■Distance: 13 miles/20.9km ■Time: 8-10 hours ■Grade:
CHOSEN BY… DAVID MARSH
At 1296m (4252 feet) Braeriach is the UK’s third highest mountain behind only Ben Nevis and Ben Macdui. It is, however, far harder to reach than either, with its summit being a long way from the nearest road. This there-and-back route from the Sugar Bowl car park on the road from Glenmore to Cairn Gorm Mountain, is the shortest and easiest way to reach it. Nevertheless, it’s a tough route which involves considerable ascent and descent in addition to having to negotiate the Chalamain Gap twice. This notorious, boulder-filled ravine was formed by glacial melt water at the end of the last ice age and needs to be crossed with care with the use of hands. The reward for all this effort is the chance to savour some of the wildest and most spectacular scenery of the sub-Arctic Cairngorm plateau. In particular, the view south from Braeriach towards Cairn Toul, across corries where snow patches linger yearround, is utterly magnificent.
1 Start
Turn L out of the car park then, in the middle of the road’s hairpin bend, take the path on the R, just after the crash barrier ends. Follow the path down through trees to cross a wooden footbridge. Ascend the other side, keeping L when the path forks near the top. Emerging from the trees, turn L on the path that heads S initially. Follow the path as it swings W and descends on pitched stones to ford the Caochan Dubh a’ Chadha.
2 1¼ miles/2.2km
Continue on the excellent
