Number 59 of 282 by height · Cairngorms and Monadhliath
Beinn a' Chaorainn
3,553 ft (1,083 m)
Facts
- Grid reference
- NJ 045 013
- Latitude, longitude
- 57.09328, -3.57744
- Area
- Cairngorms and Monadhliath
The walk up
No route line yet: the mapped paths near the summit do not join up with a car park. See Getting there below for the nearest place to park.
Summit conditions
From Sunday 1 November, 17:07. Not live.
- Weather
- Partly cloudy
- Temperature
- 34°F (1°C)
- Wind chill
- 28°F (−2°C)
- Wind
- 6 mph (10 km/h) from the northwest
- Cloud cover
- 50%
- Rain or snow, next hour
- None
- Freezing level, rough estimate
- 4,108 ft (1,252 m)
- Sunrise, sunset
- 07:24, 16:31
Getting there
By car
Coire Cas Car Park. Pay to park. The nearest public car park to the summit, 4.5 mi (7.3 km) away in a straight line. Not necessarily the usual start.
Driving directions to the Beinn a' Chaorainn car park57.13501,-3.67122
By train
Nearest station: Aviemore, 7.0 mi (11 km) from the car park.
By bus
Nearest bus stop on the map: Cairngorm Ski Centre, right by the car park. Check the times first: many Highland buses run only a few times a day.
Near the start
- Toilets by the start
- Place to eat: Cairngorm Cafe by the start
- Toilets 0.1 mi (0.2 km)
From OpenStreetMap. Places close or change hours, especially in winter, so check before you rely on one.
Public transport directionsBus and train times on Traveline Scotland
About Beinn a' Chaorainn
- Means
- Mountain of the rowan tree
Beinn a' Chaorainn stands in the heart of the Cairngorms on the Moray and Aberdeenshire border, about 12 miles south-east of Aviemore and 9 miles north-west of Braemar. It is a pointed hill but not a conspicuous one, overshadowed by the bigger Cairngorm peaks around it. It sits at the head of Glen Derry, facing Beinn Mheadhoin, its nearest higher neighbour 1.3 miles away, across the Lairig an Laoigh pass, and rises 808 ft (246 m) above the col that links it to higher ground.
Its western slopes fall steeply to the pass, mostly grassy but craggy in places. To the east a col at 3,100 ft (945 m), dotted with small lochans, the largest being Lochan Beinn a' Chaorainn, links it to its subsidiary Top, Beinn a' Chaorainn Bheag. The high ground of the Moine Bhealaidh continues east to Beinn a' Bhuird.
The summit, marked by a large cairn, gives a fine view of the Cairngorm giants. It should not be confused with the Beinn a' Chaorainn above Loch Laggan.
Tops on Beinn a' Chaorainn
One lower summit in the Munro tables, not counted as separate Munros. Keen baggers tick these too.
| Top | Height | From the summit |
|---|---|---|
| Beinn a' Chaorainn BheagNJ 057 017 | 3,337 ft (1,017 m) | 0.8 mi (1.3 km) |
Through the year
Hours of daylight on Beinn a' Chaorainn in the middle of each month. The shorter the day, the earlier you need to start.
Stag stalking season, 1 July to 20 October. On many estates, walkers are asked to keep to set routes on stalking days: check the Scottish Outdoor Access Code site's Heading for the Scottish Hills service before you go.
Nearest Munros
| Munro | Height | Straight-line distance |
|---|---|---|
| Beinn Mheadhoin | 3,881 ft (1,183 m) | 1.3 mi (2.1 km) |
| Derry Cairngorm | 3,789 ft (1,155 m) | 2.7 mi (4.3 km) |
| Beinn Bhreac | 3,054 ft (931 m) | 2.8 mi (4.5 km) |
Common questions about Beinn a' Chaorainn
- How high is Beinn a' Chaorainn?
- Beinn a' Chaorainn is 3,553 ft (1,083 m), number 59 of the 282 Munros by height, in the Cairngorms and Monadhliath.
- How long does it take to climb Beinn a' Chaorainn?
- We do not have a mapped route up Beinn a' Chaorainn yet, because the paths near the summit are not joined up on the map. Plan it with a proper map and allow a long day.
- Where do you park for Beinn a' Chaorainn?
- The nearest public car park to the summit is Coire Cas Car Park. There is a parking charge.
- Can you climb Beinn a' Chaorainn without a car?
- The nearest railway station is Aviemore, 7.0 mi (11 km) from the start, and the nearest bus stop on the map is Cairngorm Ski Centre, 0.1 mi (0.1 km) from the start. Highland trains and buses are few, so check times on Traveline Scotland before you go.
- What does Beinn a' Chaorainn mean?
- It is usually translated as "mountain of the rowan tree".
- When is the best time to climb Beinn a' Chaorainn?
- Daylight runs from about 18 hours in mid June to 7 hours in mid December, so summer gives the most time. From 1 July to 20 October it is the stag stalking season, when some estates ask walkers to keep to set routes. In winter, snow and ice turn most Munros into mountaineering terrain.
A guide only. Mountain conditions change fast: carry a map and compass and know how to use them, and read the mountain forecast for the Cairngorms and Monadhliath before you go.
Questions
Where can I get a proper mountain forecast?
Read the Mountain Weather Information Service forecast for the Cairngorms and Monadhliath, written by forecasters for walkers and climbers. In winter, also read the Scottish Avalanche Information Service report for the area.
Where does the summit weather come from?
From MET Norway's forecast model, fetched for every Munro once an hour at the summit's own height. It is computer output for one point, not a forecast written for mountains, so treat it as a guide. The past hours are what the forecast said at the time. Wind chill, the freezing level and sunrise and sunset are worked out by this site from those figures; the freezing level assumes temperature drops steadily with height, so it can be well out when cold air sits in the glens.
Where do the car parks and bus stops come from?
From OpenStreetMap. Distances are straight lines, not the way you would walk or drive. A bus stop on the map says nothing about how often a bus calls: many Highland buses run a few times a day, some only on school days or by booking, so check Traveline Scotland first. The map cannot tell whether a car park is on a public road, so a remote one may only be reachable on foot or by train.
Where do the Gaelic names and stories come from?
From the hill's article on English Wikipedia and its Wikidata entry, put into a few words of our own. Meanings and pronunciations are only given where the article states them; many Gaelic hill names are old and their meaning is uncertain. Read the full article.
Where do the height and grid reference come from?
From the Database of British and Irish Hills, the surveyed list most baggers use. Beinn a' Chaorainn is hill 559 there.
Sources: Database of British and Irish Hills (CC BY 4.0), OpenStreetMap (ODbL), MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata, Copernicus elevation data, Sentinel-2 cloudless imagery by EOX. All credits and licences.