A Tale of Two Lairigs
Posted: Monday, 30 June 2008 |
Back on the Rocks again!
Every year, usually around midsummer, I head off to my favourite hills the Cairngorms, for some serious walking. I like to walk from one side to the other through a couple of fairly well known mountain passes, and then back again.
There are two main passes cutting through the massif - the Lairig Ghru is the more famous of these, but further east there is another called the Lairig an Laoigh. The Lairig Ghru is very well seen from Aviemore - a great U shaped valley running deep into the hills - an absolute classic example of a glacial U shaped valley, gouged out by ice about 15000 years ago.
The Laoigh isnt quite so famous, but is also a nice walk, not so rugged but it passes through some great scenery.
The best place to start is the car park at Linn of Dee, just east of Braemar. A whole plexus of paths emanates from this area and much of the walking is among ancient Caledonian pine forest.
I set off last Monday and headed through the Lairig an Laoigh. Unfortunately, I didnt have a decent camera with me, so the only pics I have are taken with a phone - however, you get a flavour of the place.
Looking up the River Dee, west of Braemar
Well up the track now, heading north
Still some snow on the hills. If you look closely at this next pic:
Which is an enlargement of part of the last one, you can see a snow tunnel over the stream, where the snow has melted.
About 2/3 of the way, there is this little refuge. It looks like a large cairn. Its called the Fords of Avon Refuge (next to the River Avon - pronounced aan - no "v"!). Not the nicest or driest of places, but in a winter blizzard, it might well be very welcome.
And that is all the pics I have before arriving at Loch Morlich.
I stayed overnight at the Loch Morlich Youth Hostel and then headed back through the Ghru the next day. I have always felt that this is the more "natural" direction in which to do it.
Looking across Loch Morlich, near the Youth Hostel
Another view near the same place - the pointy hill across the loch is called Carn Elrig. Elrig, being a Gaelic word meaning a deer trap
Right, this is more like it. Heading into the Lairig Ghru
Right up high in the pass. The glacial "U" shape is obvious here. As are the red screes. Most of the Cairngorms are composed of a coarse granite. In some places however, the rock is much finer grained - a "microgranite". It also appears a lot redder.
Near the highest part of the pass are several lochans called the "Pools of Dee". Originally called "Lochan Dubh na Lairig". They are ALWAYS freezing cold - even in the hottest summers!
Looking up into the great "Garbh Choire" of Cairn Toul and Braeriach - two of the highest hills in the country. Still a bit of snow left. Some people reckon that the last glaciers in Scotland were here. Easy to believe - in some years there is nearly permanent snow here.
Heres an interesting rock - a fairly weathered porphyritic granite. Note the large crystals in the rock, like white laths. Many igneous rocks have larger crystals in a relatively finer groundmas - these are "porphyritic". Now this stuff in the pic can be seen at several places along the path, but it is not in situ. I have never found the actual rock itself, but the unweathered stuff must look quite neat. Weathering of granites causes the feldspar minerals to break down into kaolin - which is what the whitish colour is.
And that was that. After getting back to Braemar Youth Hostel and some dinner, it was off to the Pass of Ballater to look at more rocks - good granites to be found there, but that's a blg for another day!
Cheers
JW (MM)
Every year, usually around midsummer, I head off to my favourite hills the Cairngorms, for some serious walking. I like to walk from one side to the other through a couple of fairly well known mountain passes, and then back again.
There are two main passes cutting through the massif - the Lairig Ghru is the more famous of these, but further east there is another called the Lairig an Laoigh. The Lairig Ghru is very well seen from Aviemore - a great U shaped valley running deep into the hills - an absolute classic example of a glacial U shaped valley, gouged out by ice about 15000 years ago.
The Laoigh isnt quite so famous, but is also a nice walk, not so rugged but it passes through some great scenery.
The best place to start is the car park at Linn of Dee, just east of Braemar. A whole plexus of paths emanates from this area and much of the walking is among ancient Caledonian pine forest.
I set off last Monday and headed through the Lairig an Laoigh. Unfortunately, I didnt have a decent camera with me, so the only pics I have are taken with a phone - however, you get a flavour of the place.
Looking up the River Dee, west of Braemar
Well up the track now, heading north
Still some snow on the hills. If you look closely at this next pic:
Which is an enlargement of part of the last one, you can see a snow tunnel over the stream, where the snow has melted.
About 2/3 of the way, there is this little refuge. It looks like a large cairn. Its called the Fords of Avon Refuge (next to the River Avon - pronounced aan - no "v"!). Not the nicest or driest of places, but in a winter blizzard, it might well be very welcome.
