Get Lost Mountaineering

Carn an t-Sagairt Mor & Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach

from Auchallater

Start/Finish

Car park, opposite Auchallater, about 6.5 miles down the north side of the A93 from the top of the Glen Shee Pass (Ski area) and about 2 miles south of Braemar on the A93. Despite the horrendous appearance of the top of the pass, the cafe is quite good and there are toilets. In winter, access towards the top of the pass may be blocked by snow although much effort is made to keep the road open for ski slopes. The car park is Pay and Display. In 2016, the charge was £2.50 per whole day or part of.

Distance/Time

27 km.      About 8 – 9 hours.

Peaks

Carn an t-Sagairt Mor, 1047 m, NO 208 843.

Carn an t-Sagairt Beag, 1044 m, NO 216 848.

Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach, 1110 m, NO 226 845.

Creag a' Ghlas-uillt, 1068 m, NO 242 842.

Eagle's Rock, 1051 m, NO 237 838. OS sheets 43 & 44.

Introduction

In clear summer conditions, this is a relatively straight forward walk although it awkwardly falls on the eastern edge for sheet 43 and the western edge of sheet 44. The main path is quite easy to follow even in mist but the two tops of Creag a' Ghas-uillt and (top of) Eagles' Rock are quite difficult to locate in mist. In clear weather, there are excellent views to Lochnagar and the Broad Cairn range. The track to Lochcallater Lodge is good enough to cycle and is about 5 km each way so would save about an hour.

Route

(1) From the car park, follow the obvious track alongside the Callater Burn. This crosses the burn, by a bridge, after about 2.5 km. About 1 km further, the track splits so take the left fork. After about another 1.5 km, the track reaches the, usually, locked gate just before Lochcallater Lodge. The path forks left just before the gate. It is grassy and faint initially but soon becomes much more distinct. Follow the path up and above almost the whole length of Loch Callater before turning NE and climbing to meet a line of old fence posts. When the path leaves the fence posts, leave the path and follow the fence posts, on a fainter path, up the NNW ridge. Reach a plateau where there are two cairns about 200 m apart. The first is the larger but it is hard to tell which is the higher so visit both. One is clearly the summit of Carn an t-Sagairt Mor, 1047 m, probably the second one.

(2) From the larger (first) cairn, a faint path descends roughly ENE to an obvious grassy col. Pick a way up the other side which is more stony and gain the crest then follow it NE to reach a tiny cairn on a large boulder which is the summit of Carn an t-Sagairt Beag, 1044 m.

(3) Continue NE along the crest where a path soon appears which can be followed to the cliff edge known as The Stuic. Turn right, E, and follow the edge up to the high point then walk S, on a faint path, to intersect with the main path from Lochcallater Lodge to Lochnagar. Cross the path, at a cairn, and continue S on a faint path which soon becomes almost a track. This soon leads to a medium cairn which is the summit of Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach, 1110 m.

(4) Return to the main path and follow it for about 700 m then head SE along almost level ground before a small rise takes one to what seems to be a crude low shelter cairn which is about 40 m W of the small summit cairn ofCreag a' Ghlas-uillt, 1068 m.

(5) Descend roughly SW then make short ascent to a short line of three small cairns, of similar height, one of which is the summit of Eagle's Rock, 1051 m, although none of Eagle's Rock will be seen from above!

(6) Walk almost due N until the main path is reached then follow it W, past the cairn for Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach then continue on the path passing to the S of Carn an t-Sagairt Beag then Carn an t-Sagairt Mor before going around the latter. There is more ascent than some might expect on this section of path. Eventually one reaches the line of old fence posts and the descent to Lochcallater Lodge then back along the track to the start.

Notes

(a) This walk took place on 8^th September, 2016, and about 10 and 30 years earlier.

(b) Omitting Creag a' Ghas-uillt and (top of) Eagles' Rock would save about an hour.