The modern walk
of longest duration in The Cairngorms region was John Duff’s seven-day
circumambulation of the boundaries of the Parish of Braemar, an area of
300 square miles, with 20 Munros.
With a hint of a smile John told me that he undertook the trip because an old keeper, Donald McDonald of Invercauld – known as Donald Bynack because his father was the keeper at Bynack Lodge – would tease him for his lack of detailed knowledge of the moors.
The walk was made widdershins – anti-clockwise – setting out from Crathie ‘on a leaden Sunday afternoon’. He wrote a memoir for the Braemar Gathering book of 1970, upon which I based this word-map.
With a hint of a smile John told me that he undertook the trip because an old keeper, Donald McDonald of Invercauld – known as Donald Bynack because his father was the keeper at Bynack Lodge – would tease him for his lack of detailed knowledge of the moors.
The walk was made widdershins – anti-clockwise – setting out from Crathie ‘on a leaden Sunday afternoon’. He wrote a memoir for the Braemar Gathering book of 1970, upon which I based this word-map.
the parish walk
on day one I forced a line through the juniper of Creag a Chlamhain by the shining granite of Invergelder to lonely Blairglass monotonous Sleach slept at Loch Builg crossed between the tors of Ben Avon by the Sneck to Cnap a’ Chleirich skirting Coire nan Clach and the Yellow Moss crossing two Beinn a’ Chaorruinns slept at the Hutchinson Shelter had blaeberries before the storms of Stob Coire Etchachan on by Beinn Mheadhoin and Càrn Etchachan to Lochan Buidhe and Cairn Lochan the protection of Lairig Ghru slept at The Sinclair Hut headed up Sròn na Lairig to the Wells of Dee above the snow-beds of Garbh Choire Loch nan Stuirteag by noon up and down Monadh Mor up and down Cnapan Mor slept beneath Cairn Ealar a detour before An Sgarsoch to an old watchers bothy between Càrn Bhac and Càrn a’ Bhutha clumping through the hags to Beinn Iutharn Mor which I slept beneath compass in hand on Beinn Iutharn Bheag for there’s the worry of a burn flowing the wrong way put right by Craig Easgaidh sopping to The Cairnwell apricots by the Top Station slept in a caravan by a roaring stove at the Devil’s Elbow better weather for Meall Odhar and Glas Maol then over The Monega to Jock’s Road and the Tolmount had a bite by Fafernie cloud on Lochnagar Conachcraig’s three summits hiding in heather by Allt-na-Giubhsaich from a convoy of royal landrovers slept beneath Meall Gorm on the seventh day Glen Girnock led me down to Crathie for three o’clock
on day one I forced a line through the juniper of Creag a Chlamhain by the shining granite of Invergelder to lonely Blairglass monotonous Sleach slept at Loch Builg crossed between the tors of Ben Avon by the Sneck to Cnap a’ Chleirich skirting Coire nan Clach and the Yellow Moss crossing two Beinn a’ Chaorruinns slept at the Hutchinson Shelter had blaeberries before the storms of Stob Coire Etchachan on by Beinn Mheadhoin and Càrn Etchachan to Lochan Buidhe and Cairn Lochan the protection of Lairig Ghru slept at The Sinclair Hut headed up Sròn na Lairig to the Wells of Dee above the snow-beds of Garbh Choire Loch nan Stuirteag by noon up and down Monadh Mor up and down Cnapan Mor slept beneath Cairn Ealar a detour before An Sgarsoch to an old watchers bothy between Càrn Bhac and Càrn a’ Bhutha clumping through the hags to Beinn Iutharn Mor which I slept beneath compass in hand on Beinn Iutharn Bheag for there’s the worry of a burn flowing the wrong way put right by Craig Easgaidh sopping to The Cairnwell apricots by the Top Station slept in a caravan by a roaring stove at the Devil’s Elbow better weather for Meall Odhar and Glas Maol then over The Monega to Jock’s Road and the Tolmount had a bite by Fafernie cloud on Lochnagar Conachcraig’s three summits hiding in heather by Allt-na-Giubhsaich from a convoy of royal landrovers slept beneath Meall Gorm on the seventh day Glen Girnock led me down to Crathie for three o’clock
after John Duff
Thanks to John
for his helpful advice on place-names and local history.
bibliography
John Duff:
‘Around Braemar’, in The Scottish Annual
Braemar Gathering Book, 1970
photography
John Duff, Dee
Bridge at Balmoral, August 1966
John Duff,
Ballater, 1969
Gathering was commissioned by Hauser & Wirth, for the
Fife Arms Hotel, Braemar; the project was launched in 2015 and will conclude in
2018.
The artist residency at University of Aberdeen is funded by The Leverhulme Trust; the project was launched in July 2016 and will conclude May 2017.
The artist residency at University of Aberdeen is funded by The Leverhulme Trust; the project was launched in July 2016 and will conclude May 2017.