๐ White Mounth, Aberdeenshire
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Lochnagar (Little loch of the noisy sound) is one of the Cairngorms’ great icons – Lord Byron even wrote a poem about it in 1807. This lofty summit’s northern side is riven by a magnificent coire, cradling a teardrop-shaped lochan with a series of smaller ones leading away from the cliffs like a string of pearls. The cliffs are renowned for winter ice climbing, with extreme skiing in the intervening gullies. For walkers there’s a surprisingly well-built path from nearby Glenmuick, with the classic view only revealed at the last minute. Returning along the Glas Allt takes in a majestic waterfall and the peaceful shoreline of Loch Muick; for sheer variety, this must be one of Scotland’s very best day walks.
๐ท Chronological photo guide
๐ Location
๐ Start / finish at Spittal of Glenmuick (minor road end 8 mi south of Ballater)
๐งญ O.S. Grid Reference: NO 310852
๐ฐ๏ธ GPS coordinates: 56.952572,-3.136045
โ No public transport within 1 mi
๐ Car park (charge, gets full)
๐ Key info
โถ 20 km / 12 mi | โฒ 990 m | โ 6-7 hr
Features: โณ Meikle Pap (980 m); โณ Lochnagar (1156 m, Munro); ๐ Falls of the Glasallt; ๐ง Loch Muick
โฌค Tough | Good tracks lower down and clear paths higher up; rougher and fainter sections across boulders near the summits.
Download file for GPSโก๏ธ Anticlockwise circuit: start – Allt-na-giubhsaich – Clais Rathadan – Meikle Pap – south rim of Lochnagar corrie – Lochnagar – Falls of the Glasallt – Glas-allt-Shiel – Loch Muick – start
๐ฅพ On our last visit
Wildlife: Deer near the start; lots of fungi down by Glas-allt-Shiel.
Weather: Sunny intervals after an initial rain shower; strong winds on the summit plateau.
October 2011