Cairngorms 6th June 2018 Nethy Bridge to Ryvoan





Got the bus to Nethy Bridge and walked along the river. Then we were meant to walk along the road a way, but we decided to head straight into the forest, even though I could see on my map there was no proper path. We wandered about, lost, this way then that. I'm glad it was the beginning of the day. 


 


Eventually we found the proper path, having added at least a mile to our walk. Then it was long straight forest tracks. It's hot. I'm not getting the forest vibes like I was yesterday. Though the ants nests are pretty amazing. 





We've been trudging along. We reached Forest Lodge the RSPB centre, now we're heading towards Ryvoan. Maybe this part of the walk will be better.









Yes, much better. A track wound uphill, the trees getting bigger the higher we went. Views of the mountains between trees. 






Then out into a meadow with a house, and I felt like we were in Heidi, and her grandad lived in the house, and that made me think about my favourite books as a child - The Secret Island, Heidi, Cherry Tree Farm, Swallows and Amazons. All about secret hideaways, wildlife, beautiful hidden places. And today, like Glen Feshie, we've had to come through the tedious difficult bit to get to the magic. 







Now I'm sitting in fields of cotton grass, next to the track, bees buzzing, birds and butterflies. My feet are hot. I can see mountains all around, with snow on. The house - Ryvettin - behind me up the hill with its red-roofed barn. We only have two or three more miles to walk and we have loads of time. 








Nearly at the bothy already. Sitting in the heather in the sunshine. Johnny is looking for moss in a boggy area by a lochan - though everything is very dry. He wants to find sphagnum balticum which has been found here before. 
We're loving the juniper - with its unpredictable wayward sprawl. Some are tall, like little trees, some bushes, some a sprawl at ground level. 





We're not alone at the bothy. Taylor, Sara and Nancy are here too. Taylor and Nancy are American and Sara is Swedish. Lots of people have passed by since we arrived. 
We're going to set off at the crack of dawn. Until then. Off to share a beer with out new friends. 




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