Curiously, the howff’s creators had not set out to conceal its location from other walkers and climbers as one of its builders, Ashie Brebner, revealed in his book Beyond the Secret Howff. On average it takes 28 minutes to complete this trail. Squareface, Beinn a'Bhuird . Open start point in Google Maps for directions. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Solidly constructed and well appointed, the Slugain Howff provides a novel base camp for Beinn a' Bhuird, sleeping four or five in more comfort than you'll find in many full-blown bothies. Hidden away in the remote upper reaches of Gleann an t-Slugain, Slugain Howff has, since its clandestine construction in the 1950s, been shrouded in a swirling cloud of mystery, a mantle of mist as thick as the worst Cairngorm weather concealing its secluded location. Everyone else disembarked at Linn of Dee and made a quick dash to the port-a-loos. ( Log Out /  Bukid ang Beinn a' Bhuird sa Hiniusang Gingharian. As well as reading our description of each walking route, you can read about the experiences of others users on this walk and others.There are 15 user reports for this walk - click to read them. In reality, the secret howff is now anything but secret, thanks largely to the internet and its uncanny knack of encouraging people to share their information and experiences. The summit is set well back from the edge of Coire nan Clach, away from the immediate drama of the precipices but with a grand prospect over endless rolling lower hills to the north, east and south; only to the west does the bulk of the main Cairngorms impinge on the distant horizon. From there, he traversed through to the Glen More Hayfield via Ben Avon, Beinn a Bhuird North Top and Faindouran Bothy. 11 - 12 August, 2012. Goat Fell and Cir Mhor, Arran . Derry Dam. The summit area can be difficult to navigate and is extremely exposed in bad weather. Finally, returning by the same outward route with its easy going underfoot is the option taken by most walkers, and the fine pinewoods of Glen Quoich make this just as enjoyable as the ascent - it is the route we recommend. Even in summer this requires a paddle, and it would be quite impossible to cross in high spate - if the water level is high and fast then discretion is the better part of valour. Good tracks for the approach to the stony plateau. Derry Dam is a structure - partially ... as Beinn a' Bhuird and Ben Mac Dhui, are partly in the shire of Banff. Beinn a’Bhuird (Beinn a’Bhuird North Top) is a summit in the region or range in Scotland. Ignore the path off right towards the Linn of Quoich, and then turn right onto the main track to begin the long walk in up Glen Quoich. The article states you would have to climb the 11th highest mountain in the UK, Beinn a’Bhuird, but there is much more than just one mountain to climb. Autumnal Colours, Ben Wyvis . 47.6 km. Mountaineering, Landscape and Wildlife photography and guiding in the Arctic, Antarctic and Scotland. Open start point in Google Maps for directions. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Six Club members from Aberdeen and one who’d travelled up by car overnight from London gathered at Keiloch Sawmill on the morning of Sat 11th August 2012 for a Day Meet to Bens Avon and Bhuird. Perched atop a bluff of rock and opening out on to a flat grassy plateau of grass, the bothy is built of stone topped with wooden rafters and corrugated metal (renewed in 2017). Offbeat Attractions, Quirky Curiosities, Hidden Gems. Walking can be dangerous and is done entirely at your own risk. 05:00. Climbing the slopes of Beinn Bhreac looking south A hazy Ben a’Ghlo in the distance Beinn Mheadhoin form between Beinn Bhreacs 2 tops Approaching the summit of Beinn Bhreac Once on top the view to the hills ahead revealed itself with the legendary boggy Moine Bhealaidh between us and it. Ciach Lodge was built at some point during the 19th century and may have been located on the site of an older croft. Perched atop a bluff of rock and opening out on to a flat grassy plateau of grass, the bothy is built of stone topped with wooden rafters and corrugated metal (renewed in 2017). Beyond this it crosses a small stream and a tiny path goes off left through the Clais Fhearnaig. Having switched days from Saturday to Sunday due to the forecast extreme gale force conditions, a total of 8 of us gathered in Keiloch car park for an early start. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. From Linn of Quoich, round of Beinn a'Bhuird (four Munro tops), Beinn a'Chaorainn (both tops) and Beinn Bhreac (both tops) kdbennett: 03/09/2016: Cycled from Linn of Dee to Derry Lodge than an anti-clockwise circuit of Beinn Bhreac & Beinn a'Chaorainn. On own. MorecambeMonkey: 27/08/2016 After a few kilometres the Linn of Quoich alternative start soon joins in from a footbridge on the right. People are asked to stay at home except for essential purposes. In whispering tones, men of the mountains refer to it simply as the ‘secret howff’ and those who know where it lurks swear an unwritten oath not to divulge the truth. The view north into the wild Slochd Mor is dramatic, particularly looking to the left into the great climbers' corrie of the Garbh Coire. The reputation of the howff is such that I knew of its existence long before I knew even of its approximate location. ‘Such an emphasis on the howff being a secret was not part of the intention of its original builders.’