Hi all,

We're thinking of doing this walk in the Cairngorms through to either An Sgarsoch, Glen Tilt or Carn Bhac as it looks like a good challenge &, weather dependent, fantastic walking (still deciding on our route into Braemar) and I know some of you have done bits or the lot on previous challenges. So I was wondering if you'd mind sharing your experiences of it or point me the direction of your blog about it (& any suggestions for FWA appreciated - we've got some ideas already but again any experiences of this area would be helpful).

Thank you
Vicky

I did some of this a few years ago and found it was very easy walking once you get on the tops. Unfortunately, it started thundering and lightening, so I bailed out towards the Geldie. But...if the Gods are with you, it should be fab.

Vicky,

I've often thought that this high level outing is one of the great legendary routes of the Challenge. In theory, it would be possible to stay high, crossing only one road (A93 at the Cairnwell), all the way from Dalwhinnie to Edzell. I rather doubt that anyone has ever done so, given the very anti-social nature of the project, but perhaps someone will be spurred to attempt it after reading this thread.

Many folk will certainly have tackled parts of it and will have found that it's truly a splendid stroll if the weather plays ball. I can claim to have walked pretty well all of it in sections and Mike is right to state that the going at high level is generally good. The cols are a mixed bag, some easy enough, some labyrinths of peat hags, others soft and wet underfoot. The sense of remoteness is probably as great as you'll find anywhere in Scotland and a real lure to those of us who enjoy that sensation.

In clear weather there aren't really any difficulties and you can romp along at speed and relish the spacious views. Problems hit when the mist descends, as there are precious few handrails, other than the rare sight of an old fenceline in places. Navigation in such circumstances becomes very slow and painstaking, even with the aid of a GPS.

As I think you know, finding suitable FWAs is the elephant in the room. Once embarked on the walk, escape becomes quite difficult and you might be left with the option of a very lengthy detour north or south, taking you well off route and eating up valuable time. Feshie, Tarf and Geldie could all be formidable barriers to progress, depending on where you were forced to abandon the route. My recommendation would be to plan two quite separate routes from Dalwhinnie, high level and low level, making the choice when you arrive there and have an accurate forecast for the following few days.

I hope that you're lucky and can experience what will be a truly memorable few days. We're overdue for a decent Challenge........

Hope that helps.

Colin

Thanks so much Mike & Colin, great & helpful replies. Really looking forward to this section of our walk now, so will have everything crossed that the weather's kind to us this year! We'll take your advice on FWA , thank you. We've got alternatives for most days but if the weather is bad for days on end as it can be an alternative & more straightforward low level would make life underfoot much better!

I agree following the high level route all the way to Edzell would be great, and we'll definitely give it a go at some point in the future. Unfortunately our need to re-supply will mean we'll probably only do it to Braemar this year (& the pull of the Fife!! )

Thanks again for your responses - much appreciated.

Vicky
you will have to drop down to Gaick or there about then stay high most of the way

Thanks Keith, planning to pick up the path at the end of NN723 822 to the Allt Loch an Dun and using the Allt Gharbh Ghaig to once again to get back up high on the boundary. Hoping to find a nice pitch in the Gaick. Have you walked it?

Vicky, much of this was the original politically gerrymandered national park boundary, now corrected. As in much of the Grampians the higher the better, sparser vegetation making for easier going. It's one of the wildest places in Scotland; and there are FWAs along the Tarf and Feshie-Geldie. I was once so entranced in perfect weather there that I got completely los..; errr sorry, was temporarily unsure of my exact location.

Thanks John, I wasn't aware that was the original park boundary. We were similarly entranced last year up on the brothers ridge in Glen Shiel for about 100m of descent before realising we were following a path down the wrong shoulder!