19th August
Today, I am reliably informed, is the day that we will be tackling the ascent of Cairngorm. Spencer declared the weather to be near perfect for this well planned expedition and after much packing and re-packing of equipment such as ropes, crampons and the like, we were ready to leave by car for Base Camp. I should add here that my small rucksack contained ham sandwiches, crisps, a bottle of water and a waterproof jacket. Spencer’s rucksack, which was twice the size of everyone else's, contained a whistle, compass, OS maps of the whole of Scotland, a portable GPS, a complete change of clothes, first aid kit, and a small bivouac tent (which we might need for emergency shelter before the Mountain Rescue teams arrived).
It all seemed pretty straightforward to me. There is a wide, well marked path which follows the route of the funicular to the top. At 11am, whilst fighting over the remaining ham sandwiches, Spencer conceded that his rucksack was quite heavy and probably contained items that we wouldn’t need. Meanwhile I rummaged through my bag and managed to find a slab of fruit cake (a reject from my Village Show practises), 4 apples, a packet of Kendal Mint cake, and a packet of barley sugars. After devouring this lot my bag was, of course, empty and I reached the cafe at the top of Cairngorm without too much effort. I ordered four hot chocolates with whipped cream, one of which had cooled down sufficiently for Spencer to drink when he finally arrived. Apparently he had been retying his bootlaces, visiting the loo and observing a rare bird through his binoculars, which he also had brought in his rucksack.
After a swift look round the gift shop it was time to descend to Base Camp. Nothing much was said when I produced tickets for the trip down on the funicular, but the relief on their faces said it all.
The ride down was very informative with a running commentary provided in the carriage. It gave Spencer time to rest his shoulders from the weight of the rucksack, and by the time we reached the car everybody was reasonably happy. We called at Aviemore on the way back to the cottage and picked up fish and chips from the local chippy, which gave me a very welcome break from all the casserole cooking I have been doing in the Slow Cooker.