Walking the edges

BRAERIACH, CAIRNGORMS

TAKE A WANDER HIGH INTO THE CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK TO ENJOY THE MAGNIFICENT VIEWS CREATED BY ITS MISSING MOUNTAINS. WALK IT

In the Cairngorms it’s all about the edges. The summits tend to be broad and arching, rather than sharp and pointed, and as such the drama of these peaks is provided by the fringes of the mountains, places where the hard rock of the hills meets the thin open air above the glens with remarkable suddenness. You can blame that on the ice. The great glaciers that carved through the landscape weren’t much bothered about smoothing out the wreckage they left behind. The result is scenery such as this. Here, on top of one of the multitude of buttresses and ridges that seem to prop up the eastern flank of Sron na Lairige, the views down into the U-shaped Lairig Ghru pass are something special. Get there in the first half of the day when the climbing sun throws its finest light down the valley and you’ll catch the landscape at its best. This spot (above) is just one such elevated grandstand; there are more beyond, and once past Sron na Lairige the colossal corries of Braeriach keep the ‘wow’ factor turned up to 11. And while there’s certainly a summit or two to be bagged, they’re nothing compared to life on the edge.

Back along the glen, the cliffs of Lurcher’s Crag provide an even steeper backdrop to the Lairig Ghru. The Lairig Ghru mountain pass offers a shortcut through the Cairngorm mountains from Aviemore to Braemar. Ben Macdui, Britain’s second highest peak, lumbers into view when the cloud rises. The sharp ridges and plunging buttresses contrast sharply against the rounded valley and shallowdomed summits. If you like a craggy promontry over a big drop, the corrie edges of Braeriach will blow your mind! Hold on to your kit! Anything you drop from here won’t stop bouncing, rolling or tumbling until it’s a long way away from you!