Walking in the Cairngorms offers a unique blend of adventure and beauty, with opportunities to experience the magic of the season and engage with the area's unique wildlife. This guidebook contains over 100 routes for walking in the Cairngorms and Lochnagar, including 18 Munro summits, smaller hills, and trekking options. Walks range in length from 1 to 26 miles and are graded for difficulty.

OVERVIEW

A guidebook to over 100 walking routes in the Cairngorms and Lochnagar. Sitting between Speyside and Deeside the Cairngorms National Park provides the backdrop for these low- and high-level walks and scrambles suitable for a range of abilities.

Walks range from 2 to 42km (1–26 miles) and have been graded by difficulty, allowing you to select routes suitable for your ability level. 

• 1:50,000 OS maps or 1:100,000 route maps included for each walk
• Includes 18 Munro summits
• Multiple summit path options are included for five hills – Macdui, Cairn Gorm, Braeriach, Cairn Toul and Lochnagar
• Detailed information on facilities and mountain bothies
• Easy access from Aviemore and Braemar

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Introduction
• Cairngorms: the highs and the lows
• Walking conditions
• When to go
• Safety in the mountains
• Maps
• How to use this book
• Part 1 Aviemore and the Spey
  1 Grantown and Spey
  2 Spey at Boat of Garten
  3 Craigellachie Birches
  4 Geal-charn Mor
  5 Around Loch an Eilein
  6 Ord Ban
  7 Argyll Stone
• Part 2 Glen More
  8 Gleann Einich and the Sgorans
  9 Creag a’ Chalamain and the Cat Notch
  10 Down Cairn Gorm
  11 Lochan Uaine
  12 Meall a’ Bhuachaille
  13 Creag Mhor and Bynack More
  14 Beinn Mheadhoin
  
• Summit Summary: Cairn Gorm
  15 Bynack More and the Saddle
  16 Strath Nethy and the Saddle
  17 Lairig an Lui, Loch Avon, Coire Raibert
  18 Lochan na Beinne and Cnap Coire na Spreidhe
  19 Coire Cas (descent)
  20 Coire an t-Sneachda: Headwall (scramble Grade 1)
  21 Coire an t-Sneachda: Pygmy Ridge (scramble Grade 3)
  22 Coire an t-Sneachda: Goat Path
  23 Fiacaill Ridge of Coire an t-Sneachda (scramble Grade 1)
  24 Lurcher’s Crag
  25 Plateau route from Macdui
  
• Shelter Stone Summary
  26 Strath Nethy and the Saddle
  27 Lairig an Lui, Loch Avon
  28 To Coire Cas or Cairn Gorm by Coire Raibert
  29 From Coire Cas by Coire Domhain
  30 From Linn of Dee by Loch Etchachan
  31 To Ben Macdui by Loch Etchachan
  32 To Carn Etchachan by Pinnacle Gully (scramble Grade 1)
  33 Forefinger Pinnacle (scramble Grade 3)
  34 To Ben Macdui by Avon Slabs (scramble Grade 1 or 2)
  
• Summit Summary: Ben Macdui
  35 From Lairig Ghru by Tailor Burn
  36 From Derry Lodge by Carn a’ Mhaim
  37 Sron Riach
  38 Via Derry Cairngorm
  39 Coire Etchachan
  40 From Coire Cas
  41 Plateau route from Cairn Gorm
  
• Part 3 Badenoch
  42 Badenoch Way
  43 Insh to Aviemore
  44 Druid Circle at Dalraddy
  45 Take an Insh
  46 Carn Dearg Mor
  47 Mullach Clach a’ Bhlair by Coire Garbhlach
  48 Badan Mosach waterfall
  49 Summer Road to Ruthven
  50 Glen Tromie: Croidh-la
  51 Creag Bheag
  
• Summit Summary: Braeriach
  52 From Glenmore by Chalamain Gap and Sron na Lairige
  53 From Rothiemurchus by Sron na Lairige
  54 Gleann Einich and Coire Ruadh
  55 Gleann Einich and Coire Dhondail
  56 Coire Dhondail scramble (scramble Grade 1)
  57 South Ridge of Coire Bhrochain
  58 Ridge route from Cairn Toul
  
• Summit Summary: Cairn Toul
  59 Coire Odhar
  60 Great Moss
  61 East Ridge (scramble Grade 1)
  62 Northeast Ridge of Angel’s Peak (scramble Grade 1)
  63 Corrie of the Chokestone Gully
  64 Ridge route from Braeriach
  
• Part 4 Glenlivet and Tomintoul
  65 Hills of Cromdale
  66 Carn Daimh
  67 Around the Brown
  68 Glen Brown and Ailnack Ravine
  69 Ben Avon by its River
  70 Tors of Ben Avon
  71 Cnap Chaochan Aitinn
  72 Ailnack Upper Ravine
  
• Part 5 Donside
  73 Carn Ealasaid
  74 Brown Cow Hill
  75 Don to Ben Avon
  
• Part 6 Deeside Braemar
  76 Clais Fhearnaig
  77 Derry Cairngorm by Lochan Uaine
  78 The Happy Face of Beinn a’ Chaorainn
  79 Dee and Derry
  80 Around Glen Geusachan
  81 The Devil’s Back Side
  82 Glen Quoich
  83 Beinn a’ Bhuird
  84 Carn na Drochaide and the Fairy Glen
  85 Morrone Birkwood and the Dee
  86 Morrone and Glen Ey
  87 Creag nan Gabhar
  88 White Mounth and Jock’s Road
  
• Part 7 Balmoral and Lochnagar
  89 Balmoral Castle
  90 Craigendarroch and the Dee
  91 Around Loch Muick
  92 Dubh Loch and Broad Cairn
  93 Creag an Dubh-loch
  
• Summit Summary: Lochnagar
  94 Queen Victoria’s Ballochbuie Route
  95 Byron’s scramble by the Stuic (scramble Grade 1)
  96 Tracks from Balmoral
  97 Meall Coire na Saobhaidhe
  98 Tourist path from Spittal of Glenmuick
  99 Conachcraig
  100 Loch na Gaire
  101 Falls of Glas Allt (descent)
  102 From Loch Callater
  
• The Long Routes
  The Cairngorms 4000s
  The Lairig Ghru
  Appendices
  I Route summary
  II Access (in particular during the deer-stalking season)
  III Mountain bothies
  IV Gaelic place names
  V Lists of hills
  VI Scrambles summary and grading
  VII Accommodation and information
  VIII Further reading

OTHER INFORMATION

• ISBN: 9781852848866
• Published: 7 Jul 2017
• Edition: Second 1 Jun 2022
• Pages: 320
• Size: 17.20 x 11.60 x 1.80cm
• Weight: 370g
• Format: Paperback
• Authors: Ronald Turnbull