This time around the groups – Silver-level on their Qualifying Expedition – were in the Cairngorms walking a circuit through the Lairig Ghru. The Lairig Ghru (pronounced something close to “Larry Groo”) is a famous, popular valley for hikers to traipse through. Characterised by a tetchy boulder field in the middle, steep scree slopes and general remoteness it is a demanding day of walking to get through. The last time I walked through there was during my own DoE, as a Gold practice expedition. My responsibility was to shadow the groups from a distance was they walked through the pass, and camp with them at Corrour Bothy as the designated “responsible adult”. I had a day in the middle to myself for climbing the nearby mountains whilst I waited for the 3rd and final group to reach me.

The weather for the Bank Holiday weekend was 66.67% great – in that it was fantastic for 2 days but incessantly drizzling on the 1st. Statistically, that’s quite good-going for a DoE weekend.

Anyway, I got to enjoy the rugged fierceness of the Scottish Highlands, unwind from my hectic city-slicker lifestyle (hah!) and climb up a couple of mountains (Cairn Toul and Devils Point) to admire the panorama.

The gentle portion of my weekend walking.

The low-lying part of the walk.

The Lairig Ghru at the centre (Pools of Dee)

On top of Devils Point, looking South.

Camping at Corrour Bothy, looking back towards the Lairig Ghru

On top of Cairn Toul.

On the Cairn Toul ascent

Like I have said before…I like the fact that I’m a product of this beautiful country.

Note: The title is reference to a song I’ve been listening to a lot, “Take Me Home, Country Roads” sung by Olivia Newton-John. I appreciate that the song is about West Virginia, USA…but I think the sentiment can be shared over on this side of the Atlantic.

An MR team member outside the Garbh Choire Refuge. Picture courtesy of Heather Morning.

I received a rather longer than usual response to the Garbh Choire Refuge page from George Allan, a member of the North East Mountain Trust.

Rather cheekily, he includes a case for removing the refuge, presumably mistaking this for an impartial court. Make no mistake: I’m fully in favour of retaining and repairing the Garbh Choire Refuge.

However here’s his comment below, after which I’ll address the points he raises in the case for removal. I’ve taken the liberty of inserting numbers in his arguments for removal, to make cross reference easier, but otherwise the comment in italics is his own.

Neil Reid and Kenny Freeman are to be commended on their document arguing the case for retention and doing the bothy up.

The committee of the North East Mountain Trust discussed their paper recently, along with one favouring removal written by another committee member. NEMT is in the process of canvassing its members’ views.

The decision on the future of the bothy lies entirely with the National Trust for Scotland which will, presumable, take soundings, and consult the Cairngorm Park Authority before making a decision. There seem to be two options-a] rebuild it pretty well exactly as it is and then maintain it- the option that the Mountain Bothies Assn has an interest in or b] dismantle and, as far as possible, leave no trace of its existance.

There are two other options but no one party to the North East Mountain Trust discussions favoured them. These are, firstly, rebuild making it bigger and secondly leave it to deteriorate.

For the sake of completeness these are the arguments for complete removal: – 1-It is in an area of wild land par excellence. Removal would return this to a pristine state with no evidence of man’s intrusion. These coires really are an exceptional case in the way that Fords of Avon is not.

2-The bothy was built in the 1960s by members of the Lairig Club to facilitate developments in the Braeriach coires. At that time, most climbers went in from the south. It serves this purpose much less now as most go in via various routes from the north. In addition, modern light weight tents have altered the situation.

3– There is an emerging path around it and this is likely to become more obvious if it is retained.

4– The cultural heritage argument is questionable. It could be applied to almost anything which had been touched by man.

5– The safety argument is circular. It could also be used to justify retaining any buildings. For example, Jean’s Hut and the Sinclair hut could have been retained on this basis.

In putting forward the case for removal, I am not saying that I support either this or retention. However, people need to considered all angles.

George Allan

So here goes. I’ll take his arguments one by one.