. All the walking routes up Beinn a’Bhuird (Beinn a’Bhuird North Top) on Mud and Routes can be found below. The slopes soon broaden out and the gradient eases; there are great views across to the main Cairngorms, with the tors of Beinn Mheadhoin prominent. Glas-Allt-Shiel bothy Loop from Crathie. As a result, Slugain Howff, which today enjoys the blessing of the estate, remains the only shelter in the upper part of the glen and despite its ‘secret’ status, its bothy book reveals a steady stream of visitors, a well-worn path leading there through the heather. Apart from brief touches of yellow, orange and pink on both evenings plus a patch of blue sky on the second one the dominant colour was green - green woods, green grasses, and green tent. Walking and climbing drew them to the mountains in the summer but it was the winter ski-ing, then in its infancy in Scotland, that was to consume them. However, by 1908 it had been replaced by Slugain Lodge which appears again on the 1947 OS map. It is understood, however, that the cottage burned down at some point during the 1940s. Chris, Sandy, Bob, Gillie, Ruth, Steve, Graham N and Jeff left the car park on our bikes to head off up the Slugain to start our mission. Excellent navigation is needed here if the weather is poor, but in good conditions you can venture to the edge of the plateau and look down into dramatic Coire an Dubh-Lochain, with its perfect lochan and the sculptured crags of Bloodhound Buttress. Lin O'Dee – Beinn a'Bhuird Descent Loop from Little Inverey. Grassy Single Track – Glas-Allt-Shiel bothy Loop from Clova. Beinn a' Chuallaich is a large upland mass in the Central Highlands of Scotland, near the village of Kinloch Rannoch. Carnferg Peak – The Ladder Trail Loop from Dinnet. Looking south from Maoile Lunndaidh . Otherwise you can either follow the plateau edge towards where it narrows to a point, or take a more direct line to regain the edge above Coire nan Clach. The most recent was Slugain Lodge which maps suggest was built in the early years of the 1900s. Higher up the new path built by NTS leaves the route of the former track completely when it zigzagged sharp left; continue on the fine new path which cuts across the slopes to eventually reach the ridge at An Diollaid. Talisker Bay, Isle of Skye . ( Log Out /  The bothy is very comfortable, with bunk beds in a separate dormitory, as well as sleeping platforms in the two communal rooms. https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/cairngorms/beinn-a-bhuird.shtml Linn of Quoich car park. Soon the track now ends - the section of track from here to Beinn a'Bhuird was once one of the ugliest scars in the Highlands - a bull-dozed route visible for many miles around. In the post-war period, when car ownership was less common than it is now and buses and trains were the way most folk headed for the hills, long walks in were the norm and the use of unofficial bothies in the Cairngorms – usually abandoned cottages or shepherds’ huts – and the construction of howffs grew rapidly. The route now continues as a path climbing up above the woods and then across the hillside above. The shortest approach is up Glen Quoich and follows a the former line of a bulldozed track - now restored by the NTS - high onto the mountain. From there, he traversed through to the Glen More Hayfield via Ben Avon, Beinn a Bhuird North Top and Faindouran Bothy. Ben Avon and Beinn a’Bhuird are two large Munros which mark the eastern edge of the Cairngorm range, and are accessible from the Braemar/Deeside Road, where the Invercauld Estate has provided a walkers car park, but require £2.50 for a 'pay and display' ticket. It had to be for it was built without permission of the landowner, a stealthy structure that, for this reason, became known as the secret howff. The new bothy was well concealed. Following the main track, continue up the glen. Another option is to head to the south summit and the Bruach Mhor before cutting across the moor to regain the track. Ascending the side of Carn Fiaclach Beinn a’ Bhuird has been on my to-do list for a while now. Bear right to head up onto the summit plateau of Beinn a'Bhuird. Known as the Sneck, this bealach at over 970 metres is the high level link between Ben Avon and neighbouring Beinn a'Bhuird, enabling both to be climbed the same day by the very fit; there is a small hummock in the centre of the bealach that almost makes it a double pass. ‘What I hadn’t fully realised was that finding the Secret Howff had become something of a Holy Grail for some of the present generation of walkers, skiers and climbers,’ he wrote. Nahimutang ni sa dapit sa konseho sa Aberdeenshire ug apil sa nasod sa Scotland, sa amihanang bahin sa nasod, 700 km sa amihanan sa London ang ulohan sa nasod. It is called the moss of the bealach in Gaelic and forms a great open expanse of high ground between twin Munros to the west and the long broad slope of Beinn a Bhuird to the east.. Our return journey from the isolated Faindouran bothy near the river Avon in the eastern Cairngorms was proving more