Scottish 4000 trip, advice please!

The message <[email hidden]>
from Steve <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

I'd be very interested in trip reports/advice etc on 'doing the Scottish
4000s' from the no doubt vast urw annals of experience.

Quoted message said:

Particularly in the logistics of doing them in a single trip to Scotland
(I live a long way from the bonnie place - at the moment anyway!) - how
many days, accommodation options, pacing, difficulty etc.

Quoted message said:

I've read a number of guide books on the subject, but it would be very
enlightening to get actual 'real world' walkers perspectives.

Quoted message said:

PS - this is to be a late spring/early summer trip!

I did it in early June back in (IIRC) 1971. Unfortunately I am not at
home at present but I did post a report to this ng some time ago which
you should be able to find via Google. You could of course get from the
Nevis group to the Cairngorms walking down the road (which no doubt is
the way those who do it in a single weekend are likely to go) but if you
take an overland route the only shops/accommodation (other than the odd
bothy) will be found in Dalwhinny (sp?).

--
Roger Exiled and Looking North to the Water Tower, South
to the Tower on The Naze and East to the Roughs Tower.

Steve typed:

I'd be very interested in trip reports/advice etc on 'doing the Scottish
4000s' ... I've read a number of guide books on the subject ...

<snip>

Have you read 'Hell of a Journey' by Mike Cawthorne?
ISBN 1 84183 005 4
Published by:
Mercat Press, 53 South Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1YS
Great reading and 'food for thought'!
--
Andy Crawford
www.chiadfhear.co.uk

Remove "my boots" to e-mail me

What it actually comes down to is...how fit you are! 3 days if you're super
fit or are fit and able to stay on the go for 14 hrs plus a day.

This is what I done and approx times.

Ben Nevis + Carn Mor Dearg = 10 hours ( some easy scarmbling req)
Aonach Mor + Aonach Beag = 8 hours (but could cheat and use the Gondola)
Ben Macdui + Cairngorm = 7 hours ( but can be done much quicker) (easy)
Braeriach +Cairn Toul + Sgor An Lochan Uaine = 10 hours (the descent is the
hardest)

Looking back there, it could be done in 2 very long days! Tough, but can be
linked.

Ben Nevis and Cairngorms both have close camping sites, B&B and SYHA are
very close to the start of the walks.

Winter days are out for long days as the Cairngorms are fierce in winter.
Best is as you're doing early Summer.

The CMD and Ben Nevis ridge is an easy scramble but with some exposure.
Aonachs are buggers in low cloud, same with finding the Ben Macdui summit. 2

Easyist is Cairngorm summit, can't get lost if you start from the visitor
center, just follow the road and then path to the top!

Jhimmy.

Jhimmy said:

What it actually comes down to is...how fit you are! 3 days if you're super
fit or are fit and able to stay on the go for 14 hrs plus a day.

This is what I done and approx times.

<snip>

Great, thanks for that information. A plan of 4 or 5 days wouldn't be
far off the mark then! Should be reasonably comfortable, I'm not that
bad fitness-wise and am OK for a good haul, but not sure about being
completely in bits at the end which I suspect I would be in 3 days. I'm
expecting to be something of basket-case after this, however.

Cheers!

Andy Crawford said:

Have you read 'Hell of a Journey' by Mike Cawthorne?
ISBN 1 84183 005 4
Published by:
Mercat Press, 53 South Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1YS
Great reading and 'food for thought'

Not yet, but I've just read a synopsis and have just requested it from
the library - I'll be reading that over Xmas!

Thanks for that lead Andy, although the trip in this book wasn't quite
what I had in mind :-)

Maybe next year.... :-O

Steve

Steve typed:

I'd be very interested in trip reports/advice etc on 'doing the Scottish
4000s' ...

Why not publish your itinerary when you get organised and maybe some of us
who live up here in GOC could meet with you and give some 'moral' support
when the 'spirit' ... sorry spirits ... start flagging!

