Cashing in on Money Hill
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THE Lairig Ghru’s high point at the Pools of Dee looked forbidding. With the cloud lowering over the 4000ft giants on either side and heavy showers being swept across the range in a strong wind, this was not really a day for the high Cairngorm tops.
Still, I wasn’t worried, for soon I’d be in the money – metaphorically speaking anyway – on more modest hills.
I’d been walking for about five kilometres, starting from the bridge over the outflow from the western end of Loch Morlich, where there’s parking space at the side of the road.
My route took me past pretty little Lochan nan Geadas, hidden in the trees. I did a short detour to it in the peace of the morning and disturbed a mallard and her brood of ducklings which swam quickly away across the water. Pressing straight on, I reached the sign pointing the way to the track junction at Piccadilly, where another sign indicates the way to the Lairig Ghru. This path is rougher, though still good, winding through the trees with the sound of the Allt Druidh rushing along in the gorge below.
At the edge of the forest I could see the rounded slopes of my second target of the day, Castle Hill, well below the cloud base at 728 metres. The rain came on in earnest and I decided it was time to don my waterproof shell, with the next section of the walk out in the open away from the trees. I had not gone far when two runners approached from behind – clad in rather less clothing than me, doing battle with the stony path. I was quite happy to be warmer and drier in my cocoon.
Passing under Castle Hill and my first and highest objective, Creag a’ Chalamain, I was aiming for a point towards its southern end where a prominent burn flows down the hillside.
The intention was to climb up to meet the path that heads into the rocky defile of the Chalamain Gap. I have yet to find an easy way up the hillside here, but the further along the Lairig Ghru path you go, the less distance you have to cover before reaching the Chalamain Gap path.
I plodded up through the heather and boulders, finding indistinct animal tracks here and there to ease the way.
But at least the rain was off and I was soon at the path leading to the Gap. Just before the Gap, another path veers off to the left up Creag a’ Chalamain, with its rocky outcrops. It’s a short climb of around 100 metres or so to the cairn and a fine view.
The cloud base had lifted and I could see more of the approach to Braeriach. To the north-west lay Aviemore and across Glen More forest, Meall a’ Buachaille was clear too. Time to move on down to Castle Hill, a drop of just 60 metres and only half a kilometre away. Its cairn was soon reached and now I was en route to the money – Airgiod-meall, or Money Hill.
To get there I aimed for the western end of Eag a’ Chait, the Cat Notch. It’s a miniature version of the Chalamain Gap and is also a glacial feature left after the last Ice Age.
Castle Hill’s rounded profile means the Notch can’t be seen from above so I took a bearing and was pleased to find that it took me exactly to where I wanted to be.
Going through the Notch is one option but I wanted to climb Money Hill, which is inside a reindeer enclosure, with a deer fence as its boundary. A notice on the gate into the enclosure tells walkers to keep dogs on a lead and stick to the paths as far as possible.
I entered rather gingerly but saw no sign of reindeer as I made my way to the top of the hill for a good view of the northern corries of the Cairngorms. Tucked in at the base of the hill is Lochan Dubh a’ Chadha.
To complete the walk and return to the start I needed to access the track system in the forest below.
The best way to do this is to head east off Airgiod-meall to pick up a path that leads around the hill into the forest, passing a small wooden shed. I made the mistake of taking a direct bearing on the track and ended up descending a steep heathery slope, slippery after the rain. I edged down using my walking poles for support and doing my best to stay upright. It was an ungainly descent but safe even with a couple of slips and I couldn’t help chuckling over my predicament.
The bearing, though, turned out to be spot on and I could see the track through the trees and the shed (which was open and contained a table and chairs).
Still no sign of reindeer as I exited the enclosure and passed a wooden sign nailed to a tree declaring "Rangifer Tarandus" – the Latin name for reindeer – "Beware of the bulls!".
From here on the walking was easy on forest tracks back to Loch Morlich. It’s best to keep an eye on the map and take the correct junctions to avoid getting lost.
