Beinn a' Bhuird & Ben Avon Bike,Hike & Summit Camp

(23-24.7.2016) Beinn a' Bhuird & Ben Avon Bike,Hike & Summit Camp: Day One,24.5km, 6hrs,43mins. 1206m ascent: Day two, 17km, 3hrs,25mins. 

Recently purchased a new tent after 6 years with the reliable Vango Banshee. Fancied something a wee bit lighter so went with the Zephros 1. I was going to test it out overnight at the weekend & the east looked the best weather wise. Robin got in touch & asked if I fancied an overnight summit wild camp in the Cairngorms. (He must've read ma mind.  Robin was itching to get pitching & keen to return to Beinn a'Bhuird & Ben Avon & camp on Ben Avon's plateau. We arranged to pick me up in the bad lands early Saturday morning.Got to the car park at Keiloch on the Invercauld Estate around 10sh. Biked & geared up before we made our away along the road then onto the track up Gleann an t-Slugain. We made good progress on the bikes with only occasionally getting off to push the bike uphill & across small streams. We covered around 8km on the bikes & decided to ditch them at the Fairy Glen and walk the rest of the way. Not before we paid a wee visit to the secret Slugain Howff & a second visit for Robin.

Later on we realised we could’ve took the bikes even further as the path was in good condition for several km. However by leaving the bikes at the Fairy Glen it gave us the option of turning the walk into a circuit taking in other tops, weather permitting of course. Got to the boulder, Clach a' Cleirich and filled up on water from the Glas Allt Mor. Then we took the ridge up NW to point 1123m & then West to the North top & the summit of Beinn a’ Bhuird. Headed over to the top Cnap a' Chleirich, down to the sneck then up to Ben Avon's vast plateau. Our wee pal the snow bunting hung about us for a wee bit. By the time I got some bread out he flew away.

We decided to leave climbing the rocky tor to the summit of Leabaidh an Daimh Bhuidhe till after we set up camp & had tea as we were both quite hungry. Initially looked at pitching up in between the summit tor & another tor but the terrain looked abit rocky. Ended up dropping down to a wee grassy slope to around 1110m. I pitched up my new Zephyros 1 & Robin his Trailstar tarp. It was a wee bit breezy & the plan to climb the summit tor & wander around some tops, climb some tors & take photo's went oot the window as the wind picked up & the clag came in. There was glimpses of blue sky & sunshine as the clag rolled by but it never cleared. At least we could be sociable in Robin's tarp with a couple of bevys. Got a few atmospheric shots of the sun.

Woke up next again morning to drizzly rain & clag. Packed up after breakfast, climbed the summit tor & decided to head back via the Sneck rather than go over more tops. Made it back to the car park in good time, the back of 12. If there was the choice between all day in the clag or clag after we pitched then there is only really one answer. A great wee wild camp nonetheless & my highest wild camp to date.