Saturday, 11 May: map & data
Total climbing: 273 m
Total time: 01:53:28
A leisurely 8.6-mile cycle in, 2h from 14.30 to 16.30 – average 4.5 mph
Two and a half hours after we left Edinburgh, our train arrived in Kingussie, a beautiful small town in the Cairngorms National Park.
From the station we cycled to the nearby park and grabbed our usual picnic table.
Lunch in Kingussie
Simon went to the Co-op while I guarded the fort. Like two weeks ago, we had bikes, four panniers, two rucksacks and an extra bag.
Our plan for today was to cycle to Glen Tromie and camp not too far from last year’s spot.
13.23 – Lunch in the Kingussie park
We had plenty of time to get there. At a leisurely pace, we left the park and cycled past the Ruthven Barracks.
We crossed the Tromie Bridge, turned right and took the Land Rover track.
Glentromie Lodge was dead quiet, as always.
15.19 – Private bridge by Glentromie Lodge
The road through Glen Tromie is an easy ride.
Whether we’d manage to get to the spot Simon had found on the map was going to depend on the amount of water in the river Tromie ford.
Just in case, we’d brought our new sailing shoes with us, to make the crossing easier.
15.36 – Cycling through Glen Tromie
We got to Bhran Cottage, which is just twenty yards from the ford, and I got off my bike to stretch my legs. Here, by the river, is where we camped last year.
A wonderful surprise
I stayed by the semi-abandoned cottage, but Simon cycled a few more yards towards the ford. He then came back to where I was and said, with a beaming smile:
– “You’re not going to believe it”.
I walked towards the river and there it was, a brand new bridge that wasn’t there last year.
We couldn’t believe our luck.
16.03 – An unexpected bridge
It’s a semi-portable bridge than could be dismantled in a day. We just had to hope that it’d still be there on Monday, on our return.
We got to our camping spot and put the tent up. To pass the time, we went back to the ford for dinner.
Simon cooked his classic pasta with ham, and for dessert we had a sickly sweet toffee cake. Then we got back to the tent.
The temperature forecast for the night was below zero, but we didn’t mind. We’d brought all our warm gear with us.
Sunday, 12 May: map & data
Total climbing: 1069 m
Total time: 10:22:17
12-mile walk, 10h15 from 08.45 to 19.00 – average 1.2 mph
When we opened the tent, it was like a dream. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, the sun had just risen from behind the hills, and there was no wind.
All you could hear was the water flowing down the stream, and a cuckoo.
We had breakfast, packed our rucksacks, and set off.
The cuckoo was still singing.
7.52 – Our tent & Meall Chuaich in the background
Our first stop was to say hello to the tadpoles Simon had spotted the evening before when we went for a walk after dinner. There were hundreds of them.
And the following day, when the temperature went up another five degrees, the pond was bursting with the teeny creatures.
It reminded me of the Japanese carp in that pond in Nagoya. Slightly hypnotising, slightly nightmarish.
8.46 – Spot the tadpoles!
On our way to Meall Chuaich
We walked up the path and headed for Meall Chuaich, the 951m Munro we’d attempted and abandoned in February in high winds.
Meall Chuaich is usually climbed from the A9, but this time we approached it from the other side. It’s a super quiet route, even in fine weather.
9.17 – Maria walking towards Meall Chuaich *
Around here the path ended and turned into a muddy mess. We reckoned it was being repaired and this was the reason why the unexpected bridge had been build, to take the construction machinery across the river Tromie.
When we got to Kingussie the day before we had two camping options: Glen Tromie and Glen Feshie.
Glen Tromie is easier to get to, and quieter. Glen Feshie is more popular, but it also has a heavily eroded path.
In the end we opted for Glen Tromie, mainly because the good weather was likely to attract quite a few campers to Glen Feshie, and we love our solitude.
9.42 – An unrepaired path
It was a good choice, because what we hadn’t counted on was the snow.
You see, the previous week it’d snowed above 900 m. The day before, from the train, we’d seen the white-capped Munros near Glen Feshie, but we hadn’t brought our crampons.
10.34 – View of the Cairngorms from the slopes of Meall Chuaich
Without the high winds we got in February, Meall Chuaich is a straightforward Munro.
Reaching the summit
The views from the top are awesome, and so is the cairn, which resembles a humongous throne.
Or a professorial chair, Simon observed.
11.28 – Simon on the huge Meall Chuaich cairn
The descent from Meall Chuaich is at times a breeze and at times a boulder field.
From here we could see Loch Ericht, Dalwhinnie, and its world-famous distillery.
The plan for the day was to climb not just Meall Chuaich, but also Bogha-cloiche, a 898m (2946ft) Corbett top that would be a Munro if only it were 54 feet taller.
To get to Bogha-cloiche we descended Meall Chuaich down the southwest face, then turned east.
11.49 – View of Glen Truim from Meall Chuaich
We had lunch by the unpronounceable Allt Coire Chuaich stream.
