TGOC'24 Day 10 Bob Scott Memorial Hut to Corndavon Bothy May 19th, 2024

I hope everyone has recovered from yesterday's adventure. I know it took me about 800mg of vitamin I to get to sleep after my day on the Ridge. Waking up today I see an entirely different weather day than yesterday.  The clouds are low and misty and everything is wet. No stove this morning for hot coffee so it is a cold brew and some cookies for breakfast as I pack away the wet tent. 

I notice that neither Sue nor John are are stirring yet, so I don't get to say goodbye, actually no one is up and about yet, so much for being determined to take my time on this crossing. Looking back at the Bothy tucked into the woods, the muted sky makes all the green colors really pop!

Today is a bit of a mystery when it comes to what I am expecting. There is not much about this area online and the Google Earth images don't really show much detail either. From what I gather it is not a very popular route for Challengers, as my route today will bypass Mar Lodge and Braemar all together.

 

I have a short walk toward Glen Lui as I follow along the Lui Water

Everywhere on the bushes next to the trail are hundreds of these spider webs all catching the morning dew. You might not notice them under normal conditions but this morning you might think you are in Mirkwood.

It is only a couple of miles to my cutoff on this main trail. Then a rather steep climb up toward Clais Fhearnaig. As I climb, I can get a better view of Glen Lui behind me. 

Heading into Clais Fhearnaig

There are a pair of small lochans, the first is almost completely overgrown with reeds. 

and of course black slugs! 

This particular rock had some bright and colorful moss and lichen growing all over it. The only color in an otherwise green and brown world today. 

The second lochan was long and thin, fitting perfectly between the slopes of the hills. 

I am heading into Glen Quoich. Here I encounter another lonely closed gate without a fence. 

Glen Quoich (pron. Co-ich) is beautiful, equally on par with the most beautiful glens I have been in.

Looking into Glen Quoich and Quoich Water 

Fording the Allt an Dubh ghlinne, not much to worry about here as I could find stones for the whole way across. 

The path through here is just an easy two track over most of this first part up the glen. 

This area does get some foot traffic for walkers accessing some Munro's further up the glen. Beinn Bhreac (3041'), A' Chioch (3868') and Beinn a' Bhuird (3923'). They are all in the clouds today, much better to stay down here.

As for me, I was continuing on up along side  Quoich Water 

About half way up this glen, the path disappears on the OS maps. I was expecting to spend a good few hours weaving my way through thickets and brush up the side of the river. 

But what I found was fabulous trail building. Where the path was suppose to stop, there was a perfectly groomed trail, with real trail building features like water bars and french drains. Who ever built this section of trail, knew exactly what they were doing and did it well. 

Walking here, under these trees for the next few miles was a real pleasure and maybe some of the best walking I have done in Scotland so far. 

Beautiful 

You do eventually break out of the trees onto the moors again, but the track stays nice and easy to walk. 

Just before you reach Cairn Eag Dhubh you come across a large cairn of rocks. This is your que to turn up hill. I had a bit of a rest here and had some lunch. I had enough food left to make two sandwiches. One now and one tonight, since I didn't have a working stove. 

Looking back at all the good path I had coming up Glen Quoich. 

Unfortunately it was time to return to "normal" Scottish trails

In this case, boggy ground between two ridges. There is more path marked on the map and less on the actual ground than there was through Glen Quoich... 😏

This will be my walking for about 6 miles 

This is the River Gairn valley 

Eventually you have to cross the River Gairn. Actually you don't have too. The map shows a single dashed line path that stays on this side of the river at about 500m and parallels the river and would eventually come out where I want, but I have had my fill of boggy ground for the afternoon so chose to cross here and get on the more defined two track you can see on the other side

There used to be a footbridge here, (you can see the supports in the picture below). It was washed away a while ago and not rebuilt. It is up to just below my knees here. 

There is also a nice shooting hut, which does not appear on my map, but the grouse butts do (stone bird blinds). The lodge certainly has a nice view. 

Down the two track for just a bit and you enter the boundary for another Estate. This one is taking its boundaries very seriously with a 6' high fence surrounding it. 

It does provide a gate, thank goodness, and gives access to a very new bridge across the River Gairn. 

River Gairn back the way I have come

Looking ahead to the Northeast 

The path now leads up to Lochan Oir (below) and Loch Builg just beyond. Who ever ones this bit of Scotland land now, is spending a lot of money to "re-wild" the land. 

From here it is just a quick 3 miles walk to my destination for the night Corndavon Lodge and Bothy 

It is still used on occasion for hunting and other activities, it is owed now by the Invercauld Estate, but at one time was owned by King George VI

Main Lodge 

The inside of the house have extensive murals that were commissioned by H.M. Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother in 1968

Internet photo 

I had a good while to wait for dark and while I did, I got my tent up, which was soaking wet, without much chance of drying out anytime today, but while I waited, thinking I was alone in this glen, along comes Richard Maxey, then Jayme Morgan with Peter Molenaar and a couple of others in their group. I thought that they might stay around here, but they had a few more miles to go as they had come down Glen Avon from Faindouran Bothy last night. As it turns out, I would see them all again tomorrow. 

The end of 16 miles today. Only the weather was gloomy as I had a wonderful day walking through the glens of Scotland