Day 6 - The col !!
I was very cold in the night and I put on my hat and down jacket. I also tried the dust mask trick (it preheats the air you’re breathing), but it was hard to say if it worked; I certainly did go to sleep with it on, but I might have anyway.
I wasn’t inclined to tackle my planned route - climb onto the Creag Meaghaidh ridge and follow it east to Garva Bridge. As well as the snow I’d seen on top yesterday the cloud was now low, and I was worried about my leg on what would be a long rough day. Instead I followed the burn in its little gorge northwards along the edge of the wood, crossed a watershed and dropped down a very steep little glen into Glen Roy where I found a place where I was easily able to walk across the River Roy in bare feet. On the far side I stopped to dry my feet and have a snack in the sun, but by the time I’d walked up to Brae Roy Lodge the cloud had come down and it was raining. A couple of miles further on the sun was out again and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the scenery was far better than I had expected.
Struggling up over a rise the cheery sight of Luib Chonnel bothy hove into sight encouraging me on to have a late lunch there at two o’clock. Bread rolls from Spean Bridge stuffed to bursting point with ham.
After a leisurely lunch I carried on to what the OS rather grandly call a col, which conjours up images snow encrusted figures struggling up steep slopes with ice axes. In fact it’s just the rather flat and very boggy watershed between Glen Roy and the Spey Valley. I crossed a small stream which presumably is the celebrated salmon river the Spey – all water from now on would drain to the east coast.
“Loch Spey [my diary says] is as dreary a looking place as you’ll find in (or out of) Scotland. Mr Salmon, do you really fight your way up the mighty Spey, dodging wader clad anglers, just to arrive here? You sure know how to give Mrs Salmon a good time.”
I followed the new glen down to Melgarve bothy (4:30pm) where I stopped for a drink and half an iced bun. The best thing was a chair. Then it was on down the track, which turned into a road, and so to Garva Bridge which I arrived at (6:30pm) at the same time as six others and a rain shower.
Throwing the tent up I dived in and made dahl tadka with noodles. This was followed by custard then tea and the other half of the iced bun. What a day for food. Not far to the next shop and food parcel now.
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