Recreational Use
Although the Lairig Ghru has long been used by "travellers" to get between Strathspey and Deeside, it has also been used recreationally since at least the early twentieth century. Anderson (1911) writes:
In the days before railways it was much used as a means of intercommunication, particularly for the driving of cattle from all the Highlands around to the great southern “trysts” or fairs ; but now the pass is seldom traversed except by gillies and foresters, or by pedestrians ambitious to add the feat of “doing” it to their “record”. —Anderson (1911)An even earlier "recreational" mention is a report on the snow conditions in the Lairig Ghru by C. G. Cash in April 1901:
On the 17th I went up the Lairig Ghru as far as the watershed. Here I reached snow at the 1750 contour, and found it much greater in quantity than I have previously seen it. After the first half-mile I found it unbroken, except for a narrow strip along the edge of the ridge usually occupied by the intermittent track. The snow was in capital walking condition, but seemingly I was the first person to go up the pass. At the watershed the depth of the snow must have been great, for a notable ridge of rocks crossing the pass just at the watershed was buried, and the large cairns in its neighbourhood were invisible. Indeed I barely found enough exposed rock to serve as a dry seat, while I took a rest, a lunch, and a look at the Deeside view —C. G. Cash - Cairngorm Club Journal 17, July 1901 (p 313-314)This snow report by C. G. Cash implies a familiarity with the Lairig Ghru, both his own, and his readers.
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