--
Andy Crawford
www.chiadfhear.co.uk

Remove "my boots" to e-mail me

Andy Crawford said:

Steve typed:

I'd be very interested in trip reports/advice etc on 'doing the Scottish
4000s' ...

Why not publish your itinerary when you get organised and maybe some of us
who live up here in GOC could meet with you and give some 'moral' support
when the 'spirit' ... sorry spirits ... start flagging!

OK, sounds a good idea

Steve

5 days sounds excellent. 2 days in the Cairngorms, 3rd day would be a rest
day and a slow drive over Lochaber, and then the final 2 days.

You'll easy do if you take your time and plan the route well.

Jhimmy

The message <[email hidden]>
from "Jhimmy" <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

5 days sounds excellent. 2 days in the Cairngorms, 3rd day would be a rest
day and a slow drive over Lochaber, and then the final 2 days.

Quoted message said:

You'll easy do if you take your time and plan the route well.

FWIW I did it as a continuous walk which is what I thought Steve wanted.
I can't remember how long it took but no doubt someone will read the
original thread which I eventually found on Google (see below) and tell
me it was longer than 5 days:-)

From: Roger Chapman (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)
Subject: Re: The Scottish 4000s (long)
Newsgroups: uk.rec.walking
Date: 1999/05/05

--
Roger Chapman

In article <[email hidden]>,

(Jhimmy) said:

Ben Macdui + Cairngorm = 7 hours ( but can be done much quicker) (easy)
Braeriach +Cairn Toul + Sgor An Lochan Uaine = 10 hours (the descent
is the
hardest)

it is not too bad to do this in a big day. Park at the ski area and go
down and through the Charlamain (sp?) gap, do Braeriach +Cairn Toul + Sgor
An Lochan Uaine and drop to the bothy. (optional to add Devil's point).
Then steeply up MacDui (and another optional Munro) and across to
Cairngorm.
I did them this way it it was long but fine. Need good weather of course.

Quoted message said:

Aonach Mor + Aonach Beag = 8 hours (but could cheat and use the Gondola)
Ben Nevis + Carn Mor Dearg = 10 hours ( some easy scarmbling req)

this can also be done in a day, but need a lift at the end and use the
Gondola.
Gondola to Aonach Mor, then Beag, then drop down from the saddle between
them (steep grassy terrain!), then up a nice ridge to CMD. And over to the
Ben, descend anyway and get a lift or taxi back.

The Aonachs with the Gondola is a very easy day!
Adding CMD and traversing back to the Gondola is fine, I did it with my 2
children. That leaves the Ben on its own.

a few options,
Rob

Steve said:

I'd be very interested in trip reports/advice etc on 'doing the Scottish
4000s' from the no doubt vast urw annals of experience.

Particularly in the logistics of doing them in a single trip to Scotland
(I live a long way from the bonnie place - at the moment anyway!) - how
many days, accommodation options, pacing, difficulty etc.

I've read a number of guide books on the subject, but it would be very
enlightening to get actual 'real world' walkers perspectives.

PS - this is to be a late spring/early summer trip!

Thanks in advance,

Cheers,

Steve

Well, Ken Wilson & Richard Gilbert's "Big Walks" does the Cairngorms
4000s in a single day, starting and finishing at Whitewell, 29 miles
in 15 hours.

And Ben Nevis, CMD, and the Aonachs are combined with the Grey Corries
for a 13 hour 25 mile traverse, so descending from Aonach Beag into
Glen Nevis would take a little less.

If you haven't done them before though, you'd be much better off
splitting them into several shorter days as suggested by others, and
actually having time to enjoy them!

S.
--
York Alpine Club - http://www.yorkalpineclub.org.uk
Recent Photos - http://climbing.me.uk
Old Photos - http://www.simon-caldwell.co.uk
My Brother's Photos - http://www.caldwellcreations.co.uk