Clach nam Ban

About Clach nam Ban

Overlooking the River Dee near Ballater, this granite-topped moorland hill offers a commanding perspective of the Royal Deeside landscape. Its heathery slopes lead to a summit plateau where the views open up significantly, revealing the dramatic corries of Lochnagar to the southwest and the conical profile of Morven across the valley.

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Did You Know?

• •The name translates from Scottish Gaelic as 'Stone of the Women,' referring to a massive granite boulder on the hill’s northern flank. Local tradition suggests the stone served as a lookout point or gathering place for women from the glen.
• •From the summit, the view south is dominated by the sprawling mass of the White Mounth and the dark, recessed cliffs of Lochnagar’s northern corrie.
• •Situated within Royal Deeside, the hill sits on the eastern edge of the Balmoral Estate, and its lower slopes are characterized by a mix of managed pine woodland and open grouse moor.
• •Like much of the surrounding Mounth, the hill is composed of Deeside granite, which forms the distinctively weathered grey outcrops found near the cairn.
• •Despite its evocative name and royal proximity, the hill remains largely ignored by peak-baggers, serving primarily as a quiet grandstand for those preferring to look at Lochnagar rather than climb it.