Scotland mostly - through nsl4u

On a really nice easy drive north to meet the lads for a 'Stag do', I went
off the new A9 to get to the Badenoch villages ...past Newtonmore where I
used to hill race to the turning point around a white pony (Creag Dhubh,
7km, 370m ascent; record by John Brooks [another Lochaber hardman, superb
athlete] 27.07, a world class athlete in his heyday, and started as a
brilliant junior often beating the senior internationalists). Then on to
Kingussie (miss the g ''ing'' out..as kin-you-see)..and the spectacular
Ruthven Barracks; a cavalry post for quelling the troublesome
highlanders....

Further on the views are of Badenoch and Strath Spey, then the glorious
Cairngorm plateau with it's regular chiselled corries and cliff faces, and
the deep glens of Lairig Ghru and Einich. As seen, the hills are high enough
to hold snow well into the Summer and it can regularly snow in every month
on the tops, where great care has to be taken by anyone not too experienced.
Some of the north facing corries have routinely had 'perpetual snowfields;
...I think sometimes more than 40 years old, though I recall that the very
long hot Summer of about 10 years ago banished them all. I don't think there
are any that develop now and maybe a sign of that insidious global warming
we hear about ....but maybe don't relate to quite so easily.

Aviemore is a wonderfully re-generated venue for some really great fun and
also wonderful outdoors activities...I can only strongly recommend ''go
there, try it..I seriously doubt if you'll be disappointed' - there's
something for everyone.

The Stag do was, for me, 'quite painful'...hmmm; I'd say down to the
servings at the Old Bridge Inn (excellent). However, thanks MD - what a
couple of days.

Br, Denis.

Labels: Ruthven Barracks, The CAIRNGORMS