many rivers to cross

I got an email from Nasher on Thursday saying he was planning a 40 miler in the Cairngorms on Saturday and did I want I want a slice of that pizza? Downside: we were to leave his house at 5.30am. Nick kindly picked me up at 5.10am. I packed my bags the night before, got less than 5 hrs sleep then zombied out into the street just after five. John arrived at Graham's just as we did. Graham drove us North getting to Braemar for around 7.30am and setting off from Linn of Dee just before 8am.

The last time I'd been on a Nasher Cairngorms epic was March 2016. That time (here) was thigh deep drifting snow in parts and lots of hard going, though brilliant scenery. This time there was patchy snow on higher ground but a milder Winter and earlier Spring meant lots of it was running off the hillsides in torrents of chilly meltwater. The route was a large circuit round valleys and lower ground, often alongside rivers. I had made a mental note of the route profile: 8miles up, 10 miles down, 13 miles up, 8 miles down. I had found an online blog of a very similar route to ours a hiker had done. He had taken 3 days. We were aiming to be back at the car by 4pm.

It was tricky to get kit right. It was cool and there was a strong chilly breeze, but after we had been running for a bit and the sun came out, jackets came off. I wore a thin Helly with a woolly one on top, jacket in pack. But gloves and buff all day. Early on we turned off the main trail to the Lairig Ghru climbing steeply up a small single track unmarked path. I struggled with the pace and was sweating heavily by the descent which was fairly pacy as well.

legs still feeling Thurs eve wintervals

After a bit of cross country we picked up a major trail, the sort of thing you could drive a landrover down. There was a fair bit of this sort of broad track and it made the miles go by quicker. I had asked Graham, who had run this route before, was there much in the way of river crossings. Not until Fords of Avon about 30 miles in. I like to keep socks dry for as long as possible on big days out. So it was something of a surprise when less than 5 miles in we had to splosh across an ankle deep stream. This was the first of maybe a dozen such crossings and your feet would slowly thaw out as you ran, after each one. The water was crystal clear which helped, but absolutely Baltic, which didn't.

looking back at another surprise river crossing

About the 3rd or 4th crossing, it was so deep Graham and John unfolded their walking poles and used them as support. Nick and I had turned down Graham's offer of his second pair of poles back at the car park. My own thoughts being I was already carrying a hefty pack of spare kit and food and didn't want the extra weight for a tiddly stream crossing. Struggling to stay upright in a fast flowing torrent of icy meltwater, slithering around on slick riverbed stones I could now very clearly see the benefits. Each time was an adventure and I was so absorbed I forgot to put the camera in a waterproof safe bag every time. Luckily there were no falls: it was not a day for swimming.

The route changed from well defined broad paths to tiny technical single track hopping stones and roots. I was getting similar flavours to the Lairig Ghru and Rothiemurchus forest which is unsurprising as they are only a couple of glens away. Every now and then the path would feather out and we'd either consult Graham's phone or my Suunto. I had uploaded and refined the gpx route from the 3 day hiker's blog and put my gps on sat-nav mode. Every junction it told me which way to go - which was good back up. Although I knew roughly the idea of where we were heading it never looks the same in real life as on a map, and you rarely get much sense of turning a corner that seems like it would be obvious looking at the map. The wind was behind us to start with and I was not looking forward to the abrupt turn West at 18miles when we would start the 13 mile climb into a headwind! Sure enough, it was hard work!

At least it began on decent trails. I had found the pace quite brisk earlier and was well aware of the 20 year age span of our group. I was the largest number, and at times feeling it. The trick is not to think we're not even halfway yet! Arggghhhh! but to think nothing at all. Or get lost in the beauty of the surroundings. I was thinking we must be stopping for a bite to eat soon and this was a cheering thought. I asked Graham what plans for lunch and he informed me we would go to Faindouran bothy which was (consults phone) 10k. I shoved down another sports bar. It's really important to continually stoke the furnace on long days out and I tried to eat nearly continuously. You get heartily sick of all the flapjacks and yoghurt coated oats and nuts and Soreen. I'd let a mouthful of chewed gunk dissolve for minutes before working up to a swallow. It also plays mild havoc with your insides.

This was one of many mountain hares we encountered. (About the only wildlife of the day.) Generally they see you miles off, then crouch in a nook until you are close by then hare off at a mighty impressive speed to well earned cheers. This one waited till we were really close and the guys held back to let me get a photo. Before it reverted to form.