1- This really is the strongest argument against retention of the refuge, but George – and several others in other forums – says in this that the Garbh Choire IS an area of wild land par excellence, not “would be if the hut was removed”. Mar Lodge Estate’s own policies recognise that the existence of a man-made structure does not necessarily detract from a feeling of wilderness and can even enhance it. My own feeling is that the Garbh Choire Refuge is a very small structure, with its visible elements mainly native stone, barely even recognisable as man-made from most angles. Even standing right outside the refuge, that area seems pretty damned wild to me, and not a whit diminished.

(Incidentally, by claiming the Fords of Avon not to be an apt comparison he loses me. If you’ve ever walked north past the Dubh Lochain, across the rocks and peatbog south of the River Avon, peering across the river at a barely distinguishable pile of stones, with the wind and rain making you flinch, you’ll find it hard to credit that this area is any less wild or pristine than the Garbh Choire.)

2 – It’s a curious assertion that the refuge no longer serves a function, given the amount of interest roused by its present plight. The argument that it is no longer needed because climbers mostly come from the north these days is even more curious. Does a northern access route mean you have no need of shelter from the elements? In any case, no evidence is presented that this is actually the case. I suspect this argument originated in a comment in the current Cairngorm Climbing Guide referring to winter climbing in the Garbh Choire and suggesting that bicycle access up Gleann Einich made it accessible for a day visit. This may well be true if conditions are right and you are superbly fit, but I doubt if most climbers would consider it a day crag and, whatever the direction of access, most would require some form of accommodation nearer than Glen More, whether that be bothy or tent.

3 – “There is an emerging path…” There is indeed. Almost 50 years since the refuge was first built and it has still failed to emerge in anything more than rudimentary and fragmentary fashion – and most of those years were years when the refuge was allegedly better used and when climbers allegedly came from the south. The fact is that, although people do use it, and may well be more tempted to use it were it weathertight, it is not on any major through route and unlikely ever to see intensive use of the sort that creates scars.

4 – “The cultural heritage is questionable…” This one actually makes me angry. I believe Scotland’s bothy culture is something to be intensely proud of and to safeguard zealously. In this country, at a time when we are seeing daily evidence of greed, capitalism run wild and rampant consumerism, we have another culture: one where volunteers look after a network of bothies, buildings in wild and remote areas, which are expressly open to all, regardless of money, club membership or even passport, where strangers are made welcome and can receive advice and practical help, where people of common purpose (though from all walks of life) can meet informally and on equal terms and enjoy each others society.

Mr Allan (or the originator of this argument – for I understand that George is airing arguments in the interests of fairness rather than necessary conviction) may not feel such a culture exists, but I am fiercely passionate about this: this is MY culture and that of my companions in the hills. We look around and see the National Trust for Scotland with a portfolio heavy with ‘stately homes’ – monuments to the robber barons of yesteryear; we see contemporary X-Factor and Apprentice culture, where people strive for empty celebrity and find pleasure in others’ humiliation. How can anyone then claim that ”the cultural heritage argument is questionable”? There is considerable literature in existence which speaks of Scotland’s bothy culture and it can be seen in action in a bothy somewhere every day. There is a limited number of bothies in the highlands: no more are being built yet existing bothies are being lost (Sinclair, Jean’s Hut and others). When do we say enough is enough? My own view is that the National Trust for Scotland should hang its head in blackest shame if, while preserving the ‘culture’ of the rich and powerful, it destroys a manifestation of a culture that is uniquely Scottish and speaks of the very best in human nature. Rant over.

5 – The safety argument. Funnily enough, I actually agree with this one – to a point. You could improve safety by building refuges like this in every glen in the land, but few could justify that (let alone bear the cost). However, while it’s not a sufficient factor on its own, this refuge is already in existence, and the safety dividend it offers is a factor to be considered.

And that’s about it. Apologies to George Allan if I’ve appeared to have a go at him – I understand the arguments were formulated by a third party and that George is presenting them in the interests of balance.

