I have only driven through as a visitor, but I have read Nan Shepherd's books, and love the Cairngorms dearly. They are much like some of the mountains in Oregon in the Pacific Northwest, yet very different. The weather is the same, and the journeying is, as well. I enjoyed your video.
I did a big backpacking round of the Cairngorms a few years ago and read ‘The living mountain’ along the way. It was great reading about what I was experiencing at the same time 😊
Brilliant stuff, point made, I went this year to "bag" three munros, I bagged none, I sauntered along the glen, rubbernecked all my surroundings, eventually camping up at the lochans , such a stunning place I need to return...
Hi Cameron, just wanted to say how much I enjoyed this video. You don't just walk the landscape, you feel it too. You are very good at putting into words what the Scottish mountains mean to yourself and so many others. Thank you.
I was recently in the Cairngorms with my partner & our toddler, so the only time I really had to explore was in the late evenings. I'd had big plans to visit the summits & to make photographs that I'd been picturing for a long time, but due to the lack of light I was somewhat limited as to what I could achieve. Instead then, I ascended PT. 1141 & marvelled at the rugged expanse of Coire an Sneachda as the flag rolled in, I climbed around Coire an Lochain, stopping short of the plateau. At no point did I feel the need to push on. As the evening light began to soften and as the snow filled crags caught the light I was in a state of awe, a sense of unity overtook any other feeling and I returned to the car under the cover of darkness. Utterly magical :)
Went up Cairngorm last year with the intention of going onto ben macdui but ended doing what you did and raked about and also stood on the precipice of hells lum. Came back down by the goat track. Ben macdui can wait till later, I've commented to other bloggers in the past that the trek is better than the destination. One more sub for yourself 👍🏻
Top stuff Cameron, I love the Cairngorms and that view of Loch Avon is one of the best. We camped below Carn Etchachan last year, got a great feeling of solitude there. Cheers Robin
Great video again Cameron, the goat track was my first winter climb with an ice axe , 40 odd years ago. Yes the view from hells lum is one of my favourites too. Keep them coming. Many thanks for sharing
Remember climbing Cairngorm north East ridge back in the mid 70's as a 7 year old and being scared by seeing my first rain cloud on my level. Moved up here due to the Cairngorms and the plateau is one of my favourite places in the world having travelled to some amazing places. I've never walked the goat trail though surprisingly so come Spring that is one for me to do thankyou. You are right. The journey holds most of the memories.🙂
Adam Watson absolutely shreds "the living mountain" in a review in one of his last books. Id have to agree with him when he calls it "fanciful nonsense".
There is probalby no better place than throwing away the map and just walking and making it up as you go along Cameron. You could bag every Munro up there and still not see even half of the place.
