Lochnagar - Cac Carn Beag

Lochnagar - Cac Carn Beag

Overview

Lochnagar’s main summit is Cac Carn Beag, a 1,155.7 m Munro above Royal Deeside. The summit is a rocky tor beside a trig point, with a broad plateau behind the steep northern corrie. Cac Carn Mor is a separate, lower top at 1,151.3 m; Meikle Pap is 978.9 m.

Walking routes

The Glen Muick circuit starts and finishes at Spittal of Glen Muick: climb by Allt-na-giubhsaich and the Ladder, visit Cac Carn Beag, then return down Glas Allt and along Loch Muick. The complete outing is 19 km and usually described as 6–7 hours in summer.

For a much longer mountain day, the White Mounth circuit links Lochnagar with four further Munros and returns from Broad Cairn to Spittal above Loch Muick. Its published figures are 29 km and 9–11 hours. The alternative northern circuit from Crathie uses Gelder Shiel and Meall Coire na Saobhaidhe, returns by the Ladder and estate tracks, and is 25.7 km with a 7–8-hour published time. See the route notes for each complete itinerary.

Ground and landscape

The usual Glen Muick route combines estate tracks, pitched mountain paths, boulders and a steep descent beside Glas Allt. The northern approach has rougher, partly pathless moorland. These are substantial mountain walks requiring fitness and navigation skills.

Lochnagar is built from intrusive granite emplaced in several phases. Glaciation excavated its corries, while frost-related processes also shaped the upper slopes. The corrie rim, the lochan beneath it, the Glas Allt falls and Loch Muick give the main circuit its changing character. Clear weather opens views across Deeside and the Cairngorms.

Access

Use the paid car park at Spittal of Glen Muick for the eastern routes. Toilets and a small visitor centre are at Spittal; bring provisions for the mountain. There is no scheduled public transport to this trailhead. Crathie is the start of the longer northern route.

Check estate notices before setting out. NatureScot’s access guidance allows the main Glen Muick and Glas Allt paths during stalking, and the five-Munro circuit provided walkers do not make an early descent across the White Mounth or into the Dubh Loch area. The pathless northern variant needs its own access check. Keep dogs close at heel or on a short lead around ground-nesting birds, especially April–July, and respect the estate’s request to avoid camping around Spittal and Loch Muick.

Safety and seasons

The corrie cliffs are serious fall hazards. Keep well back from their edges, especially in mist, strong wind or snow. The Ladder can hold unstable snow, and cornices can conceal the true rim. Heavy rain can make the burn crossing and the steep Glas Allt descent more difficult.

Carry a map and compass, waterproofs, warm layers, food and a headtorch. Snow and ice require winter navigation and avalanche-awareness skills, appropriate boots, crampons and an ice axe, with the ability to use them. Check a mountain forecast and the Southern Cairngorms avalanche information when issued; read its validity date. A summer itinerary or timing is not a winter safety assessment.

Names and history

Lochnagar takes its name from Loch na Gàire, the small corrie loch; Ainmean-Àite na h-Alba interprets this as “the loch of the outcry”. The mountain is associated with Lord Byron’s poem about dark Lochnagar and with Queen Victoria’s visits.