The rounded dome of Cairngorm seen from
Cairn Lochan

Introduction
The Cairngorms can be split into two massifs which are effectively split by a high-level pass - The Lairig Ghru. To the east you'll find the Ben Macdui - Cairngorm plateau with its northern corries, Bynack More, and Loch Avon. To the west there is Braeriach, An Garbh Choire, Gleann Einich and Sgor Gaoith.

Scots Pine in
Glen Derry

The Eastern Cairngorms
The Eastern Cairngorms are easier to get to and show off some fine corries overlooking the Rothiemurchus and Queens forest. The best route up to the hills is via Colyumbridge through the Rothiemuchus forest, over the Cairngorm Club footbridge and into the Lairig Ghru. A good approach can also be had from the top of the Glen More Forest out onto the moorland at Lochan Dubh a' Chadha. From here you can access the Lairig Ghru via the Chlamain Gap or get straight into the northern corries.

The favoured route by many day trippers however is from the Cairngorm Ski Car Park. It puts you up at 600m from where the northern corries are easily accessible. Unfortunately the ski developments don't make it the most scenic start. A short 2km walk is all that is required to get you into the two climbing corries: Coire an t-Sneachda and Coire an Lochan.

Ben Macdui & Cairngorm
These two corries provide some of the highest snow climbing in the country and so they can be very busy. They are separated by a ridge called Fiacaill. This ridge is one of the most exciting walkers routes in the Cairngorms. The rise up is quite broad. Then the ridge levels out and becomes narrower sporting some boulder hopping. The ridge ahead looks quite difficult and involves a grade 1 summer scramble. There is a ramp to the right of this ridge that avoids the difficulties.

The Cairngorm summit weather station

The Fiaciall Ridge seen from the plateau to the east

The Ben Macdui - Cairngorm plateau between is fringed by crags on many of it's sides making it a serious outing in nasty winter conditions. In summer, the rocky conditions are reasonable - the rocks don't hinder progress much. The summit of Cairngorm itself is a rounded dome without any crags. Further west, the plateau passes over the two northern corries before reaching Cairn Lochan. West of this summit, a broad ridge drops you safely down to the lower moorland.

A southern panorama from Cairn Lochan including Beinn Mheadhoin and Ben Macdui

Between Cairn Lochan and Ben Macdui, the plateau is fringed on the west by occasional broken crags and steep stony slopes dropping down to to Lairig Ghru. South of the Feith Bhuidhe, the plateau becomes a lot more vast than that between Cairngorm and Cairn Lochan. Ben Macdui is the second highest summit in the UK and is no less serious than Ben Nevis. For starters a nice big cliff to the east fringes the plateau of Ben Macdui.

The summit of Cairn Lochan

The eastern profile of Cairngorm seen from Bynack More

This Cairngorm - Ben Macdui plateau forms an F shape and nestled beneath the plateau lies Loch Avon. It's only 4km from the Cairngorm car park but despite that it's still very remote when you consider that you have to reach it across often very stormy scenery. At the head of the loch lies the very impressive shelter stone crag so named because there's a large boulder at the bottom that you can shelter underneath. Great camping country here. The loch is drained by the River Avon which in turn passes through very empty country.

Ben Macdui as seen from near the Devils Point

Carn a' Mhaim seen from Glen Derry

Idyllic camping in Glen Derry

Carn a'Mhaim seen from the Upper Dee

Beinn Mheadhoin and A' Choinneach seen from Bynack More

Hutchinson Memorial Hut

Beinn Mheadhoin & Derry Cairngorm
South of Loch Avon lies Loch Etchachan - the largest loch above 3000ft. Everyone's cottoned onto that fact, so you'll often find tent city up here and sadly plenty of litter. From here you can climb Beinn Mheadhoin to the north and Derry Cairngorm to the south.

The summit ridge of Beinn Mheadhoin

Coire Etchachan

Beinn Mheadhoin is quite a remote mountain. Approaches from the north or the south are very long, and it's unlikely that you'll complete an ascent of the summit in the winter time inside one day. The summit tor offers a final scramble, with one move a little awkward and exposed. This move is harder getting down than up. The views take in the wilder and steeper parts of Cairngorm and Ben Macdui.

Derry Cairngorm is a broad bouldery ridge that can be ascended easily from Loch Etchachan. From the Ben Macdui path rising from Loch Etchachan, aim for the saddle west of Creagan a' Choire Etchachan. A path is picked up that contours round to the saddle below Derry Cairngorm. On Derry's summit, progress is made down rocky slopes along the south ridge. A well worn path emerges and this can be followed some way down the ridge. My route off the ridge was down to Luibeg burn. The slopes are deep with heather here, but a good path is intercepted lower down this burn.

Beinn Mheadhoin seen from Ben Macdui

Bynack More
East of Cairngorm lies the separate mountain of Bynack Mor. This mountain is quite remote, requireing a 10km walk in from the Glen More Lodge. The approach makes its way to Strath Nethy via the pass of Creag Loisgte. At Strath Nethy a footbridge takes you across the stream. Contrary to what many maps say, there is no building here any more. Beyond, the path splits, the one heading up Strath Nethy is rather boggy and slow going. Few camping opportunities present themselves in this valley as it is mainly knee deep heather. The higher path is a better affair and is part of a famous Cairngorm route heading to the Linn of Dee via the Fords of Avon.