In fact I bear no ill will towards anyone who believes the refuge should be removed on wilderness grounds. It’s a valid argument, even if I don’t agree with it. But don’t let anyone tell you there’s no cultural heritage argument – that is ignorance (willful or otherwise) which must not go unchallenged.

Views to the west from Ben Macdui

Today was the first day of our Red Rock Lifestyle Scotland Winter Mountaineering course. We had two teams out in the Northern Cairngorms, one covering winter skills and the second of more advanced participants, who went on a journey. Both teams enjoyed absolutely stunning weather and conditions: blue skies and good snow.

The winter skills team on the top of Cairn Gorm

The first team were under the care of James and Nick, leaving from the Cairngorm ski carpark. They headed into Coire an t’Sneachda in search of snow for sliding on and for crampon work. Unfortunately, the snow cover is a little thin at the moment, despite a breath-taking day. They then moved up onto Cairn Gorm to take in a peak, and the group enjoyed moving around on the steep ground.

Sarah in action on the Goat Track, Coire an t'Sneachda

The second team, consisting of Simon and one other participant, took on quite a challenging day. Their target was Ben Macdui via Coire an Lochain and the plateau, returning via the Goat Track above Coire an t-Sneachda. It was quite a yomp, but the early cloud cover lifted to produce fantastic view to the West and the colossal, yawning coires of Braeriach and Cairn Toul.

Tomorrow looks to be another pleasant day, so everybody in the group is eager for more winter action!

Cairn Toul. Corrour is visible just right of centre at the foot of the hill. The ridge in question is the straight, grey ridge, bounding the left side of the small hanging coire below the summit

Haven’t been up to much recently, so I’ll use it as an excuse to tell you about a favourite wee route up a big hill.

There’s no reason to avoid the ‘voie normale’ up Cairn Toul, up the back of Corrour Bothy into Coire Odhar and up the zig-zag to the plateau: it’s a lovely way up a great hill. Once you’ve done the first steep ascent at the back of the bothy, Coire Odhar is a lovely, green, open coire – and who can fail to enjoy the way the slope eases off as you enter it. The zig-zags are fierce, but over with quickly and, in any case, give good views into the cascade of water from the plateau. On the plateau itself…? Well you can’t fault the views, but it does go on a bit, at a particularly thigh-burning gradient. (Or is that just me?)

But if I’m going up Cairn Toul from the Corrour side, I do like the East Ridge of the south top. It’s the sharp(ish) ridge bounding the left (or south) side of the wee coire (‘wee’ being a relative term here) just below Cairn Toul’s twin tops – Coire an-t Sabhail.

Beautiful win-coloured moss has overcome a stream on the way up to the Coire an-t Sabhail ridge

You can head for it directly from Corrour, which is a bit of a beast, over bog, stream and tussock, or you can follow the normal path up to where it levels out, then cut across Coire Odhar and scramble up through outcrops to the mouth of Coire an-t Saighdear (I’m writing this without a map, for forgive the spellings!). It’s a marvelous coire: looks (and is) huge as you cross the mouth of it and is worth exploring in its own right.

The first of the scrambling: looking up the ridge

Whichever route you’ve chosen, you end up at the foot of the ridge. It’s mostly scree, often with a semblance of a path, but has several sections where you need to haul your hands from your pockets and scramble up clean granite. There’s nothing too hard, and much of the scrambling is avoidable (if you really must). It’s only just below the top that you are finally left with no choice but to climb, where the crest narrows dramatically and offers a fair degree of exposure if you’re not used to that sort of thing. The holds are good, though, for hands and feet, and it’s well worth the effort.

What makes the ridge such a good route isn’t the quality of the scrambling – it’s entertaining, but not exceptional – but the line of the route, teetering between two magnificent coires, looking across to skyline all the walkers ascending Devil’s Point, and looking back over your shoulder to Carn a Mhaim and Ben MacDui.

Ridges converging. Near the top of the ridge, climbers can be seen coming up the normal route

And, of course, it’s a route that comes to its dramatic and sudden end right at the summit. Perfection.

