📌 Braemore, Highland
★★★★
This is a walk unlike any other in Scotland. Morven, Caithness (not to be confused with Morven, Aberdeenshire) is the highest summit in the region and looks more like an Icelandic volcano than a Highland hill; its extremely steep, grassy sides taper to a windswept summit with fantastic views. Maiden Pap is a miniature version of Morven, but perhaps even steeper with cloudberries growing in lush, shaded gullies on its northern slopes. Smean completes the trio of energy-sapping ascents. In between the other two hills, it looks less dramatic from a distance but its summit is adorned with huge rocky tors. Somehow the hills’ respective names describe each of their characters perfectly. Difficult terrain makes this a tough circuit; wait for good underfoot conditions, otherwise you’ll be cursing yourself as you struggle through wet, pathless grass and heather between the various high points.
📷 Chronological photo guide
Approach to Maiden Pap, with Morven poking out behind 
Cloudberry 
View over a barren landscape from Maiden Pap 
Morven from Maiden Pap 
Looking back on the descent from Maiden Pap 
Scaraben 
Morven from Smean 
Maiden Pap (left), Smean (centre) & Scaraben (right) from Morven 
Rain shower over Small Mount, seen from Morven summit
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish at minor road end near Braemore Lodge, 5 mi west of Dunbeath
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: ND 073304
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 58.252887,-3.581004
❌ No public transport within 1 mi
🚗 Car park
📝 Key info
▶ 17 km / 11 mi | ▲ 960 m | ⌛ 7-8 hr
Features: △ Maiden Pap (484 m, sub-2000′ Marilyn); △ Smean (511 m, sub-2000′ Marilyn); △ Morven (706 m, “Torbett”)
⬤ Very tough | Tracks at start and from Corrichoich to the finish. Mostly pathless over the three summits, with tough & sometimes wet terrain. Reaching the summits each involve negotiating extremely steep but generally grassy ground. There is a faint path / ATV track for much of the return.
Download file for GPS➡️ Clockwise lollipop walk with extension to Morven: start – Braeval – leave track at 🧭 ND 051301 – Maiden Pap via northern gullies – Smean – Morven – Corrichoich – Braeval – start
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Deer around Braemore; frogs, moths and cloudberries on Maiden Pap; extensive bog cotton adding colour to the moorland.
Weather: Sunny intervals at first, tending to cloud over; a little rain on descent from Morven. Blustery high up where temperature in single figures.
August 2013
