Photographs, route description and map of a circuit of Carn a' Mhaim and Derry Cairngorm in the Cairngorm Mountains of Scotland

The rain swept across the deep void of Coire Sputan Dearg like curtains being drawn and I knew that I only
had seconds to get my waterproofs on. Beyond the silvery veil the late afternoon sun was highlighting the
rocky features of Cairn Toul, shining through a mass of thunderhead clouds that looked like some huge eruption of
boiling vapour. Despite the imminent soaking, I was transﬁxed by the splendour of it all.
Showers had swept across the Cairngorms all day and in between the sun, shining through great rents in the
cloud cover, had deepened the earth tones of late summer and picked out individual features with crystal clarity.
Lochan Uaine, one of four ‘green lochans’ in the Cairngorms, suddenly changed in colour from quicksilver to
translucent-blue; patches of blue moss campion shone from the metallic greys of the scree-covered slopes and away
below me sunbeams swept across the pines of Glen Luibeg like a roving searchlight.
Despite the rain these are the best of days in the Cairngorms, when light and shade contrast sharply and
the colours change constantly. I had chosen a marvellous route to enjoy the spectacle of it all — a tour of the central
massif of the Caimgorms. The route starts at Linn of Dee near Braemar; visits the pinescented and deer-haunted Glen Luibeg;
climbs the long Sron Riach shoulder of Ben Macdui to its spacious summit; touches the edge of the crags and cliffs of
Coire Sputan Dearg and visits the spectacular Arctic setting of Loch Etchachan, before heading off down the long ridge of Derry Cairngorm. lt’s a big day, not far short of 20 miles but that distance can be effectively reduced by using a mountain bike to carry you up the 7km of bulldozed track from Linn of Dee to Derry Lodge. Please don‘t take a bike any further than Derry Lodge, the footpaths simply can't take it. The Sron Riach ridge of Ben Macdui, the brindled nose, climbs steadily all the way to its conical peak. Beyond, there's a brief descent than another climb on to the bare, wind-scoured east slopes of Macdui, Britain’s second highest summit. Wide, empty slopes lead to the conical summit past the ruins of the Sappers’ Bothy. ( For many years the armed forces delighted in building stone
shelters and huts all over these slopes ). From the summit cairn the views, on a clear day, are superb, but there's still a
long way to go. Head back down to the edge of Coire Sputain Dearg and try to stay with the cliff rim.
In many ways this is the highlight of the route, a grand esplanade with Coire Sputain Dearg dropping away
below you on one side, sweeping down ochreous miles to the verdant green of the Luibeg pines, and the Arctic
splendour of Coire Etchachan on the other side with the most magniﬁcent loch in the Cairngorm ﬁlling its rocky bowl.
The tor studded whaleback of Beinn Mheadhoin looms beyond the loch and away across the deep chasm that
holds Loch Avon rises Cairn Gorm itself, its glaciated cliffs forming an acute angle with the gentler swells of
its summit slopes. From the shallow col below Creagan a‘ Choire Etchachan, the long ridge of Derry Cairngorm
forms a highway to the south, dropping ﬁrst to another, grassy col before rising in slopes of scree and boulders to the rocky summit, yet another magniﬁcent viewpoint. To the east the green and brown sweep of the Moine Bhealaidh flows onto the rounded slopes of Beinn a’ Bhuird and the empty miles of the Forest of Glenavon.
It’s all downhill now, but it's a rocky course that demands considerable attention before you can begin to relax.
The broad ridge runs south before sweeping to the south-west towards Glen Luibeg and a gentle wander beside the burn back to Derry Lodge.

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