Carn a' Mhaim, Ben Macdui & Derry Cairngorm, Maps 36, OL3, 403
15th August 2005 & 4th June 2009

Route: Ascent 1755m = 5760'; 6.2 miles cycling; 16¾ miles walking; 10 hrs.

Reception: Good Orange reception on most Munro tops; none at Linn of Dee.
Access: Bike used but only helpful from Linn of Dee to Derry Lodge. The time & effort to go further towards the Lairig Ghru is not worth it, especially as it is so easy to descend the S ridge of Derry Cairngorm to Derry Lodge. The anti-social method of path construction has made the over-frequent burn crossings very difficult without dismounting. In the '60s one could also cycle easily up Glen Derry, but this is no longer possible either.
Route: The North top of Ben Macdui (NN991995) and Stob Coire Sputan Dearg (NN998985) were deleted from the Munro tops list in 1997 and 1974 respectively. Both are easy optional extras. However, Sron Riach (NN999977), with a similar amount of ascent, remains a top. Although it requires a bit of a detour, the superb views of Lochan Uaine make it a highlight of the walk and it should not be missed. The other unmissable viewpoint is of Loch Avon from just north of the Munro top Carn Etchachan. Those skipping the Munro tops will miss some of the very best mountain scenes in the whole country.
By April 2016 the Derry Burn bridge at Derry Lodge had been repaired after being washed away in August 2014. Immediately after crossing this bridge there are three paths: Left is the Lairig Ghru path, straight on is the Carn Crom path, right is for Glen Derry. I believe there is still a bridge at NO01339423 for crossing the Luibeg Burn. Most people, me included, just cross the burn directly by boulder hopping but this is not easy and would not be advisable after heavy rain. Work on the Carn a' Mhaim path has now made its junction with the Lairig Ghru path very clear.
The only boggy section on the route is immediately after crossing the Derry Burn. Traversing over to Sron Riach from the path between Carn a' Mhaim and Ben Macdui is bouldery and exposed in winter conditions. There are several other boulder fields on the route when away from the standard paths.
The only significant route finding problem is contouring round the cliffs SW of Loch Etchachan. My route there attempts to avoid any unnecessary ascent but in practice it can't be avoided because of the frequent rocky outcrops and cliffs. They can be negotiated easily if there is visibility but in cloud it might be wiser to continue south to the top of the ridge at NN99939949 before turning SE towards the main Ben Macdui path from Loch Etchachan. These cliffs are shown in the last photograph above.
Weather 15/8/05: AM: in cloud till 1140. Low cloud, rising & clearing, showers. PM: high cloud with sunny intervals and strong breeze. Strongs winds are funnelled over col between Carn a' Mhaim & Ben Macdui and also over the ridge out to Carn Etchachan.
4/6/09: Cold but light E wind, 0°C on tops, hail/snow showers. Little sun. Cloud down on Ben Macdui, but other tops free.
Terrain: Slower terrain of large boulders over parts of Ben Macdui, Carn Etchachan, & Derry Cairngorm. Otherwise mostly granite sand and smaller, sparser rocks with most paths constructed against erosion.