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Mountain Ranges:
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Lochnagar and the Grampian Mountains
Location of Lochnagar and the Grampian MountainsLochnagar is located south of the village of Ballater in Royal Deeside about one hours drive from the City of Aberdeen. It is within the Royal Estate of Balmoral, where the Queen spends her summer holidays. The Grampian Mountains are a group of hills to the north of the River Dee, which flows east through Royal Deeside to reach the North Sea at Aberdeen, from its source in the Cairngorms. I also include hills to the south of the River Dee which are accessed from the north.
Mountains around LochnagarLochnagar is a popular mountain for both climbers and walkers and in particular the Aberdeenshire fraternity due to its easy access. Its summit peak, Cac Carn Beag at 1155 metres give great views in all directions on a clear day. The most popular approach is from the car park at the end of the public road in Glen Muick, where a small charge is made for its use. In fine weather get there early as the car park fills up quickly. This Glen is reached from the South Deeside Road at Ballater. Other approaches to Lochnagar can be made from Glen Callater in the west and Glen Clova in the south. The route from Glen Muick follows tracks and paths through the Royal Estate to the col south of Meikle Pap, where the dark loch of Lochnagar and the climbing routes of the corrie can be seen. A climb up through the boulders and along the top of the corrie leads to the summit cairn of Cac Carn Beag. To vary the return journey back to the car park in Glen Muick, a pleasant and scenic descent on a path beside the Glass Allt leads to a lovely waterfall and the Glass Allt-Shiel, a Royal Residence dating back to Queen Victoria times. This house is on the shores of Loch Muick and from here a track is followed along these shores to the start of the day's walk. A longer day can include a circuit of the Munros surrounding Loch Muick. From Lochnagar the second Munro is Carn a'Choire Bhoidheach, an easy ascent to a cairn on a flat-topped mountain. The next Munro is Carn an t-Sagairt Mor followed by Cairn Bannoch and then the Broad Cairn. After Broad Cairn you descend to Loch Muick and return along its shores to the starting point. There is one Corbett on the east side of the Lochnagar approach route from Glen Muick. Conachcraig, at 865 metres, is dwarfed by the neighbouring Lochnagar mountains. There are several alternative walks in this area. They include a low level walk round Loch Muick which could include a short climb up to the Dubh Loch or a walk from Glen Muick over into Glen Clova and back.
Grampian MountainsThe only Munro in this area is Mount Keen, to the east of Lochnagar and south of the River Dee. However it is normally climbed from Glen Esk in the south as it makes for a shorter day. However the northern approach can be shortened by the use of a mountain bike. There is also a single Corbett on this same side of the river. Mount Battock is the most easterly Corbett and can be climbed from various directions including a traverse of some of the tops of the Grampian Mountains. On the north side of the village of Ballater is Morven with good views of the Aberdeenshire countryside. Further north is the unusually named Brown Cow Hill and the Corbetts Carn Mor and Carn Ealasaid near Tomintoul. Still further north are two further Corbetts, Corryhabbie Hill and Ben Rinnes, which overlooks the distillery towns of Dufftown and Aberlour. The majority of these hills are heather clad and grouse shooting is a popular sport in this area during the season, which starts on the 12 August. It may be advisable to check with the local estates before venturing onto these hills during the grouse shooting season. However my experience in this area is that you may be delayed while a 'beat' is on but normally they are happy to let you proceed once it is over and before they move on to another part of the moor.
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