The Northern Corries

Not a hike we expected to do, but one we (or at least I) enjoyed nonetheless. Initially we wanted to reach Coire an t-Sneachda, which is a small horseshoe-shaped valley surrounded by cliffs, created by receding glaciers.

We started off by taking a bus to the Cairngorm Ski Centre, the starting point for most hikes in this range. It’s probably worth mentioning that if you decide to come to the Cairngorms, heavily consider bringing, or renting, a car. These buses run only 3 times a day, between 9am and 3pm, which makes it quite difficult to go on any decently long hike without having to walk back to your accommodation (or hitchhike, like we did).

Our path led through an open valley, and we were completely exposed to the harsh sun. By the end of it, we both regretted not using sunscreen, so let this be a warning for you! Bring sunscreen, even to rainy Scotland.

We could look back on Meall a’ Bhuachaille as we walked, and other mountains and hills in that direction. I will say that the view on this part of the trip were not quite as stunning as those on the hike to Meall a’ Bhuachaille, though that is to be expected – after all, we were now ON the mountains we saw from that peak.

We approached a fork in the road (or rather, multiple forks) and due to some confusion with orientation and maps, we took the wrong turn, away from our initial target. Ultimately though, this turned out for the best.

After our mistake became evident, I pointed out that we were halfway to an actual summit, and that we could easily climb that not-too-steep hill. After some convincing, Tayla agreed and we took off.

As we began to gain ascent, the views started getting better and better, and once we reached the summit, we were rewarded with a vista over the entirety of the Cairngorm Plateau, and its surrounding peaks, such as Ben Macdui – a truly inspiring view.

At this point, we were faced with a choice. The time was getting somewhat late, and the horizon heralded dark clouds, which we were warned about. However, up ahead we were tempted by the steep ascent onto the cliffs that had been the centrepiece of our view for the duration of the hike up to this point.

After some deliberation, we decided to press on. This was not an easy climb at this point, even with hiking boots. The ascent was steep and the gravel was loose. Both of us slipped several times as we climbed higher.

Eventually the the gradient mellowed out into a flat plateau stretching in every direction, and dotted with cairns all over. We had reached the top. We walked around a bit, but the clouds had now fully moved in, and we couldn’t see much further than 10m. With heavy hearts, we began the long trek back.

As we were retracing our steps, we didn’t get to see any new views. By the time we reached the ski centre we were totally knackered, and the prospect of having to walk back to our hostel was a dreadful one. Instead, we approached a young couple climbing into their car, and asked for a lift back, which they were happy to oblige us with.

Back at the hostel, we ate dinner along with an older gentleman from Glasgow, who was a veteran hillwalker. He told us many fascinating stories, from cross country skiing, to hiking in the Spanish mountains. This was a great experience, and one that would be difficult to have anywhere outside of a hostel.

Overall, this was a great route and if you’re fit enough, I would definitely recommend attempting the Cairngorm summit along this route.