Coed Brenin Enduro 2014

Coed Brenin Enduro 2014

Wednesday 2 September 2015

Sheddy's first munro and midge-geddon

Sheddy has never been up a munro so we took the bikes round to Braemar and planned a little 2 day trip into the park from the Southern side to put this right.

If you have ever walked in to Derry Lodge/the Cairngorms from the Linn of Dee you will know its a pain and much more efficient on bikes to cut out a long slog along the land rover track.

Bags packed, setting off

getting boggy

epic scenery
We packed up and cycled in, making swift work of it as the clouds gathered, and ditched the bikes near to Luibeg Bridge and set off up Carn a' Mhaim. Its a nice hill, but we got drenched on the way up. Luckily when we topped out the rain stopped and clouds cleared to allow us views to Ben Macdui and across to The Devils Point where I'd been on an epic winter trip a couple of years back.



nearly the end of the biking, the munro comes into view
We headed down and found a camp spot near to the path as this was the only spot not boggy. We deliberately avoided the bothies as there were a lot of folk about.

Shed on top of his first munro as the rain stopped

heading down


We started cooking (midge free), and can you guess what happened.....? the midges flocked and engulfed us in a cloud of misery, so as we had the previously mentioned tent (not midge proof) we manically packed up and continued upon our way.

camp 1, before the midge plague

eaten alive
Bizarrely we found another bivy spot quite near to the river that was midge free and settled down (again) for the night. It was a great spot watching the moon rising.


camp 2, evening light

camp 2
In the morning I woke early (6 ish) thinking I could hear rain tap, tapping gently on the tarp, but as I slowly woke I realised and could see that it was 1000's of midges trying to get in and eat us. They slowly penetrated 'the tarp gap' as we manically packed our stuff and broke free of camp again.

hikers passing through
Moving on the bikes again was bliss. By this point Tom was bored and ready to get back to civilisation and his Essex beauty regime, but Shed and I cycled further North from Derry Lodge eventually ditching the bikes in the tree's and heading up Shed's second munro Beinn Bhreac.

the 2nd hill


down we go...
It was great being on top of it for 9am seeing the fine views North to the glen Avon basin area. We didn't see a sole up here. We got back to the bikes quickly and cycled out still early as lots of people were walking/cycling in.

nearly back at the bikes




We found Tom at a cafe in Braemar (of course!) and all celebrated a fun 2 days with a famous Elmore's breakfast, rather good I have to say, and Sheddy broke the toilet (no comment). So all in all a very successful trip, midges not-withstanding.

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