(Well, it would be if it was the north top, but only a pedant would argue the point: the south top is just a few yards and hardly any height from the main top and has all the characteristics of a proper mountain peak, something people don’t often associate with the Cairngorms.)

Looking across to the ascent route: those rocks are steeper than they look, but easy

And now that I’ve got you up there, I might as well take you back down. You can go back by the tourist path, but in the interests of symmetry, why not go down the east ridge of the main summit, down the other side of Coire an-t Sabhail. You do have to watch where you’re going to get the easiest way down, but just use common sense and you get back down to Corrour in about an hour – probably less than half the time it takes to get down by the normal route, which is important if you have a dram waiting.

Garbh Choire snows

Last time I was up there was July 2, and I had a wander over to Angel’s Peak (Sgorr an Lochain Uaine). And, because I know there are those of you out there who just love to know how the ‘everlasting’ snows of Garbh Choire Mhor are getting on – you know who you are – I took a couple of photos.

The 'everlasting' snowbeds in Garbh Choire Mhor, July 2, 2011

Garbh Choire Mhor (left) and Garbh Choire Dhaidh, showing the extent of snow remaining on July 2, 2011

Looking into Garbh Choire Mhor in May 2010, from the eastern shoulder of Coire Bhrochain

Talking about the Garbh Choire Refuge the other day brought to mind other days in the Cairngorms’ most impressive choire complex.

Depending on how you count them, there are maybe five or six choires in the great cirque between Braeriach and Cairn Toul, encompassing a huge area that can take many days to explore and still not uncover all there is to see.

The Garbh Choire is most famous, of course, for the ‘everlasting’ snowfields of Garbh Choire Mhor, which rarely melt.

Garbh Choire Daidh, too, is the scene for the earliest recorded rock climb in the Cairngorms, in 1810, when Dr Keith climbed the side of the Dee Waterfall from the choire out onto the plateau. Ostensibly it was so he could trace the source of the Dee and he followed the course of the falls so that he would make no mistake. But, come on! It’s not hard to check that the burn that disappears over the edge of the plateau is the same one that lands at the bottom and flows down to Aberdeen. Dr Keith was at it – he just fancied a bit of a scramble. And who can blame him?

Armchair viewing: a strange rock 'seat' on the east shoulder of Coire Bhrochain, with views across the Garbh Choire and down Glen Dee

I enjoyed a memorable weekend in Garbh Choire Daidh once, kipping under the Smith-Dey Bivouac, a sort of mini Shelter Stone just before the cliff turns the corner into Garbh Choire Mhor. It’s supposed to sleep two, but my friend and I discovered that it definitely helped that one of us – him – had been caving before and didn’t mind sleeping with just about six inches headroom.

After a lazy afternoon lounging on the lush grass beside some pools and reading a book, I ‘enjoyed’ a rather sleepless night with my head at the ‘door’ and what I thought was a boulder sticking up through the floor. As it turned out, the boulder wasn’t embedded at all and could have been lifted out easily, giving me a sounder night’s sleep, but it’s hard to regret a night which ended as this one did.

I was having an odd dream about watching a red hot-air balloon rising over the horizon of Ben MacDui – only to waken a little further and realise I was seeing the sun rise, big and red against a cloudless sky, bringing out an intensity of colour in the pink granite that was breathtaking – all without moving out of my bed! I watched for a time and then slid back into my fitful sleep before waking to a day that fully lived up to the promise of the morning.

That day we exited the choire by climbing the nose between Garbh Choires Daidh and Mhor but, in truth, it’s pretty chossy and rubbish underfoot near the top and a much better route in or out of the choire system can be found via the Crown Buttress Spur, which reaches the plateau just west of the summit of Angel’s Peak (Sgorr an Lochain Uaine).

Of course the queen of all routes out, without resorting to a climbing rope, is Angel’s Ridge, the north east ridge of Sgorr an Lochain Uaine. But that’s maybe for another day…

Garbh Choire Mhor from the Lairig Ghru, with Garbh Choire Daidh on the right. Top left is Sgorr an Lochain Uaine, showing the magnificent Angel's Ridge on the skyline