose rock. It makes for a great route to get back into the mountains.

A quick bite to eat and we dropped down towards Loch Avon, with a traverse under Stag Rocks, a crag on the south side of the infamous cairngorm plateau, heading towards another climb that was bound to bring big smiles to our faces. Afterthought Arete - Mod*** is an absolutely fantastic route with big, airy climbing up an ever thinning arete. Satisfied with our day’s activities, we walk back over the Cairngorm Plateau to the 1141 and descend via Fiacall a'Choire Chais back to the car, packing away and prepping for the journey back to Edinburgh.

Reflecting on a great weekend, it’s always nice to get fresh air in the lungs and test out your skills in an amazing and awe-inspiring environment, but after a period of lockdown, during a time of uncertainty and stress, this one felt just that little bit, extra special.