Having bailed earlier than I’d intended on my work’s Christmas ‘do’, I was home and bedded way before pumpkin time, thus waking bright eyed and bushy tailed (or as close to that as I ever get!), and happy enough to hear that golf (his) was off as the course would be on winter greens. Winter greens = no eclectic competition and playing off mats, so I’m reliably informed there’s not much point. Thus the decision was made that I’d accompany him on Plan B, a trip to the hills.
Rucksack packed, breakfast thrown down my throat, showered and out within the hour, I was pretty impressed by myself.
Out the road we went, spotting the hill tops appearing further out towards Ballater, and discussion was had about where to head. We opted for Braemar as the skies were looking clear, a positive contrast to the forecast of foggy tops, and came upon a light dusting of snow on the roadside from around Crathie. Passing the snowgates at Braemar, the road suggested there had been snow this morning. Thankfully we didn’t have to go much further.
Parking up, it took about 10 minutes to get winter ready. Ice axe fastened to the rucksack, winter boots on (and off – too loose – and on again), waterproofs and gaiters on. It was pretty chilly feeling, even with my 4 layers on top and 2 pairs of gloves! Thankfully this feeling didn’t last once I was moving.
Heading along the track towards Loch Callater, we walked for just over a mile before heading up onto the ridge that meanders along and up to Creag nan Gabhar. I became significantly warmer as we headed upwards but in time the wind picked up and the temperature did feel cooler due to the wind chill.
The snow higher up was patchy with tiny drifts on the path, the heather still peeping through in most places, although there were some deeper sections here and there.
We opted to skirt around Creag nan Gabhar, nearly at the top, as the wind was quite strong, the snow blowing across us and the chill biting our faces. We took a wee cross country diversion here, making our own way down towards the main path.
Ahead, we saw another couple who appeared to be going a very different direction. Talking to them later, they’d avoided a more icy section by taking a detour. Meanwhile, we opted to practise our ice axe arrests, sliding down a steeper, more compacted section on our fronts and using the ice axe to slow down and stop repeatedly. It was rather good fun and definitely a good place to practise, safe in the knowledge that we weren’t going anywhere dangerous. The only unpleasant part was when my jacket rode up – I’m sure I could feel the coldness of the snow through my many layers!
Continuing downwards we finally reached the track and stopped for a bite to eat with the other couple. My soup was very tasty, and having learned from last time I found that shaking the flask before each serving meant I never got to the point of needing to eat it by the handful! There’s nothing like homemade soup for being a meal in itself!
The wee cairn marking the path down to the bridge was either missed or missing – not sure which. Again, we moved cross country with the notion of where we wanted to go from previous experience. Skies were clear so we didn’t bother taking a bearing knowing we’d happen upon the bridge soon. This bridge isn’t visible from the path and on previous occasions we have wondered if we’ve missed it, suddenly stumbling upon it.
Safely across, we wandered a little further before reaching Loch Callater, not yet frozen for the winter. Another stop was had outside the Bothy, another snack. This Bothy is really well maintained and very comfortable with composting toilets on site. Well worth a visit.
Back along the track, it’s about 3 miles to the car park. This was easy walking with just the odd patch of ice today, most of it covered by a thin dusting of snow. Last stop of the day, The Bothy in Braemar for a well deserved coffee and cake.
Clare, happiest outdoors! 