As we approach the onset of winter and the curtailment of days out with The Intrepids and camera it can only mean time to catch up on the Blogs and on the pictures taken during the Spring/Summer. I was looking back to the start of this year’s trips and noticed that The Intrepids had gone on a day trip to the Cairngorm (Cairngorm) Mountain in April. For some strange reason I never processed the picture or mentioned the trip in my blogs. The Cairngorm mountain is about 150 miles from my hometown of Livingston route is M6, M9 then A9. The weather was a mixed forecast, clear day with sunshine, but going North we hit heavy rain which petered out as we go over the Drumochter Pass. I’m always relieved when I get through that pass as it is not unknown to get there and find the snow gates closed in the middle of April. The trip came about as a result of a conversation we had with regards to the installation of a funicular railway on the mountain and the fact that it was a way I could get up to 3,500 feet and take some pictures. I’m not built for hill walking or even climbing a small molehill, so I was eager to have a trip up the side of the Cairngorm.
What I did not expect was a 1,000 foot climb to the base car park. 
Okay it was by road. thankfully my wee Skoda Felicia had more than enough umph to climb up the gradients on the approach road, thankfully I had the brake system overhauled as coming back down was another adventure. The view from the car park down to Loch Morlich. The other surprise was the wind. Susan, our hill walking expert, often reminds me that mountains make their own weather and after my visit to the Café at the 3,500 feet elevel I can well believe her.
The trip up and down on the railway is pretty fast and, weather dependant, the views are very spectacular. As we had a recent heavy fall of snow the ski resort and railway were busy as was the café. We were well wrapped up but I still shiver at the memory of walking outside on the view point at the café… talk about extreme weather and wind. One second it was whiteout next clear blue skies. Still it was worth the 2.5 hour drive we had a great day out, got some good photos and memories.
