Cairn Gorm and Ben Macdui
Across the high Cairngorm plateau from Cairn Gorm to Ben Macdui, Britain's second-highest mountain.
- Distance
- 18.6 km
- Ascent
- 980 m
- Time
- 6–8 h
- Grade
- Hard
- Route
- Circular
- High point
- 1309 m
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Route mapped on from OpenStreetMap paths, with heights from EU-DEM terrain data; not yet checked on the ground by TRXO. Added to TRXO on . For planning only: always navigate with an up-to-date map such as OS Explorer or Harvey. How we make our routes.
About this walk
Cairn Gorm and Ben Macdui is a hard 18.6 km circular walk with 980 m of ascent, taking 6 to 8 hours. It starts at Coire Cas car park, Cairngorm ski centre (grid reference NH 989 061). It climbs 2 listed hills, the highest Ben Macdui at 1,309 m. The start can be reached by public transport.
From the Coire Cas car park, the route climbs the Fiacaill a' Choire Chais ridge to Cairn Gorm, then strikes out across the vast, stony plateau to Ben Macdui. It feels like the Arctic up here: wide, empty and exposed, with views into the Lairig Ghru and across to Braeriach.
Ben Macdui is said to be haunted by Am Fear Liath Mòr, the Big Grey Man. The return skirts the rim of the northern corries back to the car park. The funicular railway can't be used to start or finish a walk in summer. The Cairngorm plateau is the most arctic environment in Britain: storms arrive quickly, there's little shelter and navigation in cloud or snow is very hard. Check the Mountain Weather Information Service before you go.
Route
-
1
Cairn Gorm
Climb from Coire Cas up the ridge and onto Cairn Gorm's summit.
-
2
Across the plateau
Head south-west across the plateau, past Lochan Buidhe, to Ben Macdui.
-
3
The corrie rim
Return north along the rim of the northern corries and down to the car park.
Summits
Other routes up these hills
Questions about this walk
- How long does Cairn Gorm and Ben Macdui take?
- Most walkers take 6–8 hours for the 18.6 km route, which has 980 m of ascent. That allows for short stops; give yourself longer in winter, in poor weather or with a group.
- Where does the walk start, and where can I park?
- It starts at Coire Cas car park, Cairngorm ski centre (grid reference NH 989 061). Pay and display car park at the ski centre.
- Can I get there by public transport?
- Buses from Aviemore to the ski centre. Check times on Traveline Scotland.
- How hard is it?
- It's graded hard. Constructed and stony paths; a high, exposed boulder plateau with cairned paths that vanish in snow.
- Which hills does it climb?
- Ben Macdui (1309 m, Munro); Cairn Gorm (1245 m, Munro).
- Can I take my dog?
- Yes, dogs are welcome on this walk. Before you go: National Nature Reserve: stay on paths, especially around the northern corries' fragile plants. Avalanche risk in winter.
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