The Great Outdoors – July 2019

[above] The final few miles back along the Allt Mor Trail

[above right] The spectacular Northern Corries and the domed summit of Cairn Gorm

from Strath Nethy to Derry Lodge, a few
miles west of Braemar. The pass is one of
Scotland’s Heritage Paths (see box on page
37 ), which aim to highlight the history that
we walk across when we step into the hills.
The Lairig an Laoigh translates from
Gaelic as ‘The Pass of the Calves’ but is
also known locally as An Lairig Shios, The
Eastern Pass. Meanwhile The Lairig Ghru
is An Lairig Shuas, The Western Pass. At its
highest point it rises to 790 metres above
sea-level, and historically it was a drove
route via which cattle were moved through
the Cairngorms to markets in the south. As
it was lower than the Lairig Ghru –whose
summit is 833 metres – and not as rough
underfoot, it was easier for younger cattle
to contend with, hence its name.

As I crossed this wind-whipped

landscape the enormous shape of Beinn

a’ Bhuird and the distinctive outline of

Lochnagar were both prominent. The lack

of rainfall in recent weeks meant Uisge

Dubh Poll a’ Choin was relatively easy

to cross (when in spate it may have been

problematic) while ptarmigan and the odd

snow bunting scampered around the scant

vegetation in search of food. The croak of

a raven saw me looking upwards, where

the tors of the Barns of Bynack studded the

ridgeline of Bynack More.

After an easy crossing of Glasath, the

Lairig an Laoigh continued past the Corrie

of the Barns then down into Glen Avon

and the Fords of Avon Refuge. I sat eating

a late lunch beside this small, basic hut.

Set amongst spectacular scenery it can

sleep up to four people, although it is very

much seen as an emergency shelter. Far

removed from any road or settlements the

sense of isolation was palpable, my only

companions being a small herd of red deer

and a mountain hare.

The Lairig an Laoigh continued south

but my route now headed west along the

north bank of the River Avon, its surface

shimmering in the afternoon sun. Upon

gaining The Saddle, an intersection of

paths near the entrance of Strath Nethy,

I headed above the stunning freshwater

Loch Avon, its surface sitting at 730 metres

above sea level. It is known as a ribbon

loch having been formed during the Ice

Age when a huge glacier carved a deep,

38 The Great Outdoors July 2019