Those of you who have read my TGO 2009 trail journal (or who have listened to the podcasts) will know that the highlight of my trip this year was the crossing Monadhliath mountains.
During the year I’ve been receiving some great emails from Rob fae Craigellachie) about Scotland. It turns out that Rob is also a big fan of the Monadhliath. I fleetingly met Rob in Braemar this year; he’d happened to drop into the Hungry Highlander chip shop when it was full of Challengers. Robert has sent me some lovely snippets that I thought I’d share with you here, not least because I know there are other Monadhliath lovers out there — Hump3, etc.
Richard writes:
The Monadhliath are one of my really favourite places as they are so rich in nature. Often I have just sat quietly and watched: The less you move the more you see. It really does teem with wildlife – like many keepered moors.
In my opinion, there are two “best†times for the Monadhliath – spring and winter. In spring, either just before or soon after the TGO challenge one has it to ones self. Usually the only people you will see are keepers. In winter it has a special beauty, particularly on clear and cold nights as the zodiac is wonderful, truly wonderful, due to being so remote there is no light pollution.
The River Findhorn is a favourite river, both in the Monadhliath and near where it enters Findhorn Bay. It is also probably Scotlands most dangerous river. In low water conditions it is benign but the river rises faster than any other in Scotland and does many times scare the daylights out of me.
I spend a lot of time by the Findhorn, particularly near the coast in Autumn and winter. I have attached some jpegs from the SEPA (Scottish Environmental Protection Agency) website…look how fast the river rises.
I have also attached a photo taken from “Cloddy†( a well known salmon “beat†on the Findhornâ€). The photo with the river at low water conditions is at 0.2m (measured at the bridge near Forres). The one in spate was at 1.6m when I took the photo. When it reaches 2.6m or greater I could not stand where I took the photos – I’d be swept away. And it reaches 2.6-2.8m at this spot fairly regularly. Also attached for general interest is a photo I took of the aurora I took at the same spot one early morning in October 2002.
In the diary I have a picture I took of an animal trap. Colin, Shirley, kate and I studied these carefully. We realised that they were for dealing with some predator but couldn’t work out which.
This is the trap
Robert sheds some more light on these.
The trap is a FENN trap which is used for stoats. In the particular case (on the plank over burn) the “chicken†wire is to avoid catching non-target species such as birds. Stoats, although capable of swimming, prefer not to get wet and keepers take advantage of this behavioural trait. One simply puts a plank across a burn and set a Fenn trap on it. The trap is superbly effective.
I have attached a photo of a keeper friend removing a stoat from a trap and another photo of that stoat. Note the colour moult: it was changing from its winter white back to summer reddish brown. The coat changes with photo period.
Fire Near Derry Lodge
Kate and I witnessed a team from Derry Lodge putting out a fire on the hillside, which we understood to be spontaneous. But later on Robert hear this story:
I spoke to three of the fellows who attended the fire – where the fire started they found a hydration bladder. Careful examination of the site suggested walker(s) had made a small fire that got out of control and tried to use his/theirs hydration bladder unsuccessfully to extinguish the fire – and then scarpered!
So, if this happens to you, don’t just leg it!
Mar Lodge
Finally, Robert provides some more information and photos of Mar Lodge.
In your photo of Mar Lodge…the building on the left-hand side away from the main lodge is the Stag Ballroom, a listed building where the Lodge holds the Ghillies Ball and Jock public can hire for weddings etc. Inside are an amazing 2435 red deer antlers (the fellow that had to count them would have got neck-ache!) on the ceiling and wall dating back to 1797. As it is a listed building the collection can not be added to. See photo attached.
I’ve also attached a couple of photos from inside the main lodge.
That early evening (before I bumped into you at the Hungry Highlander) I spoke to several challengers drying themselves out at the lodge. (There is a great drying room for wet boots and jackets – it is normally used for clients after a wet day on the hill after the stags). Everyone looked very happy – and no wonder – a hot drink and great accommodation at a very reasonable price.
Rob has also given me some good route tips for the Monadhliath, including some great options for avoiding “… the horrible town that is Aviemore!”
Thanks Rob. Your contributions are much appreciated.
How about a section on the monadhliath when you have time – some routes would be great.
One project for later this year is the revamping of my TGO pages. I was pleased to meet a number of people on this year’s event who told me that these had been of real help to them in planning their crossings. Looking at the pages I think they need some real improvement.
Route details are always controversial as some old sods complain that people should plan their own trips. In general I agree but I concentrate on the kinds of things that people would tell you down the pub, or on the Challenge notice board if it was friendly.
In general I shall put up some thoughts on the areas I’ve been through — and that will include the Monadliath.
Those Flood Hydrographs for the Findhorn are quite close to its entry into the sea, where the land is quite flat so once the banks have been topped the water levels would riuse more slowly.
It would be fascinating to see the hydrographs for further upstream, say at Randolhs Leap, where the river is in a gorge. It’s catchment area would still be similar but I suspect the increase in river levels would be massively more dramatic.
Alan,
The only other place on the Findhorn where the river level is measured is east of Tomatin on the otherside of the A9 near Shenachie at NH 8255 3354.
I “capture†the water level charts from both places and have done so for several years as the water level is particularly important to me as I spend much time there.
Of the two places, the river level at Forres is the most dramatic as at this point it has the total volume from the whole catchment area
I will email Andy a river level chart taken at Shenachie for 24/25 January 08 which he can pass on to you. You will note that the trend is almost identical to that of the 24/25/01 chart from Forres – the influence is mainly from the Monadhliath.
Thanks for the email Rob – that is a very tight correlation – but you are right, as it is miles and miles upstream it has a much samller catchment. I have heard apocryphal stories that at Randolphs Leap where the river passes through a really tight gorge that the river has risen enormously – and I mean at least ten metres (I think this was on some hydrology paper I saw on the web) but for the life of me I cannot find it now!
Many thanks for that – fascinating stuff – what it does show is that you only need to wait a day, usually, to get across safely when it’s rising like crazy!