Derry Cairngorm (1155 m) 3.1 km: 2. But what would happen if one of us twisted an ankle and less ‘unseasonal’ weather closed in? Cairn Toul (1,291m) Although Cairn Toul is surpassed by Ben Nevis, Ben Macdui and Braeriach, it is … Ben Macdui is the second highest mountain in the United Kingdom after Ben Nevis, and the highest in the Cairngorms. I agreeI do not agree. To find out more about their MQM (move quick in the mountains) shoes, click here. 284 likes. This is a magnificent hill walk, on a clear day the views are vast and breath-taking. Of course, the conditions were beyond perfect for our trek. 6 of the wildest and most rewarding walks in the UK, Tranter’s Round: Scotland’s tough circular trekking route, 40 adventurous things to do in the UK and Ireland this summer, 5 of the best UK walks to avoid crowds this summer, UK Adventure: A magical winter adventure in Glen Coe, 7 best traffic-free cycle routes in the UK, 5 new adventure walking holidays in the UK. The apartment features a TV and 2 bedrooms. One feature shared with The Ben is the ambiguity of the origin of the name. Avoiding the snow-covered ground (“get that wrong without crampons and you’re not stopping,” warned Heather), we tackled the steep path out and up onto the Cairngorms plateau. Scafell Pike, Cumbria. By the time I hauled myself out, my whole body was tingling. Ben Macdui's summit has a large cairn, ontop of which is a trig pillar and to the side is a viewfinder. Offering free WiFi and mountain views, Ben Macdui is an accommodation situated in Aviemore. The starting point of the Tour is accessible with public transport. You might imagine a weather-blasted, rock-strewn summit to be devoid of life, but we were soon joined by a couple of snow buntings. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The standard route we will take will be stardting from the Ski Centre car park heading out towards Lurchers and then up towards Ben Macdui. The range has been designed to be lightweight and flexible enough to propel someone up a mountain, yet stable and protective enough to provide confidence on the charge back down. follow any reasonable advice and information; treat places with care, leaving them as you find them; don’t recklessly disturb or intentionally damage wildlife or historic places. Ben MacDui Cairngorms, 57.07N 3.67W, 1309 m Mon, 21 Dec 2020 16:49:08 UTC Sun, ↑ 08:49 ↓ 15:36 With two Munros and a well-earned night’s sleep in the bag, another day of adventure in the Cairngorms is not something to be missed. Ben Macdui is the second highest mountain in Britain. “Activate this and the cavalry arrives,” she said, adding that when a couple missing overnight in a storm were found up here, the woman was still alive but the man was dead. Off the side of the mountaintop we could see a new plain, running down, out and then up again to the summit of Cairn Gorm. Long thought to be the highest mountain in Scotland, if only by locals, it lost the accolade in 1810 when a survey downgraded Ben Macdouie by 100 feet (30m). The level of freedom afforded by the Highlands sometimes takes your breath away, and it certainly tests your ability to cross boulder fields of haphazardly stacked stones – sometimes they wobble, sometimes they don’t! Beinn Mheadhoin (1182 m) 4.4 km: 8. From the summit of Ben Macdui itself, you are afforded a breathtaking mountain panorama, with the giants of Lairig Ghru, Carn Toul and Braeriach to the west. Ascent : 1000m (3280ft) The access toad to … Aconcagua mountain page is a child of the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits.' And I’ve carried the inside of a wine box to fill up with water at the last burn before you go up to the top to camp.”, Cairn Gorm looked a hell of a long way off but amazingly, less than two hours later, we were stood at the top of another Munro looking back at the summit of Ben Macdui. Win these KEEN hiking boots and other goodies worth over £200, This is why you need to visit Nova Scotia, You wouldn’t think what these guys do on snowboards is possible, 6 ways you can earn money while travelling, 7 of the coolest places to stay in the world, These climbers use Antarctica as a playground, Watch: mountain biker leads daring chase on an Alpine ski slope, Win a Craghoppers outdoor jacket worth £200, WIN a Montane Alpine Spirit Jacket worth £270 and a day’s guided climbing. A diaphanous mist struggled to hold back the promise of summer sunshine, like tent canvas in the face of an energetic dawn. On average it takes 3 hours29 minutes to complete this trail. Approaching it from Speyside involves crossing the vast and exposed Cairngorm plateau, a rolling arctic wilderness and a popular route but requiring excellent navigation skills. I would like to receive competitions, exclusive offers and other promotional emails from Wired for Adventure, I understand that I can unsubscribe at any time. Climbing Ben Macdui, the UK’s second highest mountain, delivers an unexpected blend of summer sun and winter snows for AT contributor Matt Ray… A diaphanous mist struggled to hold back the promise of summer sunshine, like tent canvas in the face of an energetic dawn. The woman was in a bivvy bag. Back on the climb, we were soon on the shoulder of the mountain and the top wasn’t far off. Cairngorm (1234 … The second highest mountain in Britain, Ben Macdui is in the centre of the arctic-like … 16.7 km. "So, in the end, the Vegan ideal will be ushered in by a BBQ of epic proportions, or it simply wont work." We headed up to the summit via Coire an Lochain, a tiny mountain loch fed by the fresh snowmelt that is still coming down the mountain. