Autumn in Scotland - part 1

So, as Suilvan told you, he was loaded up and driven over to Newcastle and Mum's house. This was because Claire and I were in Belfast first to support my stepmother as she became president of SIGBI - well done Pat!!

After a lovely weekend we arrived back in Newcastle and, after eviction from our sleep by the arrival of the builders 1/2hr early!! we set off towards Aviemore. A steady 6 hr drive saw us arrive in Aviemore and decamp into the Mountain Cafe for a cup of tea/hot chocolate. The changing of the clocks over the weekend meant that it got dark pretty early (by around 5ish) so we pottered up the road and found a layby to sleep in. We still had far too much stuff in Suilvan - although in our defence this was partly the stuff we had taken to Belfast. Claire made a lovely dahl and we were soon settling down.

A later than expected start the next morning, coupled with general lack of fitness meant that we settled on Meall a'Bhuachaille as our choice of walk.                                                                                          

   Meall a Bhuachaille, seen from the approach to Bynack More in this shot, is a simpl(ish) Corbett (hill over 2500') that can be combined with showing Claire some of the quieter parts of the Cairngorms. We had a lovely stroll out to Ryovan bothy, where we sat with a hot drink and some Christmas cake -being joined by an RSPB party (who actually own the Abernethy estate that Meall a'Buachaille stands in). After leaving them we commenced the ascent.

The ascent was on a good path and the weather was ok - for the most part we were out of the wind. There was no snow on the peak and the top was clear of cloud. The actual summit was pretty cold with the wind-chill, and the glimpses into the Cairngorm massif did show some encouraging signs of whiteness!

A quick and lovely descent to the valley followed - the autumn colours in Glenmore Forest were in full flow and the pictures are on the photobox site  http://www.photoboxgallery.com/3436739

A bit of a gear fix in Aviemore - new trainers for me, a liner for Claire (whose sleeping bag is not quite as posh as my -20 rated down one!!) and a light that didn't work - followed by a lovely Spag Bolg in Suilvan and a pint at the Glenmore Lodge bar - a lovely first day.