Walking in the Cairngorms - A Walking and Scrambling Guidebook

In over 100 walks, this guidebook explores Britain's biggest mountain range – including 23 Munro summits and the smaller hills outside the main Cairngorm range. Covers the Cairngorms between Speyside and Deeside, as well as Lochnagar. Mountain routes, and mid- and low-level walks make the guide suitable for all abilities.

'Having lived in the Cairngorms area for 16 years I thought I knew it well but Ronald Turnbull's excellent guidebook has given me a few ideas for new explorations. It's probably the most comprehensive guidebook to walks in the Cairngorms ever published. The book covers the range between Deeside and Strathspey, with one dip to the south to encompass Lochnagar, and contains 102 separate routes, ranging from remote high mountain scrambles such as the East Ridge of Cairn Toul to low level strolls such as the walk round Balmoral Castle. The book is well organised with the walks divided into seven regions with interesting and informative summaries of key summits such as Ben MacDui and Lochnagar. The routes are graded too on a scale from 1 to 5. Good sketch maps for each region, drawn by the author, make the locations of walks clear and there are 1:50,000 OS maps covering low and mid-level routes. The book is also illustrated by the author's photographs, which cover all times of the year, and which both inspire and, in some cases, such as that of a winter storm on the Cairn Gorm plateau on page 24, sound a warning.
    Whilst the bulk of the text consists of route descriptions the author has added enough personal comments and background information to keep the reader entertained. The amount of detail is impressive and there are eight appendices packed with facts.
    The book is Cicerone's usual guidebook format with a tough flexible plastic cover that should stand up to many weeks in the rucksack or jacket pocket, though at 404 grams it's a little heavy to carry around.'

(Chris Townsend, John Muir Trust Journal)

'Ok, let’s get one thing clear before we start, the Cairngorms are in my opinion the most serious range of hills in the British Isles staying mostly above the magic 900m mark for a distance of about 30km. They include 18 Munros, linked by a high granite plateau which, because of its northerly situation, attracts some of the worst weather in Europe – the summit of Cairngorm has wind speeds of 150kph+ in any month! Combine that with cloud, snow, a relatively featureless landscape on the plateau and, last but not least, steep drops into the surrounding valleys and you’ll see what I mean.
    Now you’ll understand why a guidebook as complete and well-researched as this one is so welcome. It not only covers the serious stuff up on the plateau but also the less frequented outlying hills and pleasant low-level walks in Caledonian forests – Speyside has one of the best networks of low-level trails in the U.K. Also included are sections on ‘the long routes’, i.e. the Cairngorms’ 4000s (4 of the U.K’s. highest hills, all conveniently situated in the one range) and the Lairig Ghru (26 miles of old drovers’ road from Braemar to Aviemore). Better again is the list of Cairngorm scrambles – the range still awaits a definitive scrambler’s guide. There is also information on accommodation, transport and access, with an emphasis on deer-stalking activities.
    All walks are classified as low, mid-level or mountain; a table at the start of each gives details of distance, time, ascent and terrain, all based on moderately-paced walkers. Reading this excellent guide reminds me that it’s about 15 years since I was last in the Cairngorms doing my Winter ML. High time I made a return visit in less arduous circumstances.'

(Andy Callan, Walking World Ireland December 2005)

'This is an excellent book. Its scope embraces the Cairngorms considered as the traditional core mountain heartland draining to Dee and Spey, with a minor diversion towards Glenlivet – so its coverage is narrower than say, the SMC Guide or the National Park boundary. But within the defined areas it is comprehensive. It gives a very good selection of walks from low level ambles in glens and forests to long days on the highest tops. It also includes a range of relatively challenging scrambles both on ridges and in river gorges. Each route is well described and there are OS type maps for the low level routes and sketch maps for the high tops, with clear indications of difficulty.
    If I was to recommend one book that a walking visitor to the area should have – in addition to “Scottish Hill Tracks’ and our new (free) Cairngorm hill tracks map, this would be it.'

(Peter Mackay, The Scottish Rights of Way and Access Society 2005)

Ronald Turnbull has done a fine job with this guidebook, not only writing and researching the text but also drawing the sketch maps and taking the photographs. The book doesn't cover the whole of the Cairngorms however, omitting all the area south of the rivers Feshie, Geldie and Dee except for Morrone and Loch Callater - Lochnagar.
All the northern Cairngorms are covered, from the Hills of Cromdale in the east to little Creag Bheag above Kingussie. This isn't just a summit baggers guide however. There are river, glen and forest walks as well as hill climbs. The heart of the book is on the heights though and the author gives detailed descriptions of the main hills and a large selection of routes (eleven on Cairn Gorm, seven on Ben MacDui, seven on Braeriach, nine on Lochnagar) rather than the one or two trade routes described in too many books.
Sometimes the author recommends exploratory routes away from paths rather than the standard route as on Mullach Clach a'Bhlair where his route goes up superb Coire Garvhlach and down Gruim nam Bo to pick up an overgrown and fast fading old stalking path rather than via the ugly and boring bulldozed track in Coire Chaoil. Little visited places are here too, such as the splendid Ailnack Ravine, along with lower hills. In all there are 102 routes in the book, which should keep any Cairngorm lover occupied for a few years. Few of these are scrambles however, despite the book's subtitle. There is still a place for a scrambling guide to the Cairngorms. The sketch maps are excellent. I expecially like the ones showing summits and the area around the Shelter Stone. The photos show the variety of the Cairngorms well, though some are a little dark. In all this is a well researched, well written book that anyone interested in the Cairngorms should find useful however well they know the area.

(Scottish Mountaineer May 2006 - Chris Townsend)