Number 5 of 282 by height · Cairngorms and Monadhliath
Sgor an Lochain Uaine
Sgòr an Lochain Uaine
4,127 ft (1,258 m)
Facts
- Grid reference
- NN 954 976
- Latitude, longitude
- 57.05838, -3.72589
- Area
- Cairngorms and Monadhliath
The walk up
- Distance, one way
- 9.3 mi (15 km)
- Climb
- 3,898 ft (1,188 m)
- Estimated time up
- 5 h
- Start
- Sugarbowl car park
Route picked by computer, not yet checked on the hill
Summit conditions
From Sunday 1 November, 17:07. Not live.
- Weather
- Partly cloudy
- Temperature
- 33°F (0°C)
- Wind chill
- 26°F (−3°C)
- Wind
- 6 mph (10 km/h) from the northwest
- Cloud cover
- 46%
- Rain or snow, next hour
- None
- Freezing level, rough estimate
- 4,278 ft (1,304 m)
- Sunrise, sunset
- 07:24, 16:32
The way up
From Sugarbowl car park, follow the path south for 0.7 mi, climbing steadily from 1,550 ft to 1,850 ft. It then turns south-west for 1.8 mi, climbing gently from 1,850 ft to 2,200 ft. On the way you cross the Caochan Dubh a’ Chadha and reach the bealach of Chalamain Gap. It then turns south for 3.2 mi, climbing steadily from 2,200 ft to 3,800 ft. On the way you go over Sron na Lairige (3,900 ft). It then turns south-west for 1.4 mi, almost level. On the way you go over Braeriach (4,250 ft). It then turns south for 0.9 mi, almost level. On the way you pass Falls of Dee and go over Carn na Criche (4,150 ft). It then turns south-east for 0.7 mi, dropping from 4,050 ft to 3,800 ft. It then turns east for the last 0.4 mi to the summit, climbing steadily from 3,800 ft to 4,150 ft. The steepest part is between 2,150 ft and 3,050 ft, about 3.4 mi from the start. The summit is at 4,127 ft (1,258 m).
Written from the map, not from walking it. Paths on the ground can differ, so carry a map and compass.See it in 3D.
Getting there
By car
Sugarbowl car park. Pay to park. This is where the walking route starts.
Driving directions to the Sgor an Lochain Uaine car park57.14632,-3.67910
By train
Nearest station: Aviemore, 6.3 mi (10 km) from the car park.
By bus
Nearest bus stop on the map: Cairngorm Ski Centre, 0.9 mi (1.5 km) from the car park. Check the times first: many Highland buses run only a few times a day.
Near the start
- Toilets 0.9 mi (1.5 km)
- Place to eat: Cairngorm Cafe 1.0 mi (1.5 km)
- Toilets 1.0 mi (1.6 km)
- Campsite: Glenmore Camp Site 1.5 mi (2.4 km)
- Café: Allt Mor Café 1.6 mi (2.5 km)
- Hostel: Cairngorm Lodge Youth Hostel 1.6 mi (2.6 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 Sgor an Lochain Uaine
- In Gaelic
- Sgòr an Lochain Uaine
- Means
- Peak of the little green lake
Sgòr an Lochain Uaine stands in the western massif of the Cairngorms between Braeriach and Cairn Toul, looking down into An Garbh Choire and the Lairig Ghru. Cairn Toul, the nearest higher Munro, is only 0.6 miles away, and the hill rises 387 ft (118 m) above the col that links it to higher ground. At 4,127 ft (1,258 m) it is ranked fifth of the 282.
It is named after An Lochan Uaine, the lochan in the corrie on its north-east side. Its other name, the Angel's Peak, is said to have been coined in the 19th century by Alexander Copland, a founding member of the Cairngorm Club. The hill gained Munro status in the Scottish Mountaineering Club's 1997 revision of the Tables.
The true summit is a boulder about 5 m west-north-west of the cairn, its top roughly 40 cm higher than the base of the cairn.
Through the year
Hours of daylight on Sgor an Lochain Uaine 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cairn Toul | 4,236 ft (1,291 m) | 0.6 mi (1.0 km) |
| Braeriach | 4,252 ft (1,296 m) | 1.4 mi (2.2 km) |
| The Devil's Point | 3,303 ft (1,007 m) | 2.1 mi (3.4 km) |
Common questions about Sgor an Lochain Uaine
- How high is Sgor an Lochain Uaine?
- Sgor an Lochain Uaine is 4,127 ft (1,258 m), number 5 of the 282 Munros by height, in the Cairngorms and Monadhliath.
- How long does it take to climb Sgor an Lochain Uaine?
- About 5 h up and 3 h 40 min back down by our route from Sugarbowl car park, before stops: 9.3 mi (15 km) each way with 3,898 ft (1,188 m) of climbing. That is one of the longer Munro days. Most people take longer than these estimates.
- Where do you park for Sgor an Lochain Uaine?
- Our route starts at Sugarbowl car park. There is a parking charge.
- Can you climb Sgor an Lochain Uaine without a car?
- The nearest railway station is Aviemore, 6.3 mi (10 km) from the start, and the nearest bus stop on the map is Cairngorm Ski Centre, 0.9 mi (1.5 km) from the start. Highland trains and buses are few, so check times on Traveline Scotland before you go.
- Is Sgor an Lochain Uaine a hard Munro?
- It involves scrambling: part of the route is graded alpine hiking on OpenStreetMap, with exposed or rocky ground where you use your hands. It is not a walk for beginners, and in winter it needs mountaineering skills.
- What does Sgor an Lochain Uaine mean?
- In Gaelic it is Sgòr an Lochain Uaine. It is usually translated as "peak of the little green lake".
- When is the best time to climb Sgor an Lochain Uaine?
- 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.
How was this route drawn?
It follows footpaths and tracks mapped on OpenStreetMap, from a public car park to the summit, with heights from Copernicus elevation data. A computer picked the start as the car park with the quickest mapped way up, counting the climbing as well as the distance. Nobody has checked it on the hill yet, so it may not be the usual way up, and the path may be faint or missing on the ground. A line on a map is not a description of the ground.
- About 0.2 mi of the path is graded alpine hiking (T4) in OpenStreetMap: expect scrambling or exposed ground.
- Drops 1,367 ft on the way up, so it may cross another top or a bealach first.
- Long walk-in: 9.3 mi one way.
- Goes over Braeriach on the way.
- Path geometry: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Overpass API extract fetched 2026-10-24T19:59:57.025Z. Start chosen automatically: the public car park on a public road with the shortest mapped-path route to the summit (busy roads and T4 paths weighted against).
- Elevation: Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (© DLR e.V. 2010-2014 and © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH 2014-2018, provided under COPERNICUS by the European Union and ESA), sampled every 50 m, 3-sample median, 5 m hysteresis on ascent.
- Summit position: Database of British and Irish Hills v18 (CC BY 4.0).
Built 2026-10-25.
How is the time up worked out?
With Naismith's rule, the standard hill-walking estimate: an hour for every 3.1 miles (5 km), plus an hour for every 1,969 ft (600 m) of climbing, with no stops. For this route that gives about 5 h, one way. It ignores rough ground, weather, stops and the walk back down, so most people take longer.
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. Sgor an Lochain Uaine is hill 523 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.