The path along the southern
shore of Loch Muick

Lochnagar & East Glen Shee
Lochnagar, though still remote, is easier to get to. This page covers the huge high ground between the Lochangar estate and the Glen Shee ski centre. The highlights of this place are the northern corries of Lochnagar with their 300m high cliffs. Glen Muick also shows off some good cliffs above Dubh Loch, some of which provide the most difficult rock climbs in the Cairngorms.

The area is characterised by a vast high plateau and provides good opportunities to practice compass work. Indeed all the hills around here provide a good test of your navigation skills. Part of Lochnagar is situated on the royal estate of Balmoral. As such, there is some fine woodland at lower levels.

The Lochnagar summits can be traversed as part of a classic horseshoe walking a high ridge line around Dubh Loch, which is west of Loch Muick. From the Spittal of Glen Muick cars can be parked where a continueing track follows the south shore of Loch Muick as far as the Black Burn. Here you can either follow the track onto the plateau above or follow the path keeping to the shore of Loch Muick before ascending to rejoin the path at the saddlw below Broad Cairn where an old stable provides some rudimentary shelter.

Broad Cairn seen from Loch Muick

Loch Muick seen from the west

The track then continues up the slopes of Broad Cairn before disappearing on a shoulder below the summit to be replaced by a path. The Summit is seen to be gently pyramidal from Loch Muick, and aethetically quite pleasing. The walk continues to the next munro, Cairn Bannoch along very broad ridges before the ridges open out to the most distant munro on the circuit: Carn an t-Sagairt Mor. This munro, along with the next summit. Carn a' Choire Bhaidheach are summits which are devoid of rocky fields. Carn a' Choire Bhaidheach is set back about 500m from a steep northern escarpment known as The Stuic. This escarpment hosts fine 200m cliffs, and although not as grand as the Lochnagar crags, they are more remote.

Carn an t-Sagairt Mor, the most distant munro in the Lochnagar circuit

Dubh Loch seen from Carn an t-Sagairt Mor

Lochnagar is the crown in this collection of peaks. Set above the royal Balmoral estate, it is both the finest summit in this circuit and the highest at 1155m. It's views are commanding, boasting the longest line of sight in Scotland, south to the Cheviot on the border with England. 350m below lies the Loch of Lochnagar, ringed for 180 degrees by high cliffs. The summit may be the last in the circuit, but it is remote, being 7km from the car park at Glen Muick. It takes about two to three hours to return back to your car.

The northern corries of Lochnagar

East of the glen ski centre lie higher mountains than those on the west. The plauteau is bigger and less ridge like compared with the western Shee mountains. They also have a nice deep glen cutting in a fine corrie called Caen lochan Glen. Little Glas Moal overlooks the highest cliffs which are 150m tall. North along this group lies Carn of Claise. This is probably the most featureless hill of the group - but the plateau ends abruptly at the north at Coire Loch Kander - which opens out into Glen Callater.

southermost Creag Leacaich seen from Glas Moal

Little Glas Moal and the Craigie Doubs

The Eastern Cairngorms
The Cairngorms are the highest but most remote of the mountain groups in this section. Two summits worth going for include Beinn a' Bhuird and Ben Avon. These provide grand corries to peer into and Ben Avon possesses interesting summit tors. Between them, they provide the largest area of land above 3000ft in this country. To climb these summits would require a 35km round trip. Access is greatly improved with the use of mountain bikes or skis for this area. There are other summits to the west well worth visiting but they often demand even longer walks and it is often more suitable to camp or bothy in this place.

