Ordnance Survey map 43 is probably one of my favourite maps. It covers such delights as the Cairngorms massif, the pinewoods of Mar Lodge, the upper reaches of Glen Feshie and the Atholl Munros. Slicing through all of this is the long line of a path which starts in the north as the Lairig Ghru and crosses wild country to pop out further south at Blair Atholl. Whilst I'd walked either end of this line, I'd somehow never got round to walking the whole route and the wildest terrain in the middle. My May holiday this year finally put that right with a crossing that took me through the heart of the map.
I started walking south from Aviemore which itself is just off the map but it wasn't long before I was climbing up through the ancient pinewoods of Rothiemurchus and into the deep defile of the Lairig Ghru. The Lairig Ghru is a dramatic route which cuts through the 4000 foot Munros that rise in sweeping, bouldery flanks on either side of its high pass.
I'd hoped to camp high here for the first night out but the wind howled through and I had to descend to the other side to camp by the river. It was still a beautiful spot, nestled below the rock architecture of Cairn Toul, Braeriach and Ben Macdui.
With plenty of food in my pack, I could afford a detour to the east for the next couple of days to spend time among the pinewoods of Mar Lodge estate which are regenerating under the ownership of the National Trust. Heavy downpours doused the forests as I walked but afterwards I could enjoy the petrichor, the earthy smell after the rain. As well as a wander through the woods, I wanted to take time to explore an interesting landscape feature called Clais Fhearnaig. It's a glacial melt water channel that cuts a deep gash through the hills between Glen Lui and Glen Quoich. It was a fabulous walk with a secretive path meandering through crags and lochans.
At the far end of Clais Fhearnaig, I picked up a high level trail that skirted the upper fringes of the pine woods to take me to the top of Creag Bhalg, a little hill with a big view. It felt empty and open up here, and the dark skies glowering overhead added to the sense of wildness. The Cairngorms were stretched out to the north and the view south disappeared into the rounded lumps of the Glen Ey hills. I pitched the tent high where the pines were thinning out, taking the opportunity for a high camp as bigger winds were forecast to move in the next day. Things didn't quite go to plan.
The winds arrived early, around 11pm that night, and were accompanied by heavy rain. Both battered my tent high up on the hillside. The winds got so bad that I was worried the tent would come down so I packed up all my kit and sat dressed and awake, bracing the main pole of the tent against the gusts. When the heavy rain eased around midnight, I took the opportunity to break camp, find the path off the hill in the darkness and descend to the glen. By the time I was on the main track in Glen Derry, the wind still hammered through but the rain was off and the skies cleared so that I didn't even need the head torch on. It was actually incredibly beautiful walking through the woods at midnight with a few stars twinkling and a paleness on the horizon where the summer sun had not fully set. After a short walk, I was re-pitched in the shelter of the lower pines and back in my sleeping bag by 2am.
The next day's walk took me south to the tumbling waterfalls of Linn of Dee and then west back into the bigger hills. I was heading now to the ruin of Bynack Lodge. Between me and it were two river crossings. The first, the Geldie Burn, is well known in hillwalking circles and I'd a degree of nervousness as I approached. The word "burn" is a bit misleading as this is a wide river but it was no trouble that day being quite gentle and shallow. The second crossing was the Bynack Burn and I found it a little more tricky as it was narrower and faster but again, I was across without too much trouble.
I'd arrived now at Bynack Lodge, a beautiful but remote spot if ever there was one, that sits right at the heart of map 43. The ruins were extensive and more of a settlement than a single lodge with the remains of several outbuildings and a set of steps that would have originally led down into an underground cold store. The ruins were enclosed by a drystane dyke and softened by a cluster of larch trees. There was a large area of cropped grass around the lodge where you could have pitched 50 tents and still had space. The sun shone and the absolute peace was broken only by the gurgle of the river and the chirping of chaffinches in the trees. I had a wonderful, relaxing evening pottering about my tent, exploring the ruins and soaking up the wild atmosphere of this remote place. After bed, heavy rain came on and hammered down all through the night. Next morning, the rivers were swollen and I wouldn't have been able to make the crossings had I passed a day later.
But the sun was out again as I continued my journey south. A good path picked its way through the watershed of the Geldie and the Tilt, and passed the remote waters of Loch Tilt which were sapphire blue under a sunny sky. I climbed a little top above the loch for a better view and sat a while munching a muesli bar. It was idyllic and empty and I wondered how many other people had ever sat on this top. I thought not many.
The route passed now into the narrow, upper reaches of Glen Tilt and was dominated by the massive bulk of Beinn a'Ghlo, the Munro that forms the east wall of the glen. It looked impressive from this angle, all bulk and presence. The narrow path clung to the hillside above the river which had cut a deep, rocky gorge as it approached the Falls of Tarf. The Falls are beautiful and would no doubt be a major tourist attraction if they weren't so remote.
This was me in familiar territory now and all that remained was the long walk down Glen Tilt to catch the train at Blair Atholl. I love a wander through Glen Tilt as it has such variety in its landscape with woods, rivers, mountains, pastures and beautiful old, arched bridges. It is a long walk though so I split the miles with another night out in the tent at a favourite spot to the west of the main route down the glen. I'd only used the spot in winter previously but how beautiful it was in early summer with trees in fresh leaf around the pretty bridge and the air filled with the calls of summer songbirds.
This left a short walk the next day into the village to complete my crossing of the map. As well as being a fabulous walk in its own right, I was delighted to have discovered the wild country at the heart of map 43.
Start: Aviemore
Finish: Blair Atholl
Public transport: Edinburgh/Glasgow to Inverness trains serve Aviemore and Blair Atholl
My route: South out of Aviemore, picking up the Lairig Ghru at Coylumbridge. At Corrour Bothy, took the higher eastbound path to Luibeg Bridge and Derry Lodge. Took path up into Clais Fhearnaig about halfway down Glen Lui. From Glen Quoich side, picked up a trail that ascends through woods and passes to the west of Creag Bhalg. A path goes from this trail to the top of the hill. Descended to Linn of Dee and walked west to Whitebridge then south to Bynack Lodge, passed Loch Tilt and through Glen Tilt.