Cairngorms in December
At the beginning of this year I didn't get a chance to explore this part of Cairngorms, so when a couple of dry days were forecast and some snow was already on the ground I set off to hike this 45 km long circular walk.
Trip summary (Ordnance Survey):
Total Distance: 44.17 km
Total elevation: 3256 m
A selection from the 4 day:
Hikers above Coire an t-Sneachda.
Fiacaill Ridge.
Fiacaill Buttress with hikers.
People near the summit of Stob Coire an t-Sneachda.
Frozen mountainside, two hikers almost in the top right corner.
Ptarmigan.
Hutchison Memorial Hut.
Nearing the summit of Derry Cairgorm.
On Ben Macdui, just emerging from the clouds lying on lower grounds.
By the 1309 m high summit of Ben Macdui.
Stob Coire an t-Saighdeir and Cairn Toul on the other side of Lairig Ghru. The coulds are settled between 900 and 1200 m.
Mountain hare prints at sunset.
Lairig Ghru filled with clouds.
Lochan Uaine.
Pink sunrise above Lairig Ghru.
Corrour bothy at The Devil's Point.
Red grouse.
Lairig Ghru.
Glen Dee at The Devil's Point.
River Dee close to its source at around 1200 m.
Sgor an Lochan Uaine - The Angel's Peak.
Snow bunting.
Lairig Ghru - the elongated, glacier-cut valley - from the summit of Braeriach. Just in front of me Coire Bhrochain and Coire Lochain Uaine with the frozen loch to the right in the distance.
Sleeping pitch near Braeriach's summit at around 1250 m. -4 degrees C, strong gusts.
Ptarmigan once again.
The morning clouds are finally behind me. Lairig Ghru's northern end ahead, Creag an Leth-choin to the right.
Creag an Leth-choin.
Frozen lochs and snowy stripes.
Chalamain Gap.
Red grouse.