Although we all had a good social night in Aviemore the lingering tiredness from the previous long days had taken their toll and so when Tony suggested we change our route from Ben Macdui to the lower Larig Ghru, none of us really protested.

So after a large breakfast at the Cairngorm Hotel we slowly made our way along the cycle path towards the Rothiemurchus Forest and the start of the climb.

Every time we leave Aviemore we suffer the same issues. We’ve had a large breakfast, the food parcels have been added to our packs along with random shopping and there seems to be a lethargy linked to the amount of consumption the previous evening.

Plus our memory is beginning to play tricks on us all. We have walked this route togther many times and each time we assume it is just ‘an hour or so to here’ when in actual fact, it is more like 2, or more hours to wherever. So much so the day strated to drag out and this combined with fine walking conditions of bright sunshine and a light cool breeze meant the destination of Derry Lodge was not going to be the early finish we promised ourselves.

The Larig Ghru is a boulder field which needs to be passed with care. There’s no quick and easy route. The higher you get the larger the boulders become. As the boulders get bigger and more unstable, concentration is required to cross and not fall between the cracks, or off onto another equally unstable block. At one stage Tony slipped and his pole dropped between two rocks as he fell, the pole naturally took the pressure and bent. It could easily have been his leg. He was slightly rattled but no harm done. After this simple slip we all took even more care.

Continued with photos on the website

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