TGOC 2006 Days 08-09 Corrour Bothy to Glas-allt-Shiel Bothy

A short day and then a rather tougher one heading our way.

Hiss Golden Messenger - Blue Country Mystic Live

HIT that PLAY  ⬆ button (it is compulsory)

Day 08 Thu - Corrour Bothy to Braemar via Mar Lodge (22km 300m)

By the time we headed off, I think Dave and Steve were already heading up towards Devils Point (damned if I wasn't tempted, but I couldn't leave Nick - Any other year..🤔👍)

So we headed off back over the river, and down towards Derry Lodge.

Starting Out to Glen Luibeg

This was going to be an easy day, apart from one small navigation cock up by me requiring us to wade a bit of river.

To this day, I cannot quite work out whether we should have gone on a bit or crossed earlier. It's all irrelevant now TBH. Hence the actual crossing point shown on the map, may well be fictitious.

The crossing point was before Derry Lodge and I am pretty sure at the time that wasn't really necessary.

Nick using the waders, nowadays, I'd just roll the trousers up and pop over in sandals or crocs (depending on what I was carrying)

We carried on past Derry Lodge
and then down to the track that drops to Mar Lodge.

Derry Lodge

Yes, yes, that is ME with a Map actually out for use 🙆‍♂️🤷‍♂️
No honest, I can use them if I need to, it's just that ...........

Mar Lodge 

A short sit down before leaving Mar Lodge

We carried on into Braemar, taking the road all the way.
This is a bloody trudge.
I have no idea why?

I would now always go the extra mile and head in via the woods.

Red Squirrel in tree on the way into Braemar 

That's really it for today.
We stayed at the Braemar Lodge in the bunkhouse.
I can't even remember what we did that night.
Might have gone to the Fife, might have stayed in the Lodge Bar..

It is a complete blank 🙆‍♂️🤷‍♂️

This was before I discovered the true wonderfulness of Braemar on a Sat night.

Oh how we grow and learn eh.

Day 09 Fri- Braemar to Glas-allt-Shiel Bothy (23.5km 1010m)

We started reasonably early after an early breakfast, and headed off straight down the road towards the Loch Callater turning.

Looking down at the Loch

Looking down to Lochcallater Lodge

Now, this was the Fri before the Callater party and we didn't even call in.
Back then I did not know about it.
We didn't even go in for Tea of Butties 🤦‍♂️😨

We just turned left and went straight up the track before the lodge

I was not even aware of the place until 2010 when I was introduced to it by Mssrs Sloman and Lambert.

Now, I have looked back, and I am not sure what GOOD things they have ever done 🤔, but introducing me to Callater and back then Bill and Stan, was one of the truly wonderous things in my walking life, and for that I will be eternally grateful. It is also part of the lyrics of my re-jigged "Lochcallater Restaurant" song, that would have featured this year but now hopefully in 2021 🤞🤞

But NOT to be this year, or even next year (you'll have to wait for that saga).

We headed on up and up into worsening visibility.

The large cairn on the way to the summit

Nearly there, as visibility got progressively worse

I've still got that buff, and that Rab Latok jacket was one of my favourites ever.
We were lucky to find someone to snap a shot by the round trig point, there is a square one too, before we dropped back down.

The summit on a much better day

I wasn't to go back here again until 2013 with Al and Phil.
Which was the year that Toby and Vicky did their first and joined the ranks of

"The Right sort of People" 😁👍😍

Happy Days 😁
Love those guys really!

Anyway, back to the trip....

We headed off (meaning I headed off), to find the track down to
Glas-allt-Shiel bothy, an intended stop point.

Visibility and finding the route was slightly iffy until we dropped below 700m when the mist that clung to the summit vanished, and the walk down from then past the lovely waterfalls was a pleasant change.
The track is narrow, and Nick was having a slow decent day.
I kept a rewards eye on him, but cracked on a bit ahead, my intention being to get to the bothy in good time, and make sure we could stay there, rather than put up tents, which is a bit frowned on in the vicinity of the bothy.

Dropping out of the clouds

Falls on way down

Nearing the bottom and the trees near the house and bothy

At the bottom after a wiggle through the trees, I got to the main house where the bothy is. I had waited for Nick before the walk through the woods to make sure he came the right way, and then we snuck round the back of the house to find our way into the bothy. It's a bit disguised, the door being just up a small passage.

The main sleeping area is upstairs, and was done up by Dundee University Climbing Club (I can't remember the year).

Nick Expands his gear.
TBH, he didn't need to carry that fleece sleeping bag liner (he was told)

We got a bit of a fire going, but sadly there was no saw to chop up the log that was ALREADY sticking out of the fire, and STILL smouldering when we got there. Someone had even balanced it on a chair 🙆‍♂️

We got some other bits of wood from outside.

TBH, the downstairs bit of the bothy is a bit SHIT.

And that was it really (I had no whisky 🤦‍♂️😨)

Went for a wander around outside.
Cooked some food.
Listened to music on a small mini player I had, that could hold a magnificent 128kb 😱🎶🎵

Went to sleep.

The next morning we had a reasonably early start.

AND, I made sure that bloody LOG was well and truly out by putting some water on it, and then leaving it outside away from the building.

Just in case you are thinking 😱😱

There you go, 2 days for 1.

Might not post tomorrow, but the next day will be Glas-allt-Shiel to Tarfside