Bynack More, GM/ES-010 - 1090m ASL - NJ 042 063 - OS Explorer 403 - 8 SOTA points            

GM Tour - Thursday 26th August 2010 (part 1)

And finally we were at the Big Cairngorms Day Out with Barry GM4TOE and his black labrador Tommy.  It was another 5am get up in Nairn, although I was wide awake with anticipation at 4.30am! We drove to Inverness, and then down the A9 to Aviemore, where we hunted for breakfast. It was disappointing to discover that such a famous base for walkers didn't have anything opening for breakfast before 8am. We made do with chicken tikka and onion bhaji sandwiches from the petrol station - which were, in fact, delicious.

   

We drove all the way to Glenmore Lodge, parking at NH988095. Barry and Tommy arrived just a few minutes later, and soon after that the four of us were walking along the good track through Ryvdan Pass and around to the large footbridge at NJ021105. We paused here for a photograph, and were soon visited by midges. But sadly, this was neither the last nor most ferocious encounter with them on the day.

   

The path then climbed steadily to a fork at about 780m ASL. Barry pointed out that we would take the right fork, but would return later along the left one. The path then clung just to the right and just below the crest of the ridge as it ascended to Bynack More summit from the north.

   

On summit, we first dealt with the photo-shoot, and then with mine and Jimmy's lunch of Baxters Chicken Broth - delicious. One or two other people passed over the lunar looking bouldery summit, but not many. We had lots of visitors though. The midges would make a real menace of themselves as we operated, as well as torment us for much of the walking that followed.

   

Barry set his multilink dipole with the plan to use 5MHz SSB and CW, Jimmy was on 2m FM, and I did 40m CW. No surprises there then! 15 QSOs ensued before the QRG was empty. I operated from the relative comfort of the inside of my bothy bag which thankfully kept most of the midges off. I couldn't see, but from inside I could hear the repeated anguished cries of Barry who was struggling to maintain sanity under their prolonged attacks.

   

After packing away, Barry led us south to the Barns of Bynack (big rocks) and then 300m straight down an appallingly steep slope. It was uneven underfoot, with obstacles, sometimes hidden, of heather, rock and bog to contend with, and with more than enough points to make my legs wobble as I struggled to ensure I didn't sprain an ankle or twist a knee!  Jimmy, Barry and Tommy has to wait a fair time at the footpath and river crossing down in the 'Corrie of the Barns' below. But it was a different story on the now imminent ascent of Creag Mhor GM/ES-017.