| Date | 15 Sep 2024 |
| Route | Link to Route |
| Enjoyable | |
| Difficulty | |
| Conditions | Cool and breezy with some spells of drizzle and light rain |
| Summits | ✔ (T) Creag an Leth-choin [Lurcher's Crag] ✔ (T) Cairn Lochan ✔ (T) Stob Coire an t-Sneachda ✔ (T) Cnap Coire na Spreidhe |
We were planning a trip to climb some of the Drumochter Munros, but as Ailidh is full of the cold, I decided on mopping up some Cairngorm Tops myself.
Using the Cairngorm Ski Centre car park, I used the path to climb up towards the west side of the cairngorm plateau, but just before the top of the first climb, I skirted around and then headed up to Lurcher's Crag. There was some cracking views along the Lairig Ghru towards Braeriach and Ben Macdui.
After clearing the summit I walked south along the cliff before heading back east to rejoin the main path, passing a small pool of water, which was a massive chunk of ice back in May. About a kilometre along the path, I turned off to ascend the second and highest top of the day, Cairn Lochan. There were several cairns in this area as well as good, very steep views down the gully and vent.
The next top, Stob Coire an t-Sneachda looking quite daunting, with a drop followed by a steep climb, but was much easier than it looked. From here I got my first proper look at the Cairngorm itself as the mist started clearing again.
Instead of heading straight up the Cairngorm, I headed to the cairn marked at 1141m where I had lunch a decent break. Afterwards the climb up the Cairngorm felt a little tougher, but straightforward, however, towards the top I avoided the summit leaving that for when Ailidh is with me.
The path down to Ptarmigan station is well made, but composed of narrow stones, which I don't like as I have a habit of slipping on them, so more care required. Once at the station I headed due east to take in the last top of the day, Cnap Coire na Spreidhe. There was no clear path, but the terrain was simple enough. The views from here were really good, especially of Loch Avon and waterfalls off Carn Etchachan.
Once returning to Ptarmigan station, I made my way down the main path to the ski centre. Once changed I had a well deserved cuppa and muffin in the cafe, during which there was a proper rain shower :-)
There were lots of people out today, mainly around the Cairngorm, a few of which weren't equipped well for the weather today.
