Our trip to Scotland was just over a week long, but we managed to cram in adventure, history, and mountains in that short span of time. Perhaps my favourite part of the trip (though I can’t say the same for Tayla) was the beautiful Cairngorms National Park.
Located in the North-Eastern corner of Scotland, we had to take a long and meandering train journey that lasted just shy of 3 hours from Edinburgh. After arriving in the central town of Aviemore, we took a bus to Glenmore, which, as it turned out, was nothing more than a hostel, a pub (which was unfortunately closed due to Covid), a campsite, and a visitor centre. With infrequent buses (which only ran till the afternoon), and no car to call our own, we certainly felt rather isolated.
Meall a’ Bhuachaille
Click here to read more on this trek.
Our first hike was to be the recommended “first hike” from Glenmore. Meall a’ Bhuachaille (pronounced meal-ah-vookhal) is an 810m hill, at the top of which you are rewarded with a stunning vista of the Cairngorms, including the eponymous mountain itself.
Along the route you also get to see the beautiful An Lochan Uaine (the Green Lake), named so due to the algae that tinge it’s water green.
The Northern Corries
Click here to read more about our journey across the Northern Corries.
This was rather a surprise hike for us. We had set out to reach the Coire an t-Sneachda (pronounced coree-an-tuh-neh-tah). A Coire, or Corrie, is a geographical formation that can be best though of as a large gentle pit in front of a cliff – something to do with glaciers.
After a missed turning, and some encouragement from myself, we decided, instead, to climb up onto the cliffs rather than the valley in front of them.
This forms the route towards the Cairngorm mountain itself, or rather, the scenic route. Unfortunately, due to our tired state, and the sudden appearance of a cloud reducing visibility to about 10m, we decided to turn back and make our way back to the hostel.
Throughout the hike we saw amazing views all around, including the the peak of Cairngorm, the Cairngorm plateau, and the distant peaks of Ben Macdui, and other Munros. Another walk I would highly recommend, though perhaps start a bit earlier than we did, and attempt to reach Cairngorm, if you’re feeling fit enough.
Back to Edinburgh
Unfortunately, on our third, and last, day in the Cairngorms the weather turned much for the worse. We bid farewell to the park in a downpour, and made our way back to Edinburgh. Though before that, we would make a quick pit stop in Perth.
To read more about Perth, click here.
We May Roam 