The North ridge of Bynack More

Bynack More seen from the north

Bynack More seen from the south

The north ridge of Bynack More is quite shapely, with a number of bouldery tors offering interest. The summit ridge itself has Tors by the name of "The Barns of Bynack". Further south, the ridge broadens out to a plateau and rises up to a subsidiary top called A' Choinneach. This mountain is split from Cairngorm by Strath Nethy with the bealach linking it called The Saddle.

The Western Cairngorms
These summits neatly comprise those that are found west of the Lairig Ghru. The bigger cliffs in the Cairngorms are all found here with an Garbh Coire being the center of attraction. Braeriach boasts the largest area of land above 4000ft and also boasts no man made intrusions on its slopes making it one of the wildest mountains in the Cairngorms.

In deepest Lairig Ghru

Cairn Toul and Braeriach seen from Cairn Lochan across the Lairig Ghru

The impressive south eastern corrie of Braeriach seen from Ben Macdui

The Lairig Ghru and upper Dee provide the most spectacular approaches in the area. Many stay overnight at the popular Corrour Bothy before taking a tour taking in four munros - The Devils Point, Cairn Toul, Angels Peak and Breariach. Easy slopes to the west of Corrour give easy access to this grand slam walk.

The Devils point has the most impressive profile when seen from across the Dee. Pyramidal in shape, it has 300m granite cliffs that rise up to its summit. It probably sports great climbing and from some angles it looks very similar to Buchaille Etive Mhor. Unfortunately the walkers approach to the summit is rather bland taking in homogeneous grassy slopes.

The massive Braeriach plateau seen from Sgurr Gaoith

Next along this walk is Cairn Toul. It's the most shapely along with Angels Peak. The approach from the devils point takes you up grassy slopes that turn into torturous boulders. This plateau continues right round to Braeriach. There are more exciting scrambling routes on to these summits that I haven't done. These include the North East ridge of Angels peak and the two eastern ridges radiating out from Cairn Toul's crest.

The Devils Point seen from the south

Cairn Toul seen from Ben Macdui

Looking south from the Sgurr Gaoith

The walk round to Braeriach takes you over the longest line of crags over 200m high. The steepest of these can be found near the Falls of Dee, very close to the Pools of Dee. Beyond the Pools of Dee the slopes rise gently up to Braeriach where the crags fall very abruptly in to Coire Bhrochain, 300m below. An easy steep way down to the Dee takes the south arm of this corrie and takes you straight down into the jaws of Garbh Choire.

Braeriach and Sgurr Gaoith seen from the east

Loch Einich, similar to Loch Avon, is a large loch surrounded by impressive cliffs at the head of the glen. The Moine Mhor lies to the south, Breariach lies to the east and the Glen Feshie hills lie to the west. Some of the crags here rise up 500m to the principle summit, Sgor Gaoth (1118m). The western side of these hills drop down in smooth slopes to Glen Feshie, one of the great Cairngorm cross country routes.

Glen Geldie summits
South of the Devils point across Glen Geusachan lie two bulky mountains - Beinn Bhrotain and Monadh Mor. Beinn Bhrotain is the more easterly summit and very rocky. The Monadh Mor is grassier. They can be linked in with the Braeriach group via a bealach near Loch nan Stuirteag. It's a fairly easy to walk in from the Dee Valley. Heather guards the lower slopes, however higher up a faint path alongside the Allt Garbh and thinner vegetation allow easier progress.

Looking down Gleann Einich

The desolate Moine Mhor seen from near the rim of An Garbh Coire

Beinn Bhrotain seen from the Devils point

West of these hills lies the very remote and bleak Moine Mor. This is probably the flattest area in the Cairngorms and generally the land here hovers at the 850 - 900m mark. A land of peat hags and dotted lochans, it forms the watershed between Gleann Einich to the north and the River Feshie to the south - itself going into even more remote territory. It claims one munro, Mullach Clach a Bhlair (1019m) which lies in the south west corner. Across the Moine Mhor lies a bulldozed track, it crosses the Moine Mhor east to west joining a track rising up from Glen Feshie. It is possible to ascend Mullach Clach a Bhlair nearly all the way on a bicycle without great impedance. The drop down south to upper Glen Feshie /Geldie is distant and rather rough across deep heather.

An Sgarsoch and Carn Ealar from the north

An Sgarsoch and the River Feshie

Looking east down Glen Geldie

South of the Geldie/Feshie watershed lie two munros, Carn Ealar and An Sgarsoch, both rising around 1000m above sea level. These are remote summits, demanding a long walk in from either Glen Feshie or Linn of Dee. The approach and exits to the base of these two hills takes around 4 hours on good tracks and paths. Once off the path, it's tough heather trotting to the summit ridges before the ground yields to cropped grass, stones and rock. These summits are not distictive, being very broad and pudding shaped. But the views from their summits take in a wide vista with Beinn a' Ghlo and the Atholl Estate to the south, the Drumochter hills to the west and the Glen Shee hills to the east. The cairngorms are generally hidden from view by the rising bulk of Beinn Bhrotain and Monadh Mhor. Nonetheless it is a place that makes you appreciate how wild and remote this landscape is.