For my last hill walk of 2020 I decided to take advantage of the good winter conditions and walk up my favourite Corbett in the Cairngorms, Sgòr Mòr. One of the reasons for choosing this hill was that I would be able to quickly summit one of the tops along the wide ridge to take in the sunrise. Checking the weather forecast and planning your day is essential, especially in winter, and the forecast for early morning was excellent!

With the frosty conditions I decided to play safe and drive to Linn o’ Dee the late afternoon before instead of having an early morning start. Sleeping in my van, which has no heating, with the windows down to reduce the condensation, I snuggled into my sleeping bag with a -5 ̊C temperature reading!

Sgòr Mòr is not the easiest of hills to climb, in summer or winter. There are no paths to the summit, in summer you can struggle through the heather and in winter it can be a slog, like it was for me. The ascent does not last too long however, then you are rewarded by the views. The hill benefits from a reasonably long, wide ridge which you can follow east or west and at each end there are superb viewpoints, down the Lairig Ghru and at the other end, down Glen Derry.

Leaving the carpark in the dark I was joined by red deer along the track. It was a beautiful crisp morning with a full moon lighting my way up Glen Dee. My original plan was to go past the Chest of Dee then head up to Sgòr Mòr, then head east to Sgòr Dubh. My plan soon changed, and I decided to gain some height, taking advantage of the moonlight. So, I headed, soon after the carpark, up Feigh na Sgòr, which is the name given to the group of hills between Linn o’ Dee and Glen Luibeg. Feigh na Sgòr would translate as “bog stream of the rocky hill” but it wasn’t so much boggy, more like plodding through knee deep snow in places or knee-deep snow-covered heather, slow going and energy sapping.

The moonlight shone well on the snow and I could easily make out 20-30 red deer up on the hill. I did not want to disturb them, so I ended up going to the east, crossing the deer fence and making towards the top of Sgòr Dubh for sunrise. What a sunrise it was, magical watching the colours change and the sunlight light up the Munros of the Cairngorms.

The good visibility soon disappeared after Sgòr Dubh but I continued on and made my way west the 3km or so to the top of Sgòr Mòr. White out conditions and windchill were mixed with glimpses of views and occasional sunlight.

Sunrise views towards Derry Cairngom and Glen Derry

Carn a' Mhaim, Lairig Ghru and Devil's Point

After Sgòr Mòr I ventured north west through the snow-covered peat hags before and after Creagan nan Gabhar, where I went north in the direction of Carn a’ Mhaim, again this was very hard work and snowshoes would have been great. From Creagan nan Gabhar I had occasional dramatic views of Devil’s Point and watched a group of walkers coming out of the Lairig, looking small against the winter landscape. I plodded on and joined the track leading towards Luibeg. I crossed over at the bridge and then headed back via Derry Lodge and a look through the window of Bob Scott’s bothy, was in order.

Walking in those underfoot conditions was hard going so I had plenty of extra food and a hot drink with me. Along the tracks I used Kahtoola Microspikes on my boots to aid grip. I find these to be excellent for paths and trails but they ball up terribly with wet snow. I definitely would not recommend them for steep ground. I had my crampons with me too but did not need them in the end. Winter walking is a step up from summer hiking and I would recommend a winter skills course or going on a winter guided walk to build your confidence.

As an added safety aid, and because I like to wander, I also had my Spot Gen 3 tracker on track mode so basecamp could see where I was. These are great gadgets, and you can also send an SOS emergency type message over satellite if needed. I also gave basecamp an update of my plans when I had phone reception too. All my navigation was done with a map and compass.

Spot Gen 3 tracking device, basecamp view

You do not have to go up a Munro (a Scottish mountain over 3,000ft) to have superb views and that is why Sgòr Mòr is one of my favourite walks. Rated as a Corbett (a Scottish hill between 2,500ft and 3,000ft) it has a great southern position overlooking the main Cairngorm Plateau. Our guided walk up this hill during the summer had the complete opposite weather conditions, a really hot summers day with the group deciding to soak their feet in the Lui Water to cool off! I had no need for that though, back to the campervan for a hot cup of coffee!

Blog by Garry Cormack, Hillgoers

Sgòr Mòr in winter

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