Path Work - Coire Etchachan & Lairig Ghru

For these last two weeks we have mainly been working on Coire Etchachan, a beautiful but steep path up from the Hutchison Memorial Hut to Loch Etchachan which is just over 2 hour walk from Derry Lodge.

In the first week we started work about three quarters up the path by adding some step rises and some stone pitching.  We didn't get to finish the work that week, but did finish it this week.  I worked on the step rises, which was put in to help reduce the steepness of the path and hold the surfacing in place.

The next day we went back to the work we started on the Lairig Ghru and finished removing the stones which was causing people to walk around increasing the size of the path.  As well as adding the additional step rises there and tidying up the area (I've added the before photo here as well).  After this we cleaned out the rest of the drainage features on this path.

The last day of that week was spent on the path that goes through Robbers Copse.  The major work was done on a large stone that was causing people to walk off the path and erode the vegetation on the side.  The path had also been eroded enough that the roots were showing.  We moved the stone and added some surfacing so help protect the roots.

Next week was pretty much spent on Coire Etchachan.  We cleared the drainage features on this path and did some additional work to help make the path more stable and walkable.  This included adding some additional treads to a waterbar to hold back the surfacing that was running into the bar with the water.

There were also some steps where the erosion of the path below the stone had made these particular high and difficult to use.  We reduced the height be adding an additional step rise infront of the previous stone and adding additional surfacing, as wellness landscaping the area.

On the last day we did some work on one of the paths through Glen Derry.  I completely forgot to take my phone and so I have no actual photos (complete fail there, total fail George).  Some of the drains beside the paths had become blocked which was causing the water to run onto the path, even in this weather.  So the day was spent digging out the ditches so that they were functioning again.

And that's it.  Definitely a lot of walking this week and another two weeks of beautiful blue skies and lots of sun.  We tried to take one of our breaks at the Hutchison Memorial Hut to get us out of the sun for a least a short period of time and it was definitely a welcome break.

Path Work - Coire Odhar, Lairig Ghru, Glen Luibeg, Carn a' Mhaim, and Sròn Riach

It is fair to say that these two weeks of work have been weeks of absolutely stunning weather.  Whilst we did do some stone work adding additional drainage features, the main work over these two weeks were clearing waterbars, cross drains, and lets so I haven't taken too many photos of the actual work. I do have some stunning scenery pictures though, not through any skill in my part just because it's been so easy.  

The first day was spent working up the Coire Odhar behind the Corrour bothy clearing out the drainage features there.  Once at the top I cut off onto the path that leads up to the Devil's Point to check the path lines going up, keeping them clear and easy to follow, and reducing the chance of additional lines appearing on this section.  It's definitely a walk worth doing if you're up this way with a great view of the Cairngorms.  I even got to see a ptarmigan, who practically posed for the photo.

The following day we finished the work that we had started doing on Coire Odhar and made sure that we tidied up the area and landscaped any work we had done, such as covering burrow pits and revegetating areas where we had removed stones from.

We then moved back down to the Lairig Ghru path just where it breaks off to take you to the Corrour bothy and where water has been eroding the path quite significantly.  This section was actually finished the week after, but entailed adding additional steps to the path to hold the surfacing in that section and to push any water on the path down the stone let that was already there.

As we knew the third day was going to be good weather wise it was decided to carry out the work that would take us up to the upper areas of the Cairngorms.  It did mean that that day was a lot of walking.  We started by walking up to the top of Carn a' Mhaim clearing the waterbars on this path as we worked our way up.

This did give me a chance to actually take a photo of the work we had done a few weeks ago when the weather is really bad.  

Once at the top we walked along the ridge checking the path to make there weren't any obstructions which would affect their usability.  The views were amazing from this section, helped by the clear blue skies.  We then cut across to just below the summit of Sròn Riach and then carried on down to Glen Luibeg clearing the waterbars and other drainage features as we moved along.

There were some pretty interesting geological features on this route as well, which is always good to see (for me at least). 

The final day of that week was spent on a section on the Lairig Ghru near Robbers Copse where the path is very stoney and has some issues with erosion.  In this section we added a number of step rises to break up the gradient, making it easier to walk on and reduce the loss of surfacing in this area.  We started the work the first week and finished it in the second.

Unfortunately I then got a horrible cold and missed a couple of days from work, but came back to beautiful weather and blue skies.  We also got to see some deer on the way to Mar Lodge on the first day I was back, and by some I mean around 80 which was a lovely sight.

My first day back on this week was spent clearing the drainage features actually on the Lairig Ghru path itself.  My section took me up to the Pools of Dee.  This is a really beautiful section of this path, though a little hard under foot but well worth the trek.  I did have to resist the urge to paddle in the stream that runs along this path.  

The following day we finished the work by the Corrour bothy I spoke about earlier and then worked back along the Lairig Ghru towards Derry Lodge clearing the drainage features until we reached a section my boss had earmarked as needing work the week before beside a small Lochan.  As with other work we do, this entailed deroughening the area and adding in small step rises (though some of the stones we use are massive) to help with making the path more comfortable to walk on and reducing the erosion on this area. We started this work and mademit safe, but will finish the work here another week.

All in all it's been a pretty amazing couple of weeks, though I have to admit being in the sun without any shade for the whole day has been a little harder then I thought it would be.  Been using a lot of suncream, a lot of suncream. 🌞