Ben Avon & Beinn a'Bhuird

Ben Avon (Pronounced Ahn) and Beinn a' Bhuird are amongst the least visited of the Cairngorms. Both rise in excess of 3800ft and give fantastic views of North East Scotland. They are amongst the more complex mountains in the country, containing the largest area of high ground of any pair of hills in Britain. Thus the title Beinn a Bhuird which translates from Gaelic to English as 'Table Mountain', seems quite apt. The walking on the these hills is excellent, and despite great distances to be covered, short grass, granite grit and mossy turf make for easy going underfoot. Huge wart like granite tor's are another feature of this area, and Ben Avon can boast of having the most, coming in an extraordinary variety of shapes and size's. The actual summit is also composed of one these tor's and requires short scramble to reach it's top. These huge very unique mountains also contain some wild and remote corries, where the climber will feel at home. Amongst the largest of these is An Garbh Choire, where the two dominating features are Mitre Ridge which was first climbed in July 1933, and Squareface which offers one of the best climbs in the whole Cairngorms. The ski-tourer will also be very much at home on the mountains. The large tract of high ground when covered in snow will provide mile upon mile of plateau to criss-cross. The added bonus of looking down into the corries and perhaps climbing some of the tor's will make this a memorable day's skiing. As if this wasn't enough, then some superb long and steep descents, await to further test one's ability.

Breaking Trail on Beinn a'Bhuird

Eastern Cairngorms - Facts and Figures

Distance : 20 miles

Total Ascent : 5000ft

Time : 11 - 14 hrs

Route Grading : A long but memorable walk on these remote mountains. In winter remoteness and navigation of these high plateau's make this a serious area to venture into. Best done in good conditions.

Accommodation : Youth Hostel at Braemar. Climbing Club Hut at Muir of Inverey (Cairngorm Club). Wild Camping (but don't say I told you so), For those in the know - The Secret Bothy - is worth a stay - If you can find it. There are numerous Howff's in the area too.

Summits Visited In Our Route

	Gaelic Name	Translation	Height (ft)	Height (m)	Status
	Beinn a'Bhuird (S)	Table Mountain	3869ft	1177m	Top
	Beinn a'Bhuird (N)	Table Mountain	3924ftft	1196m	Munro
	Cnap a'Chleirich	Priest's Hillock	3811ft	1172m	Top
	Leabaidh an Diamh Bhuidhe	Bed of the Yellow Stag	3843ft	1171m	Munro
	Carn Eas	Cairn of the Waterfall	3556ft	1089m	Top
	Creag an Dail Mhor	Crag of the Big Field	3189ft	972m	Top

Maps

	Publisher	Scale	Title / No
	Ordnance Survey	1:50000	Sheets 36 & 43
	Bartholomew's	1:100000	Sheets 51 and 52

Sketch Diagram showing Eastern Cairngorms route © Cameron Johnston 1997

Near Invercauld Bridge a few miles east of Braemar on the A93, a minor road turns off for Keiloch. Parking is available at the side of this road about 50m from the junction. We now walk up a private estate road that runs for 4 miles up Gleann an-t-slugain past Alltdourie Lodge and to the ruins of Slugain Lodge. This road can also be cycled up, and come the end of this long day one may welcome a gentle freewheel back to the car. Care should be exercised in following the correct track through the forest, as it is quite easy to take a wrong turning and end up on the wrong side of Carn na Drochaid. At Slugain Lodge we follow the path towards our hills, which are now beginning to reveal their glory The path splits further on, and we take the left branch and descend down to Quioch Water. After crossing the river the path then begins to zigzag it's way up the steep sided shoulder of Carn Fiaclach. The path eventually ends and we continue steadily up the southern slopes of the mountain. The scale and grandeur is now quite apparent and on reaching the edge of the plateau we are rewarded with glimpse down into the wildness of Slochd Mor and across to the bulk of Ben Avon which seem's miles away (and is miles away). The South Top is a short diversion and in this day and age of Munro's Tables revisions it might be worth visiting just in case. The walk towards the North Top is pleasant on a good day another diversion toward the plateau edge is also worth while, so that a view of the grand corries may be taken in. However be aware of cornices and unstable snow wreath's that linger long into summer. In bad visibility the flatness and size of the plateau will test navigation skill's to the full particularly if snow is lying on the ground.

Looking across Garbh Coire to Ben Avon

The views from the summit are excellent with the main bulk of the Cairngorm Massif to the west, Lochnagar dominates the south and to the east the rest of our route, backed by the lower hills of the North East. We now continue towards Ben Avon crossing the top of Cnap a' Chleirich which sits just above the col between the mountains know as 'The Sneck'. The descent down to The Sneck is quite steep and is followed by a steady rise towards the vast expanse of plateau on Ben Avon. The summit of this Munro is known as Leabaidh an Daimh Bhuidhe or Bed of the Yellow Stag (in English). It consists of a large granite tor that requires a bit of a scramble. In winter when covered in snow and ice the tor becomes quite sporting. From here we get a bird's eye view of the North East and a great perspective of the actual expanse of the mountain. Our route back to Invercauld Bridge takes us over Carn Eas and Creag an Dail Mhor which are two fine outlying top's. There are more tops to the east that could be taken in if time and energy permit, but this might make the walk less enjoyable. This part of Ben Avon could be visited on another day from the north where a private estate road comes in from Tomintoul right to the base of the massif. From the last of our tops we descend towards Slugain Lodge for the walk or cycle back out