demanding than we anticipated. On the far side keep on the main track, heading into the pinewoods below Carn Allt na Beine. It sounds a long way, and it is, but so is the length of Graeme’s stride. Beinn a’Bhuird (Beinn a’Bhuird North Top) is 1197 metres high. Brebner re-visited the howff in the 1980s during a family Christmas in Braemar then again in 2003 – the 50th anniversary of its construction – when he fitted a small brass plaque dedicated to the howff’s four founders without whom this remote refuge would never have existed. Beinn a'Bhuird South Top is 1179 metres high. Change ), Strathpeffer Sculptures – Secret Scotland. Beinn a Bhuird was among their favourite stomping grounds. All the walking routes up Beinn 24.5 km. Have you found an error or is any information wrong or missing? There is one river crossing which would be impossible in spate and requires a wade at most times. Gaining ground in the beautiful Strath Tummel, this Beinn is adjacent to the Schiehallion in the south and to the north rises from Glen Errochty. though you could walk in and camp in the Glen, then head up and over the next day, camp in the fairy glen, then out to Braemar on day 3. Along with its neighbour Ben Avon these two behemoths dominate the eastern skyline of Glenlivet, their blocky tors distinctive against the Aberdeenshire sky. By all means go hunting, but if you do find it, whatever you do keep it under your hat. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. I give it a miss... More coire rim... Then the North Top of Beinn a’ Bhuird... Thrilling. However in recent years the National Trust for Scotland has done a fantastic job in beginning the restoration of the landscape and has helped the old track be recovered with heather. This trail is unsanctioned, use at your own risk! Ben Avon and Beinn a’ Bhuird. There are numerous online posts about the refuge, the search for it and the excitement of ultimately finding it, plus photographs and videos showing the place in all its glory. Everyone else disembarked at Linn of Dee and made a quick dash to the port-a-loos. The south summit can be reached by a detour of about 700 metres from this point. There looks to be snow on Ben Macdui – old or new? Beinn a Bhuird & WWII Crash Site. The building appears on the Ordnance Survey one-inch to the mile first edition map of 1870 and on Bartholomew’s half-inch to the mile map, published in 1902. Beinn a' Bhuird [Beinn a' Bhuird North Top] Hill number: 529: Height: 1197m / 3927ft: RHB Section: 08B: Cairngorms: County/UA: Moray (UA), Aberdeenshire (UA) Region test: HE03 Bhuird-avon: Catchment: Catchment Boundaries, Dee (Aberdeen), Spey: Watershed: Mull of Kintyre to Rattray Head, Aberdeen Bay: Class: Marilyn, Hump, Simm, Munro, Murdo, Yeaman (Ma,Hu,Tu,Sim,M,Mur,Y) Information is provided free of charge; it is each walker's responsibility to check it and navigate 06:05. Continue on the track to reach the Allt an Dubh-Ghleann. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. ... Ben Alder Cottage Bothy. There is some regeneration in the lower glen but higher up regeneration is still poor. Difficult. Continue up the ridge - this section above the saddle of An Diollaid was once one of the worst parts of the scar, though the exposed location means it is taking longer for the vegetation to recolonise. Please let us know by clicking here. Beinn a Bhuird, the great glycogen depleter Today Paul West Watson and I opted for Mountain biking and were planning to boulder a bit afterwards at the Luath stone, an area developed by Stuart Stronach, Tim Rankin & co. as far as I now. Looking West from A'Mhaighdean . 1,196 metros ibabaw sa dagat kahaboga ang nahimutangan sa Beinn a' Bhuird, o 453 ka metros sa ibabaw sa naglibot nga tereyn.Mga 8.4 ka kilometro ang gilapdon sa tiilan niini. Sgurr Mor, Fannaichs . A low wooden door affords access to the cosy inner chamber, equipped with a couple of seats and a wooden floor with space for three or four to roll out sleeping bags. 125th Anniversary Overnighter to the Shelter Stone 23 - 24 June, 2012: 2012 is the 125 th Anniversary of the founding of the Cairngorm Club, at the Shelter Stone at the head on Loch Avon in the centre of the Cairngorms.. It replaced Ciach Lodge, located a little further up the glen. During the 1950s and 60s, four friends from Aberdeen – Ashie Brebner, Jim Robertson, Charlie Smith and Doug Mollison – were regular visitors to the Eastern Cairngorms. From summit, nip over Beinn a'Bhuird then drop down to Faindouran for the night. 02:51. The secret of Slugain Howff stems from its inception, in an era when men and women were increasingly looking to the hills and glens for their weekend recreation. Continue along the glen with Beinn a'Bhuird's huge bulk coming into view ahead on the right as the track curves round and passes below a plantation. Finding it is not as difficult as one might imagine. There are many magnificent old Scots pine trees in Glen Quoich, which must rank as amongst the most attractive in the Cairngorms. It is not marked on any maps but the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Landranger sheet gives perhaps one of the best clues to the bothy’s location. Intermediate. 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