Ben Macdui and Cairngorm

 1st May 2022

Ben Macdui (Beinn Mac Duibh, meaning "Mac Duff's Hill") is the second-highest mountain in Scotland after Ben Nevis, and the highest in the Cairngorm Mountains.

Distance - 17.5km / 11 miles

Time - 6 - 8 hours

Ascent - 932m

Setting put on the ascent from the Coire Cas car park at the foot of Cairngorm Ski Centre by a path that leads up over slowly rising moorland. This route is about 7 km (4 mi) long.

he path continues across the moor and soon crosses the Allt Coire an t-Sneachda with the help of stepping stones. At the next fork beyond - with a much poorer path - again keep to the larger, lower path.

 

Cross the next stream, which issues from Coire an Lochain, and continue on the path up onto the wide ridge of Miadan Creag an Leth-choin. As height is gained great views open up on the left, across the gulf of Coire an Lochain - with its tiny lochan - to Cairn Lochan.

 

Continue across the stony tundra, rising gently before a slight descent and then a longer gradual and stony climb across the flanks of Ben Macdui's northern top to reach the true summit. Lots of snow and fog at this point.

 

The second highest mountain in Britain is marked by a massive cairn topped with a trig point. A view indicator helps to identify the many summits in view though the expansive plateau means the view lacks great depth. Return the same way but keep on the right hand path to pass closer to Lochan Buidhe. The area of Ben Macdui is said to be haunted by the legendary Am Fear Liath Mòr, or Greyman. There have been several accounts of an unnatural presence, with mountaineer Norman Collie claiming to have heard footsteps before fleeing from the summit in terror.... we did not see or hear anything untoward..

.... but it was a very chilly picnic...

The path crosses the slopes above the headwaters of the Feith Buidhe. In winter the terrain can seem quite featureless and the weather is often simply ferocious. The edge of the northern corries is reached at the bealach between Cairn Lochan and Stob Coire an t-Sneachda..

 

Continue to the right over Stob Coire an t-Sneachda with impressive views down the cliffs. We pressed on here to ascend the broad slopes to the east to reach the summit of Cairn Gorm. After passing through knee deep snow....

 

We all had to perch on a rock and empty our boots of water!

The views from here are much more dramatic than those from Ben Macdui, with grand views over the great carpet of Rothiemurchus Forest and the drama of the Northern Corries.

The summit of Cairngorm!

Queen Victoria hiked to the summit on 7 October 1859, aged forty. About her experience, she wrote: 'It had a sublime and solemn effect, so wild, so solitary – no one but ourselves and our little party there ... I had a little whisky and water, as the people declared pure water would be too chilling.'

 The summit of the mountain has a direction indicator erected in 1925 by the Cairngorm Club of Aberdeen in memory of former president Alexander Copland. The indicator shows the directions of the most noteworthy mountains that can be seen from the summit in clear weather.

Descend north to the Ptarmigan restaurant

 

Excellent  reading for our Cairngorm adventure!