Cairngorms

[Leigh Robinson]

Hi,

I would like to see the deer rutting in scotland this year. From what I have read and heard, cairngorms 1st week in October is a good place to be for it.

I would like to wildcamp but I have no experience in this region. My navigation skills are ok with map and compass.

I also considered western highlands. Basically what I am looking for is a bit of wildcamping in Scotland and hopefully to see some deer.

I would reAlly like any advice or guidance please.

 

[jimford]

Plenty of deer in the Cairngorms - too many actually!

There's first class camping, with good water. I never boil it and drink it straight from the burns. Take a tent, there are no trees in the hills for a tarp/hammock. The forests are the domain of clegs in the daytime and midges in the evening - and they both make you very welcome!

The hills can kill you any month of the year. Last year in July I had windchill of -10 C on the Cairngorm Plateau and was thoroughly dissorientated in the driving rain. My GPS display had gone dark from the cold and I couldn't press the buttons properly to adjust it - my hands were so cold! Fortunately I had a compass.

If you make up your mind to go to the Cairngorms, I can post coordinates of several good camping spots.

Jim

 

[andybysea]

I can agree with Jimford, i was in the Cairngorms 2 weeks ago very warm day walked up Derry Cairngorm and the temp dropped off and it started to sleet,and snow,half an hour later warm again, there's also some good bothy's to stay in, and yep there's midges in the forests.

 

[jimford]

I forgot to mention the bothys.

Corrour is far too popular and you have to trudge through ground boggy with the tread of countless feet to get there. I always give it a miss! I hear that there is a toilet now. I guess it's because of the contamination of the local burn and incidence of poisoning.You only have to see the bothy from afar to see the rich green of the surrounding vegetation, indicating soil enrichment with fertiliser!

Bob Scotts is a nice bothy but too accessible and consequently popular. Again it's got an outside toilet. It's also got a nice stove.

Ruigh Aiteachain (in Glen Feshie) is again very popular, but it's got an outside toilet and always has a huge pile of wood for the fire. It's quite roomy.

Faindouran (in Glen Avon) is one of the most remote bothys and consequently not heavily used. It's got the best fireplace in the Cairngorms, but there's little fuel for it in the vicinity! It's my favourite bothy.

Inshriach bothy is a nice cosy wooden one in pretty surroundings. It's out of the way and doesn't seem to get heavily used. It's ideal for a first 'bothy experience'. It's West of Loch an Eilean.

Bynack Stable blew down a couple of years ago!

Ryvoan Bothy looks good, but is too easily accessible from Glen More and gets vandalised.

The Hutchison Memorial Hut near Loch Etchachan is serviceable but a bit dour!

Lastly there's the horrid shelter at the Fords of Avon - basically an Anderson Shelter covered with rocks! There's always been a couple of inches of water on the floor when I've looked in. You'd need to be in pretty dire straits to want to spend the night in it!

There's also various howfs in the hills, the most notable being The Shelter Stone alongside Loch Avon. I've often peeped in when passing but it's a bit squalid, and I've never stopped!

Jim

 

[Leigh Robinson]

Thanks for a little info. Its putting me off a bit. All the pictures make it look really exposed. I think 1st week in october and the midges will be well down. I have lived in finland that has a lot of mozzies , midges etc.

The bothies sound good, well a few of them at least.

I am leaning towards western highlands now. I wanted to go to the cairngorms as its well known and i wanted to see what the attraction was. Plus the deer. But the open exposure and boggy paths are putting me off.

I have visions of western scotland with forest and coast to match. Perhaps I would be better served there for scenery, comfort? I was looking at my OS map and what put me off was the lack of towns/villages for emergencies/stock replenishment.

 

[jimford]

I wanted to go to the cairngorms as its well known and i wanted to see what the attraction was.

I've met people from all over Europe in the Cairngorms, including from Switzerland, Austria and the French Pyranees. I ask all those with 'bigger and better' hills why bother with the Cairngorms. They all reply that their hills are 'manicured', with organised trails - and that the Cairngorms are still a true wilderness.

Jim

 

[eoin]

I was in the Cairngorms a few weeks ago, it was nice and sheltered in the forest. Saw a few deer and squirrels and surprisingly only a very few midgies which didn't bother me.

But the Cairngorms range is so big I wouldn't recommend it for seeing rutting stags though.


I'd go north west, I've only once been near rutting stags and that was on Glas Bheinn up in Assynt. The north corrie was full of them roaring and strutting about. Wish I'd had a camera that day.

The Assynt area is a great place to go, plenty of hills, lochs etc, loads of wild camping spots and virtually deserted, in October you'll be lucky to see anyone else out on the hills except at weekends and then it would be only a few on the more popular routes.

 

[Limaed]

You could go to Rum, its got a big herd in a small place. There was some stuff on Auturm Watch last year about it.
The campsite is almost wildcamping and you can have a open fire or stay in Kinloch Castle:cool
Rum is managed by SNH so they may have somthing running when the rut is on (or you could ask?)

http://www.road-to-the-isles.org.uk/rum.html

Great mountaineering too!

Ive heard the stags roaring lots of times but its hard to get close, dont forget too that many of the estate rely on the stalking for income (£1000+ for a stag) and folk in thier area can ruin a shoot.
Its good manners at that time of year to ask permission to access the land (not that many do) the stalkers will rarely decline but they may ask you to stay out of certain areas.

Perhaps you could contact the stalker on your chosen estate they maybe willing to take you out for a small sum whilst setting up a shoot?

Dont worry to much about lack of supplies, there's always a village shop when you need it.

Ed