Meikle Pap

Having been somewhat busy over the last week while, Bruce and I finally had a day off together where the hill forecast was decent! Delighted, we hatched a plan for the day from the various options he’d curated, opting for either Conachcraig or Meikle Pap. We’d ruled out Lochnagar as I’ve been feeling somewhat under the weather this week, full of a stinking cold, and not having been out for a while we figured we should go easy on ourselves.

A shorter day meant we weren’t rushing out the door and had a civilised departure time of 08:30.

Snowy Tops

Walking out from Glen Muick, Lochnagar was looking beautiful with a light covering of snow. We walked up the sandy path, most often walked by us in winter conditions when it’s snow covered or icy, Lochnagar being one of our favourite winter mountains.

Across the stepping stones at the ford, we continued up, debating our options. There wasn’t really a choice: Conachcraig would have made for a shorter day, but Meikle Pap affords better views into the coire; decision made, we turned left.

Views of Lochnagar

The path to Meikle Pap is the same as that of Lochnagar, it’s parent top, however rather than heading left up ‘the ladder’ we went right, up Meikle Pap. With the height of a munro it overlooks the loch and corrie, giving stunning views of the larger peak.

We turned off the main path and then began our gradual ascent. Bruce was trying out his new winter boots, ensuring they’re broken in ahead of the start of the season. To the best of my knowledge they’re not carbon plated, however he was pretty speedy heading up the hill.

I trundled along a few feet behind as usual, making our way up the path that was covered in a light dusting of snow. As we got higher, some of the rocks became a little slippery. We were able to bypass these by stepping onto the heather, only one small section being really icy.

It didn’t take long at all for us to reach the peak of Meikle Pap and it was so worth it! I can’t believe that I’ve never taken this wee detour when up Lochnagar previously; what a view!

We stopped just below the big boulders to have a snack, sheltered from what little breeze there was.

Suitably refreshed, we retraced our steps back down to the main path, then all the way back to the car. As on the way up, we heard the stags roaring on the hillside of Conachcraig. Not visible to the naked eye with the autumn colours, we’d seen them on the way up thanks to another couple who were viewing them through their binoculars.

Return to The Bothy

As is tradition, we headed to The Bothy in Ballater for refreshment. A lovely end to a great day out.