Carn Dearg

Rising steeply above the head of Glen Roy, this substantial whale-backed hill offers a quiet perspective on the Lochaber giants. Its broad, grassy slopes lead to a high plateau where the view across to the massive Grey Corries and Ben Nevis is particularly striking.

• •The name translates from Scottish Gaelic as ‘Red Cairn’. While a common title across the Highlands, here it likely refers to the seasonal colour of the vegetation or the weathered hue of the stones scattered across its expansive, rounded summit.
• •This hill provides an exceptional vantage point for studying the 'Parallel Roads' of Glen Roy. These perfectly horizontal terraces are not man-made, but are the ancient shorelines of a lake once held in place by a massive glacier blocking the valley mouth during the last Ice Age.
• •The summit offers a commanding view of the Nevis Range from an unusual perspective, looking directly across at the steep northern faces of the Grey Corries and the massive bulk of Aonach Mòr.
• •While the 'Parallel Roads' in the glen below look like a well-engineered highway from a distance, they offer no assistance to the walker; you will find no such shortcuts on the final, steep pull to the summit.