And that is all the pics I have before arriving at Loch Morlich.
I stayed overnight at the Loch Morlich Youth Hostel and then headed back through the Ghru the next day. I have always felt that this is the more "natural" direction in which to do it.
Looking across Loch Morlich, near the Youth Hostel
Another view near the same place - the pointy hill across the loch is called Carn Elrig. Elrig, being a Gaelic word meaning a deer trap
Right, this is more like it. Heading into the Lairig Ghru
Right up high in the pass. The glacial "U" shape is obvious here. As are the red screes. Most of the Cairngorms are composed of a coarse granite. In some places however, the rock is much finer grained - a "microgranite". It also appears a lot redder.
Near the highest part of the pass are several lochans called the "Pools of Dee". Originally called "Lochan Dubh na Lairig". They are ALWAYS freezing cold - even in the hottest summers!
Looking up into the great "Garbh Choire" of Cairn Toul and Braeriach - two of the highest hills in the country. Still a bit of snow left. Some people reckon that the last glaciers in Scotland were here. Easy to believe - in some years there is nearly permanent snow here.
Heres an interesting rock - a fairly weathered porphyritic granite. Note the large crystals in the rock, like white laths. Many igneous rocks have larger crystals in a relatively finer groundmas - these are "porphyritic". Now this stuff in the pic can be seen at several places along the path, but it is not in situ. I have never found the actual rock itself, but the unweathered stuff must look quite neat. Weathering of granites causes the feldspar minerals to break down into kaolin - which is what the whitish colour is.
And that was that. After getting back to Braemar Youth Hostel and some dinner, it was off to the Pass of Ballater to look at more rocks - good granites to be found there, but that's a blg for another day!
Cheers
JW (MM)
Comments
Great photos MM, even with the phone! The U-shaped valley is a textbook example. Your "walk" would have represented a major expedition for me, but what scenery! Gorgeous. Thanks again!
Jill from EK
MM: ah you've brought back so many memories--i worked for six weeks with the district nurse in newtonmore and done this "route" on a highland pony called pearl,the owners of the hotel where i stayed(at that time it was called "the balavil arms)ran as a sideline trecking trips which i used a lot!!when i see the lovely pics you share with us sometimes i think"why am i going off to live "chez les kiwis"instead of going back to scotland! thanks,carol
carol from feeling nostalgique
Thanks for sharing. May you continue to have a wonderful time.
mjc from NM,USA
Another interesting trip mm. Now that July is here, do you have any trips planned for the summer?
Carol from IBHQ
Carol, not too sure exactly what I have planned - still got 3 geology field trips to do - 2 of these are going to be to Ulva (qv) and hopefully soon. I was also hoping to get a trip in to the remote stack of Stc Mhic Mhurchaidh, west of Iona, but it would need an awful lot of variables to be just right at the right time. I want to have another trip back to Knoydart soon as well. Also one of my targets for tis year was togo round the 4 highest tops of the Cairngorms, but I need to get a bit fitter for that. No doubt if any of this lot happens, it'll appear here! Cheers! MM
James (MM) from Mull
It's something to aim for MM. Were The Lairigs a warm-up exercise, a sort of training part one? Either way, it's a nice way to spend the summer.
Carol from IBHQ
The Lairigs thing has become a bit of an annual ritual now - I do it every year and I suppose it is a bit of a fitness litmus test. Definitely feel a lot better after it!
James (MM) from Tobermory
MM:if you go back to Knoydart and have time can you take a pics of the sands of morar??
carol from the usual place
Carol. Re Morar - I'll see what I can do! Always think of "Local Hero" when i am there. By the way, the theme tune for Local Hero, played on the sax - I am CONVINCED that it was influenced by the guitar solo in an unrecorded Runrig song called "Kishmul's Galley". Runrig used to do this live but never recorded it. They were playing it, including the evocative guitar solo, LONG before Knopfler came up with Local Hero. The guitar solo in "KG" is almost note for note the main theme played on the sax in "Local Hero" So there. Well its my thoughts anyway. Here we go, another rock thread about to begin.......
MM from Mull
MM,thanks, so,so sorry to show my ignorance once again but i'(hang my head in shame)have never heard a song by Runrig--i know they exist as my late sister used to rant on about them,but i've never heard the pleasure of hearing them
carol from the usual place
MM - I'm planning to do this walk in May going the same way round as you did but staying in Ryvoan Bothy along the way. My only worry is in fording the River Avon, how easy or difficult did you find this? Thanks for an excellent article and photos.
Dave from Cheshire
Exploring the hills and coasts of Mull and Iona and occasionally elsewhere, with a close eye on the geology
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