Rigby Round (18 C'gorm Munros)

[RobW]

http://www.shr.uk.com/LongDistanceRe...nceRecordID=10

I got round this yesterday in 22:56, in good conditions, mostly sunny and breezy. Only the fourth completion it seems, since Mark Rigby inaugurated it in 1988. I did it on-sight, solo and unsupported, which is the usual way, given the isolated and road-less nature of the area. A classic in its way, although the 3+ hours leg between Ben Avon and Bynack More betrays the fact that it's not quite a natural circuit. Great scenery.

I started from the YH at 02:05, climbing Braeriach in full daylight and getting to Cairngorm just as it was fully dark (midnight!). Very much a spur of the moment thing - spotted the forecast midweek, and drove up Fri evening after work. I got a photo at every summit for the record, although few marks for composition I fear.

Tracing my route on Anquet, the stats are 74.7 mi and 22,943 feet, which agrees pretty well with the shr site bearing in mind that Anquet tends to add 5-10% compared with map-derived figures. My route involved a mile or two extra, mainly on the final descent in the dark... (worth a recce - including the alleged road zig zag shortcut path)

Quite a bit of bouldery ground - more than any of the Big Three IMHO. Going anticlockwise there were some nice snow slopes making for speedy descents. However, the long leg between Ben Avon and Bynack More includes 9km of track beside the R Avon which is uphill - not very efficient especially near the end when knackered :-( I suspect it would be shorter/quicker to omit most of this by reascending Bhuird then fording the river (in dry weather).

Rob

[Baggins]

Nice one Rob, I guess you must have recovered from your Ramsay

Your not starting from Aberglaslyn when you're going up Pen yr Ole Wensupporting the PB at the end of June are you

Well done.

[IanDarkpeak]

Well done Rob

Stunning performance only two weeks after your Ramsey

[Full Moon Addict]

very well done rob - you're obviously fit and motivated at the moment! I can see why you went for it though. The ground is very dry indeed in Scotland isn't it, as well as excellent weather.

[ChrisU]

Amazing effort Rob... especially so soon after your Ramsay Round.

[Malky]

Hi Rob,

Thats a brilliant run, many congratulations! I'll add the details to the SHR Long Distance entry.

Plus, hope you dont mind, I'll add your explanatory message to the SHR forum as well.

Malcolm (Patterson)

[RobW]

Hi all - many thanks!

Yes, Scottish conditions just perfect for this kind of thing at the moment - sunny and breezy, dry underfoot, and some nice soft snow patches on the high tops making for easy descending.

Malky - you're very welcome - saved me contacting SHR.

I'll do a write-up in the next few days (route notes etc) - anyone interested give me a shout.

The Ben Avon issue - FWIW I think the best solution is Mheadhoin - Bhreac - Bhuird - Avon (back over Bhuird) - Chaorainn - Fords of Avon - Bynack More. And Braeriach is probably best via Rothiemurcus Lodge, especially at night as the hill path's bouldery in places.

Having transcribed my times - Mark's splits were much faster than mine almost without exception. He'd surely have finished in around 20h with decent weather.

[RobW]

[quote=Baggins;132936]
Your not starting from Aberglaslyn when you're going up Pen yr Ole Wen supporting the PB at the end of June are you

quote]

That'll be Alan Lucker's PB. No that's what cars are for!

[compo]

I've been looking at this on the map too and was wondering why people don't start from the Coire Cas carpark. Is this deemed "unethical" in some sense or is just traditional to start from the youth hostel or Glenmore Lodge?

Agree about the conditions - last week was superb. I managed a 14 hour trot round Tranter's Round and the day before it was done in just over 13 hours. I bumped into the the Macclesfield Ramsay team in the Mamores.

In a couple of weeks there is to be a serious attempt on the Broxap Munros record round too. Good to see that these rounds seem to be getting the attention they deserve.

[RobW]

Good question Compo! Digging out my file, Mark Rigby started at the YH for logistical reasons. He came up by train, cycled to the YH and stayed overnight, starting at 8 a.m. I see he too had problems with the route off Cairngorm ;-)

Coire Cas start - yes that would make more sense, and save about 40 mins I think. Referring to Bob Berzins' FR 10/99 article - that's exactly what he did, going clockwise, finally contouring back to the car park after Braeriach.

I wonder where Phil Clark started. I don't seem to have FR 10/04 - can anyone advise? If Coire Cas, his 22:04 time would be closely comparable to Mark's 22:44. If the YH, then a clear record.

14h Tranter - that sounds like fast trotting! What's the record these days?