Eventually I saw buildings in the far distance. A little prayer they were the lunch stop. They were. Hurray for a chance to take off the back pack and empty the grit that gets in your shoes especially at river crossings when the strength of the current forces small stones into your socks. Feet and breath steamed in the clean and well maintained bothy. Nice stove in one room, with kindling. We ate sandwiches. Graham had brought a stove and paper cups and instant soups and tea for us which was outstanding and unexpected. I popped a couple of paracetamol to offset the general ache. I gave Nick a Compeed blister plaster to cover a hotspot that his new shoes were developing. He didn't mention it again so it might have worked although it was still at the prevention stage, and early on.

I felt lifted and refreshed after eating, drinking and resting. Morale was good; which was just as well as the next few miles, 26~30 were (I found) the hardest of the day. Not much record of it because I could not be hacked to get the camera out and take photos. Fairly flat ground (steadily rising) but just an awful mix of wet sploshy paths like a river running down them and a constant tip-toe and jump fest of blocks, bricks and tussocks that were hard to get going over in any rhythm. I was at the front for a while and wondering if I was going fast enough as we hardly seemed to be doing much more than walking. And it went on and on. Eventually it got worse with a steep climb on fairly technical stuff hopping from stone to boulder with only a mini-pond of frog/toad spawn for distraction.

You could tell we were approaching the highest ground of the day as there was more and more snow. Mostly firm enough to take our weight there was only a little bit of post-holing. I was glad there was nothing like the white out conditions of the last trip. All of a sudden we were at the Fords of Avon. We had hoped the water level wasn't too high. If impassible we'd be re-routing to Aviemore then trying to steal a car back to Braemar. So it was make or break time. Weirdly the anticipation and my lunch were also shouting make or break time. 

This kennel is known as the Fords of Avon Refuge

- not to be confused with a European Alpine refuge

I realised that the concentration of the river crossing would give me sufficient cover for an emergency toilet break. So while the 3 guys stepped into the raging torrent (not as deep as some of the crossings we had done but the widest of the day; so also the most time spent with immersed feet) I found a spot on the bank to relieve myself, using handfuls of sphagnum moss rather than leave unsightly kitchen roll despoiling the landscape. Graham, first on dry land, did ponder why I was exposing myself on the far bank and whether it was an aborted attempt at stripping off and swimming across. I felt much lighter to be past the largest difficulty of the day.

We were now past 30 miles and shortly we would be past the highest point and it would all be downhill back to the car park. The ground was mixed and it was not all plain sailing, but there was a feeling we were definitely into the home straight. Eventually after a lot of sploshing on soggy trails we got a point where we could see the trail went downhill and round the corner to home. Of course there's still a thousand ways to break an ankle and have a Joe Simpson type event. I did have one late fall; a toe catching a rock or root and you're halfway to the ground before you realise. But my gloved hands found the path before my face did and I didn't even scrape a knee.

Nick in catalogue model pose.

Nick and I recognised this bridge from the Lairig Ghru race

Bob Scott's bothy

I had my doubts about stopping at the bothy for a cuppa. We were only 3 miles from the finish and it seemed like a bit of a faff. However it meant we got to stop so I didn't mind that much. In fact it was a great idea. The last few miles of any long day out are always a grind and take longer than you think, the mind (and body) aching to be done for the day. Instead we got a bit of a re-group, a cup of hot tea (even with sugar) which was greatly reviving, and a fun chat with a couple of hiking dudes who were offering coffee from a flask (but not the beers sitting chilling!) 

A couple of fresh faced art students appeared and much to our subsequent amusement asked if they could set up a cyanotype box in or near the bothy to record fellow travellers' experiences recording found objects. We kept straight faces until they left to get their equipment. We had left before any prints were made.

Graham visited the outside toilet while we set off walking and jogging down the path. The last 3 miles were longer than I anticipated so it was good to have a sugary tea fuelling it and I really didn't feel too bad when eventually, after 39.4 on my Suunto (39.7 on Nick's Garmin) we got back to the car. I think it was around 4.30. We had been out 8hrs 40 with a lunchbreak of 40mins and tea-break of 30mins.

Huge thanks to Graham for suggesting and leading this epic day out. And carrying a stove to make us hot drinks - above and beyond the call of duty. We were fortunate that the weather was pretty good all day although the headwind halfway through the day made you sit up and pay attention. And although the water levels were high, we crossed all the rivers without incident. Note to self: poles are a good idea sometimes. 

We had chips at the Hungry Highlander in Braemar and I fell asleep in the car on the way home, which is kind of obligatory for the most elderly crew member. As long as that's not the driver. 

splendid day out in great company

Run in anti-clockwise circuit
Faindouran Bothy for lunch around 26miles, Bob Scott's Bothy (36miles) for afternoon tea.
39.4 miles total, over 8hrs40 (aprox 7hrs30 running/hiking)