# Cairngorm top car parks



## DiAndy (Jan 21, 2014)

Anyone know the situation with overnighting on the two big car parks near the Cairngorm mountain railway station.   I know there are camp sites lower down but we want to do a long walk to Ben Macdui. We would be back quite late.


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## JFH (Jan 21, 2014)

When I was there last winter, there were several campervans/motorhomes parked up on the lower of the 2 top car parks,
and clearly had been there at least overnight,and probably several nights

The sign indicating this car park was titled, something like 'Long Stay' etc

So I'd say there's no problem stopping there...and there's no cost..but can be a bit nippy !

The road up to the car parks is cleared of snow each morning and throughout the day !


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## caledonia (Jan 21, 2014)

No problem with any of the Cairngorm carparks. The lower section of the top carpark is probably the best if tackling ben mac. You can also stay in the carpark at loch morlich right next to glenmore campsite, its £2 but has toilets and close to shop, cafe, pub. Good luck with your walk, the weather can change up there very quickly so prepare for the worst and hope for the best.:danger:


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## GeoffB (Jan 21, 2014)

Agree with the warning, walked over the shoulder of Cairngorm bound for Bynack Mor a few years back and turned back when it started to snow. We were eventually pushing through fresh waist-high snow in zero visibilty thinking we should have gone down the valley to the bothy and round the (very) long way; our landrover was a very, very welcome sight!   If you camp beware of the scrounging reindeer - if they're still there.  Enjoy - but watch out for Am Fear Liath Mor patrolling about!


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## cumbria lad (Jan 22, 2014)

good info as we understand they've tightened up on wild camping in general in that area. the Morlich cs used to be A1 when forestry but seen several complaints & price increases since gone private.

yes, with the clouds down the old man can stir belief! the Shelter Stone & Loch Avon is an eerie place under cloud too.

unless you're doing a roundabout route it's not actually far to Macdui, we did it as an afterthought after messing about in the corries . the clouds were down & all snowed up so the 2 lochans for return were invisible & the area is featureless. had it so windy that we had to crawl by the marker cairn at the corrie rim.

GL, we're off to the south end next week - hope Winterwatch have gone by then........................


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## Robmac (Jan 22, 2014)

You're fine on the car parks, but if the weather turns, you could get stuck there for some time. It is not unusual to get drifts several feet deep up there at this time of year, so watch the forecasts.


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## caledonia (Jan 22, 2014)

Ski road is always the first road to be cleared of snow to insure skiers get up to the slopes. So not much chance of getting snowed in.


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## jenks (Jan 22, 2014)

caledonia said:


> Ski road is always the first road to be cleared of snow to insure skiers get up to the slopes. So not much chance of getting snowed in.



In 2003 myself and a mate headed off up the ski runs of cairngorm, we had winter kit for 4 nights... Perfect clear skies... we camped on the shoulder of cairngorm and bedded down... awoke at 3am tent outter gone... loads of kit gone snowing inside the inner tent... zero visability and frozen eye lashes.. we packed what we could ditched what we didn't need and headed slowly uphill - found the summit station and then could get a decent bearing, some serious map nav skills from my mate had us walking down under the ski lift within a few hours, waist deep snow for me at 6'2 and chest / head deep for my mate. We spotted the railway car heading up full of mountain rescue volunteers we waved and gestured that we were ok. There were some staff / mountain rescue volunteers at the visitor centre - they were pleased we'd made it down before they made it up. The staff at the centre had seen us heading up and didn't think much of it until the weather turned and ours was the only car left, so they called mountain rescue.

We made it back to the car and had a very large Bacardi before getting back into sleeping bags almost too exhausted to do anything else. We were woken up by the snow plough driver instructing us that if we didn't follow him back down to Aviemore we'd be staying up there for at least three days! Scary stuff! We even made it into the local paper which is a bit embarrassing. A few days later we got caught out on Bynack Mor and it took us 8 hours to get back to the bothy, should have been a couple of hours tops.... 

What an adventure! Be careful and make sure you take note of the weather forecast on MWIS: Mountain Weather Information Service otherwise you really will know the meaning of "wild" Camp!


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## caledonia (Jan 22, 2014)

Done ben mac several times but been beaten back with weather on 3 ocasions and that was spring time. Ben mac summit to loch etchican, hutchie memorial hut then glen derry then back over lairig ghru to aviemore. Best mountain bike ride ever, but not for the faint hearted.


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## Robmac (Jan 22, 2014)

caledonia said:


> Ski road is always the first road to be cleared of snow to insure skiers get up to the slopes. So not much chance of getting snowed in.



I've known it to be closed with no access for 2-3 days before now, sometimes even the heavy machinery can't cope.


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## DiAndy (Jan 22, 2014)

*Thank you*

Thank you all for the info. Much appreciated. :wacko:


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