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Part and parcel of this outdoor access is that wild camping is permitted in the Scottish Highlands. It is part of Britain’s highest mass, the central Cairngorm plateau. Cairn Gorm from above Coire nan Lochain. Height: At a lofty 1309m, Ben Macdui is second only to The Ben Personality: A giant, but a shy, retiring and unapproachable one that hides away in the middle of the Cairngorms. But the summer here is famously midge-heavy. Located near Grantown-On-Spey, Scotland Ben Macdui (Beinn Macduibh) has a maximum elevation of 1309.0m (4295ft) Pressing on, we saw a red flash in the undergrowth off the trail as a ptarmigan bolted for safety. © 2006-2020 SummitPost.org. It’s not a sight that the Cairngorms are known for but as we set off from the Coire Cas ski centre car park, the range began to loom out of the golden haze. We crossed the tumbling waters of the Allt Coire an-t-Sneachda, as they careened down through boulders, sparkling in the sunshine. The entire route is on exposed rock above the treeline. He's the Old Grey Man of Ben Macdui, a mysterious spectre who is said to dog the footsteps of lone climbers in the fog. Càrn a' Mhàim (1037 m) 4.0 km: 6. If you would like to discover the area, hiking and skiing are possible in the surroundings. Wandering over the plateau is an experience that will live with you forever. The walk from Linn o' Dee, near Braemar, was recently voted as one of the best in Britain. She is one of only 25 or so women who hold the top MIC (Mountaineering Instructor Certificate) award and takes a cheerfully no-nonsense approach to the outdoors. After crossing the Allt Coire an Lochain, we soon left the trail altogether, picking our way past boulders and across a surprisingly boggy patch of thick moss to the Coire an Lochain, a tranquil aqua green pool lined with rocks that have fallen from the half moon of buttresses above. Ben Macdui, the highest mountain in the massif, with an elevation of 4,296 feet (1,309 metres), is the second highest mountain (after Ben Nevis) in the British Isles. The weather up there, even at this time of the year, can feature sleety snow storms, but the sun was blazing and there was hardly any wind. The Devil's Point (1004 m) 4.1 km: 7. One of Scotland's famous early mountaineering pioneers (I forget which one, so how famous was he really?) Here, you can simply hire a bike and helmet for the day, or you can embark on guided rides. Difficult. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. “It’s very unusual to get such light winds, warm temperatures and sunshine. Ben Macdui is the main prominence on Cairn Gorm plateau, surpassing all the other peaks of the cairngorms range, including its imminent neighbours Braeriach, Carin Gorm and Carin Toul. It was so cold it took my breath away, but it was more enlivening than a bucket of espresso. Braeriach (1296 m) 3.8 km: 5. 2.9 km/h. 05:40. The only difference? All Rights Reserved. Munros are the 283 mountains in Scotland over 914m (3,000ft) high that were selected by Sir Hugh Munro as being notable (there are another 255 summits over 914m, but he classed those as ‘tops’). Ben Macdui Climb is a 7 km moderately popular red singletrack trail located near Braemar. I consent to allow Wired for Adventure to collect my contact information (required) Experienced riders with good levels of fitness might well be interested in one of the school’s ‘Epic Adventures’, which sees you tackle one or two Munros with a guide in the remote and beautiful Glen Feshie. Care is required when crossing the bouldery summits of Ben MacDui & Derry Cairngorm. This multi-use trail can be used both directions. Ben MacDui, Derry Cairngorm and Carn a' Mhaim A long rewarding day which took 11.5 hrs to complete. Ben Macdui Ben Macdui (Scottish Gaelic: Beinn Mac Duibh) is the second highest mountain in the United Kingdom (absolute height) after Ben Nevis, and the highest in the Cairngorms. Very good fitness required. We took advantage of the water tinkling down the burns (Gaelic for water course) to re-fill our bottles (the rule of thumb is that water sources in the Highlands are drinkable above the last human habitation) before tackling the short, sharp the ascent to the plateau from Coire an Lochain. 1641 ft This table gives the weather forecast for Ben Macdui at the specific elevation of … Normally you’d find somewhere down in the glen to camp, but in the summer in Scotland you want to do exactly the opposite. The pass comprises three distinct sections:1. These cheeky black and white birds used to be summer visitors, but now live here year around due to helpful crumbs falling from visitors’ flapjacks. Ben Mac Dui overlooks the famous Glen of Lairig Ghru which runs for miles right through the Cairngorm range. The going underfoot was loose and you had to keep your eyes trained on the trail. It’s terrain that looks intimidating, but is actually great fun to climb – you really do feel like you’re on an adventure. P Perhaps it'd be nice to mention Scotland's answer to the yeti? I had come to the Cairngorms to hike up Britain’s second highest mountain, Ben Macdui, in the company of Mountaineering Scotland’s Mountain Safety Advisor, Heather Morning. There was no obvious trail that I could see… “That’s OK, we’ll go off-piste and find a route with a burn to refill the water bottles,” said Heather, cheerfully. The 360-degree wilderness views were stunning, making the slog up the mountainside all worthwhile. Ben Macdui takes advantage of a high start at 650m to launch you deep onto the Cairngorm plateau, when you reach its summit you’ll enjoy a fantastic mountain panorama. By the time we were ascending the trail proper, sunlight had flooded the heather, picking out the white ribbon of path as the sky deepened to a cornflour blue. It is a spectacular walking route in summer being surrounded on all sides by some of Scotland's highest peaks. Photo: Geograph.org . Helly Hansen Lifa Infinity Pro: The future of responsible waterproof clothing is here. Up on the plateau we can potentially have snow every month of the year,” said Heather. Climbing Ben Macdui, the UK’s second highest mountain, delivers an unexpected blend of summer sun and winter snows for AT contributor Matt Ray…. BEN Macdui holds the title of Britain’s second tallest mountain, just pipped to the post by the better-known Ben Nevis. This is a new road which has recently been opened. Does Heather have any tips? 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