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Written: 01-Jul-2022 (Updated: Mar-2023)
So we went camping from the 3rd to the 5th of June 2022 in the Cairngorms. This is the first camping trip I’ve been on in a while, so safe to say plenty of mistakes were made. It was - all things considered - a success. I mostly had fun and Olivia said she’d consider going again. Can’t ask for more really.
TLDR: The apostrophe in Loch A’an must account for the missing “re you kidding?! it’s not worth it m”. Or at least it wasn’t on that day for us.
Day 1 we went from the carpark to east of Derry Lodge, where the Luibeg burn turns north. There’s a ford to get across (and a bridge 1km north) with a nice spot. The walk to Derry Lodge was long and dull, but after that it was nice.
The original plan was to bushwhack up Cairn Crom until we hit the path, and then follow it up, via Derry Cairngorm (And possibly Creagan a’ Choire Etchachan) to Ben Macdui. Instead we took the advice of the local NTS man and went up Cairn A Mhaim, and followed the ridge. This led us to a large bolder field, with no discernible path. Safe to say it was a bit on the intense size for the packs we had.
After that Ben Macdui was lovely. The meltwater stream near the top was a godsend in the heat. We then descended to Lock Etchachan. We should’ve stopped there, it’d been a long day and a tough one, but it was early enough that an expected 1h descent into Loch A’an would’ve been fine. However it was not a simple descent, and the trail was highly eroded. So with heavy legs and heavy packs we descended in elevation and spirit. Luckily made it to camp safely, but we were too tired and miserable to enjoy it.
The final day was a straight run, back up to Loch Etchachan, down the path alongside Derry Burn and back to the campsite. This was just long, and in the heat we got very sunburnt.
My pack was 19 to 20 kg depending on how much water we had. Olivias was 9-10 kg. Possibly heavier. We only actually measured this when we returned.
Safe to say this was too heavy (or at least the limit) and the packs were uncomfortable. Olivia was using the orange helly hansen rucksack which was not suitable (poor gal). Mine lacked a chest strap which stressed the shoulders a lot more than might’ve been necessary (or at least it allowed me to shift the straps about too often), plus it had no convenient pockets, so photos and snacks became much more of a hassle.
I packed a lot on the exterior of the rucksack for space reasons. This was a bad Idea. We lost the shit shovel (tore through its bag) and I lost a camera stand. We almost lost a water bottle more than once. My new jacket also got scuffed up 😢.
Altogether not ideal.
I’ve since found the old family hiking rucksack that I plan to use in the future. It solves all the big rucksack issues.
We(/I) also bought + brought too much food. I know it’s better to be cautious and all that, but we had far too much food, and couldn’t be bothered to cook a lot. That may be partially because of the warm weather. We ate:
Throughout I also consumed just under a batch of trail mix (which was a shop bought pack of raisins, peanuts and almonds + a pack of minstrels). That really hit the spot.
We packed a bunch of things like extra “mug of rice” pouches, soups, orange segments (for health) and . I bought pot noodles too, but they were far too bulky to fit (but would’ve been plenty light). I would still recommend getting some pot noodles though. Assuming you’ve parked in the middle of no-where and have no nearby access to hot food and coffee - which wasn’t the case for us, but bear with - you can make a mini-camp by the car, and re-fuel and prep coffee for the road so you’re not driving hungry. Worst case they don’t get eaten. They’re not going to go off any time soon.
I will also say the stove we got (a basic gas one from decathlon) was hard to light, hard to see if it was lit and easy to blow out. A wind baffle is required here. It was also hard to see how much fuel we were consuming, so were trying to be cautious here. I’ve heard an alcohol stove is better in many way, but may put out a bit less heat. I’ve heard good things about Trangias (military surplus or otherwise).
There was more than once I was a bit worried about water. We were in the Cairngorms with lots of water about, but it was very hot. We had capacity for 1.5L each, and that’s the bear minimum I’d recommend. 2L would be better. The weight would’ve been worth it. Only had to reach for the water-san tabs once, but it was because we were on the cautious side.
Tent was alright. Had some minor grievances whit the build quality but nothing too major. I’m concerned about it’s structural rigidity in the wind, but luckily we didn’t have to find out.
Sleeping bag was great. Quite bulky, and a bit too warm for the weather, but happy with that purchase. If I was optimising, possibly a lighter one would be better, but for a bag to have I’m fine with the weight.
The sleep surface I chose was a blow up double mattress. This was a comfort / £ decision, which compromised in both weight and bulk. It was all things considered pretty comfortable, and very cheap so theoretically a great success. This is the biggest thing I’d change if I was to go again. Smaller means everything can come into the pack, and lighter makes everything better. I was also blowing it up with my lungs1 which was not ideal after a long days walk.
The only thing that was an unmitigated disaster and something I was particularly annoyed with the lantern we bought. It was not only not rechargeable (as I assumed everything was in this day and age)2 but it didn’t have a hook, but a loop. Yes, we worked our way round it, and yes it was cheap, and no we didn’t actually use3 it so there was no consequence to this failure, but it irked me to no end.
Things we had, and didn’t need, (not great) and things we wanted but didn’t have (really not great):
| Had but didn’t need | Wanted but didn’t have |
|---|---|
| Lantern | Sun Hats! |
| Deodorant4 | Playing Cards |
| Headphones | Map Bag |
| 1x Power Bank5 | Compass |
| 1x Mugs6 |
Tips:
This was because a foot pump could be avoided, so it was. I’m also aware that a good camping mat requires you to blow it up, but the volume of air required is significantly smaller per person, and can be done separately.↩︎
The lantern runs of 3x AA(A?) batteries like something from the naughties 🤮↩︎
The Cairngorms in June never left (naval) twilight in fact! But I did see the stars briefly when nature called at 1 am.↩︎
I used it once, but it wasn’t cutting the mustard.↩︎
We took two, and one would’ve sufficed. We’d have known plenty in advance if we were going to run out, and could’ve come home in the worst case.↩︎
Again one mug would’ve been fine. Only had tea once, and it was pre-preparedand thermos-ed on Friday.↩︎