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