The upper reaches of Glen Quoich with Beinn a' Bhuird on the left

Ben Avon seen from Bynack More

Beinn a' Bhuird and Ben Avon seen from Carn na Drochaide

The approach to Ben Avon & Beinn a' Bhuird is normally started from the Linn of Quoich or Invercauld. Starting from Linn of Quoich allows easier retrieval of your vehicle should you decide to continue a larger excursion round other Cairngorm summits. For a greater round trip, Linn of Dee also provides a viable starting point with a good path crossing from Glen Lui to Glen Quoich via Clais Fhearnaig. From Linn of Quoich, landrover tracks take you up Glen Quoich to the southern flanks of Beinn a' Bhuird. To follow Quoich Water further round to the Sneck requires some river crossings to follow the path on the other side of the water. Otherwise in high water, you can follow the southern side of the stream on a patchy heathery path.

Beinn a' Bhuird seen across the Sneck from the slopes of Ben Avon

You can alternatively shortcut from lower Glen Quoich over Carn na Criche (737m), this cuts 2-3km of walking and the progress is easy up rutted tracks and a faint path. Further up the upper glen, you regain a path coming up from Invercauld. This is well made, and won't impede progress. It also offers some of the finest views of Ben Avon and Beinn a' Bhuird, looking right up upper Glen Quioich. The summit diversion to Carn na Drochaide is recommended, and in my opinion this is one of the finest Deeside Corbett views that can be had.

Beinn Bhreac seen from Glen Quoich

The southern flank of Beinn a' Chuird seen from Glen Quoich

Ben Avon and its summit tor seen from the southwest

This path continues upto the Sneck, the valleys becoming more confined further in before opening out to grassy meadows just below the sneck. An ascent of Ben Avon is straightforward, except for the final summit tor. This ascept is an easy scramble, but not too exposed and without any awkward moves. The ascent to Beinn a' Bhuird is steeper from the sneck, and inevitably you'll need your ice axe in winter for one brief section of steep snow. Be careful here, as just to your north very steep cliffs fall away to Garbh Choire.

Beinn a' Bhuird and the rim of Coire nan Clach extending south to A' Choich

Once established on the plateau of Beinn a' Bhuird, one has an enournous sense of space and soon you approach the edge of Coire nan Clach. A line of cliffs here leads the eye south to the southern top of A' Chioch. The main summit is somewhat set bet from the corrie edge. Most walkers will complete the walk by heading south to intercept a bulldozed track high on the southwestern tracks. However, the adventurous will head west to a vast expanse of upland between the summits of Beinn a' Chaorainn and Beinn Bhreac. This distance should not be underestimated, it's 4km to this plateau and not an easy proposition if conditions are against you.

Garbh Choire and The Sneck

Slochd Mor and Ben Avon

Beinn a' Chaorainn and Beinn Bhreac are two of the smaller munros in the Cairngorm national park. The plateau linking these summits is broad, and at times boggy with deep vegetation. This is an attribute of its altitude, being only ~800m high. Beinn Bhreac, at 932m, has very little prominence seen from the plateau. But seen from Glen Quoich it looks like a shapely summit worthy of ascent. Beinn a' Chaorainn is higher, and quite rocky on it's higher slopes. The view from here is one of the best for seeing the central cairngorm hills. The elevation of Ben Macdui above this stance gives it a formidable appearance, especially when it's under a heavy mantle of snow.

Beinn a' Chaorainn seen from Beinn Bhreac

Beinn Bhreac seen from Beinn a' Chaorainn

The Deeside Hills
The hills right next to the river Dee should not be neglected either. Although generally lower, they provide easy walks and good views to the higher summits. There are also extensive forests between Braemar and Ballater.

The slopes of Sgor Mor north of the Dee

Looking east along the Dee near the Chest of Dee

One such hill is Sgor Mor, to the north west of Linn of Dee. This is a broad heather ridge with one or two granite tors on its top. Being quite close to the big Cairngorm mountains, the views are impressive. The Devils Point, Cairn Toul and Ben Macdui all come into prominence. This walk is best done as a circuit taking a walk by the River Dee on the way in beyond White Bridge before striking up the southern slopes to the summit. The heather is a bit deep on the lower slopes but the going get easier once established on the summit ridge. The walk out eastwards is also easy.