“In every walk with nature one receives far more than one seeks” – John Muir
John Muir, adventurer, explorer, naturalist, and considered to be the Father of National Parks (his life long efforts are behind the conservation of many a National Park in the United States), was a Scottish national. At the age of 11, in 1849, he migrated from Scotland to Americas along with his parents and siblings. It was a fitting tribute when in 2003 Cairngorms was declared a National Park, it was inaugurated by his great-great-grand daughter, Liz Hanna.
“For all its tempestuous nature, the Cairngorms is a place of astonishing beauty. Some days are calm and warm, fragrance lifting from the earth and birds riding high. Even in winter there can be times of sunshine and such crystal-clear air that views extend to the mountains over 100km away, from Ben Hope in the far north to the Ben Nevis in the south west. And on cloudless nights, the cold silent skies fade from rich blue to black, till all is lit with stars” – from a display at the tiny museum in the base station of Cairngorms Mountain Railway.
Cairngorms was central to our Scotland trip. And the informative National Park website helped us in planning our itinerary. And Aviemore became our base for 3 days.
Soon after our Flying Scotsman experience, we decided to head to the Cairngorms mountains. Aviemore town is connected to the Cairngorms Mountains Car Park area by city buses, every hour. Cairngorms is also a widely popular skiing destination during winter and a trekking destination throughout the year. There is also the Cairngorm Mountain Railway, which takes you from the car park on an 8 minute journey up the hill, but it was not operational during our visit.
Our idea was to go and get a sense of the area and return the next day for a full-day exploration. What a wise decision it was! The bus drops passengers at the car park, where a couple of buildings house the ranger’s office, the base station for the mountain railway, a nice café, and a souvenir shop.
We explored one of the trekking trail that takes one up the mountain. We hiked slowly, looking around and soaking in the beauty all around. Undulated hills till the horizon, the forests of the Glenmore and Loch Morlich at the distance, and the trail itself, flanked by wild bushes with tiny flowers. The high speed wind, with speeds varying from 40–70 kmph was a deterrant. Cairngorms is the most coldest, windy, and snowy place in the United Kingdom.
Next day, we came back, this time early in the first bus from Aviemore town, prepared for the trek. The wind was stronger than the previous day. As we kept hiking slowly, the rains became continuous. ‘Astonishing beauty’ was true in every sense. The rains also gifted us with an amazing rainbow.
The wind was getting stronger, often sweeping us off the feet. We had to stop often not to lose balance. Many seasoned trekkers overtook us and moved ahead.
We kept pushing ahead, every time marking a point ahead as the place to return. Then not wanting to give up, we kept moving beyond those points. We were sufficiently equipped with the right outfit for rains and cold, but the fully drenched socks was literally a dampener. To be fair, it was not that cold. It was the end of summer. Most other trekkers were with either one or two layers of cloth. The wind was making it cold (with weather report readings like ‘feels like -2 degree centigrade’). As we ascended, the wind became stronger, and a mild fear gripped us. Our less-than-muscular bodies and the low tolerance to cold were not helping either. We decided to return. Later, we realised that the trail that keeps going up and far is a circular one and reaches the base station, after touching the peak, and probably it’s another couple of hours more.
Though we returned without completing the circuit, we thoroughly enjoyed the 6-km trek of ours. Back at the café, after a hot soup, we waited for the bus. For the next adventure—the Glenmore Forest Trail.
Other stories on Aviemore / Cairngorms
The Flying Scotsman at Aviemore
Ravenscraig@Aviemore – A warm highland welcome awaits
Nice link to John Muir. I never knew that about his g-g-granddaughter. Beautiful photos.
Thank you Ann 🙂