Lairig Ghru (Linn o’ Dee to Coylumbridge)

The walk today is probably the most popular of all the through-routes in the Cairngorm National Park. Your Club last did this walk in August 2008. The walk is a through one, so members who require a shorter/alternative walk – please indicate your intentions with your committee member in charge of the bus.

Leave the bus at the Linn o’ Dee car park (NGR 063 898) and head W’wards to reach the original Lairig Ghru path, just short of White Bridge. Take this path which heads N’wards into Glen Dee, passing Chests of Dee and onwards for approximately 5 miles into the area between Carn a’ Mhaim and Cairn Toul. This is a fantastic area between these 2 fabulous mountains where we enter upper Glen Dee on the east side of the River Dee opposite Corrour Bothy. Keep to the east side of the river and follow the Lairig Ghru path N’wards as it ascends to the Pools of Dee at approximately 835m. You are now in the middle of the high Cairngorms situated between Ben Macdui (1309m) and Braeriach (1296m) – two of the highest mountains in Britain. Continue N’wards over the boulder field, then through the cleft of the Lairig Ghru proper and eventually follow a well defined path on the east side of the Allt Druidh. At a junction in the path (NGR 951 057), on the edge of Rothiemurchus Forest, go right and head towards Rothiemurchus Lodge and afterwards, soon pass Lochan nan Geadas on your right to emerge and terminate near the outlet stream, the River Luineag, at the west end of Loch Morlich.

Your bus will be conveniently parked near here. (NGR 956 097).