The weather was warm. We still had another four hours to go and we were feeling our boots in the heat.
Simon had the idea of bathing his feet in the stream and I copied him. The water was freezing, and simply wonderful.
13.11 – Our lunch spot by the Allt Coire Chuaich
Climbing our second hill
Back on the track we headed for the deer stalker paths that crisscross Bogha-cloiche, our Corbett top.
At times we found the paths, other times we climbed almost vertically. I was puffing and panting, but I’m used to that by now.
14.52 – The steep ascent to Bogha-cloiche
Every so often, we stopped to admire the views.
15.03 – View of Loch Ericht (top right)
Then I spotted this dwelling. We often see hares on the hills, but never their homes. This was a first.
From here, the climb to the top of Bogha-cloiche is a long gentle ascent.
15.30 – Entrance to a hare’s lair
From the top we got a magnificent view of the Cairngorms.
16.18 – Simon conquering Bogha-cloiche
This must be one of the most intriguing photographs I’ve ever taken.
Loch an t-Seilich looks magnificent, but why Simon’s head has shrunk like a deflated balloon and I appear to be wearing a burka will forever remain a mystery.
16.42 – Two weirdos & Loch an t-Seilich
The gentle descent
From here we had an easy descent through low heather, and eventually we joined the track.
18.09 – Looking back at Bogha-cloiche
It was a beautiful evening with a perfect temperature and no wind, and there was no one in sight. It was just us and the grouse. A dream.
18.48 – Simon opening the last gate
We walked back to our camp along the river Tromie. By now we were somewhat tired, and very much looking forward to our gourmet dinner.
18.56 – The river Tromie & a superb tree
Simon cooked his famous chorizo rice while I tried to ignore my battered feet.
Fortunately, those Trangia dinners can revive a corpse.
19.49 – Simon & his beloved Trangia
After climbing more than 1,000 m and walking 12 miles in ten hours we were soon in the tent, sound asleep.
When we woke up, the cuckoo was calling us.
Monday, 13 May: map & data
Total climbing: 393 m
Total time: 08:30:23
21-mile cycle out with lots of breaks
We had tickets for the 19.42 train back to Edinburgh, so there was plenty of time to pay a visit to our old camp.
It was going to be a warm day, with broken cloud and little wind.
We packed our remaining sandwiches, pasties and bars, and off we went along the peaceful Loch an t-Seilich.
10.05 – Bridge to the Gaick Forest
But first we stopped briefly by the Tromie dam. The place was deserted, except for a couple of guys working at the dam.
In case you’re curious, Loch an t-Seilich means “The Loch of the Willow Tree”. This was the same loch we’d seen the day before from the slopes of Bogha-cloiche.
10.54 – Cycling along Loch an t-Seilich
The ride to our old camp is fairly flat, and the stones on the path seem to be smaller than the last time we were here. Or maybe it’s true that my cycling is improving.
When we camped here in June 2016, the wind was wild. But now, all was calm.
Lunch at our old camp
We had our lunch, enjoyed the sun for a bit, and got back on our bikes.
It felt like a wonderfully long and lazy afternoon, like my childhood summer days back in Spain.
12.01 – Visiting our old camping spot
On our way back, first we stopped to observe this red grouse that was having a stroll not too far from the track.
13.11 – A red grouse basking in the sun
Then I decided to take a few pictures of this pretty boat. I remember it being here on our previous visit.
13.34 – A solitary boat on Loch an t-Seilich
At the Bhran Cottage we parked the bikes and went down to the river to take some photos. This is where we’d have forded the Tromie if the unexpected bridge hadn’t appeared.
Only, even with our sailing shoes on it’s unlikely we’d have been able to ford it. The water was too deep and the current too strong.
And that’s how, thanks to an unexpected bridge, we were able to climb Meall Chuaich and Bogha-cloiche.
14.25 – A challenging ford in the river Tromie
It was time to leave our camp. We’d packed the panniers in the morning, so all that remained was to take down the tent.
We had one last look at Meall Chuaich, waved goodbye to the singing cuckoo, and off we went, back to Kingussie.
Back in Kingussie
We bought a few goodies at the Co-op and had dinner in the sunny park.
At the sight of our food, a few birds entertained us with their frantic cawing. They, too, seemed to be enjoying the warm evening.
19.05 – WWII Memorial in the Kingussie Park
The train journey was smooth and I kept thinking about the couple from Wales we’d met a few hours earlier, soon after we left our camp.
They told us about their 2-month annual visit to Scotland, and we told them about some of our trips. They seemed to have been everywhere.
– “What about Shetland?”, I asked them. “Have you been there?”
– “Oh, yes.”, they replied. “Nine times”.
Dear me.
21.59 – Forth Road Bridge & Queensferry Crossing from the train
I’d love to go back to Shetland one day.
We fell in love with it last year during our cycling tour. It’s probably the most unforgettable trip we’ve done together, but we’ve got so many places in Scotland still to discover.
I took all the photos with the Panasonic.
* Simon took this photo.