Today’s walks were on the Cromdale hills, View point walk and a Speyside Way section in the Grantown-on-Spey area. Thirty walkers joined us today with 19 on walk one, 10 on walk two and 1 member on walk three. There were a few new faces joining us for their first walk with the club and they brought the good weather with them too although it did not look like this would be the case with thunderstorms forecast. Heavy rain on the way up had walkers preparing their water proofs although these were not needed as when the bus stopped it was thankfully clear.
Walk one started off at a lay-by at Lynebreck and there were good views of low cloud/cloud inversions in the distant Cairngorm hills. Thankfully the good weather in the previous week had made what would have been a very boggy path good going. It also was very warm with the heat radiating off the ground at points. We headed up Sgor Gaoith, Carn Na Cloiche and Carn Tuairneir before dipping down to then ascend Creagan A’ Chaise at 722m. We looked for the visitors book in the Jubilee Cairn but it was not to be seen. We headed along to the Coronation Cairn before heading down further along to join a track and then later a road passing by Lethendry Castle back into Cromdale.
Walk two had good views over Grantown area at the various viewpoints and then stopped at lunch time for refreshments in the town itself. Following the Speyside Way from Grantown to Cromdale there was a detour taken to investigate the old Cromdale Station.
A social stop back in Dufftown allowed people to recover from the heat and rehydrate with a drink of their choice before heading home.
David