Ben Avon West Top [Ben Avon SW Top]

About Ben Avon West Top [Ben Avon SW Top]

Positioned on the immense sub-arctic plateau of the eastern Cairngorms, this remote high-altitude top offers a profound sense of isolation. Located southwest of Ben Avon’s main summit, the terrain consists of wind-scoured granite and moss, providing a quiet, stark vantage point overlooking the wild upper reaches of Gleann an t-Slugain.

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Did You Know?

• •The name Ben Avon is derived from the Gaelic Beinn Athfhinn, meaning 'Mountain of the River Avon'. The river’s name translates as the 'shining one' or 'very bright one', a reference to the remarkable clarity of the water that flows from these high granite slopes.
• •This top sits on one of the most extensive areas of high-altitude ground in Britain. The plateau is so vast and featureless that during a 'whiteout', the lack of topographical contrast makes navigation using only a map and compass an essential and challenging skill.
• •From this western vantage point, the view is dominated by the massive, craggy eastern corries of Beinn a' Bhùird across the Glas Allt Mor, while the iconic granite tor of Leabaidh an Daimh Bhuidhe marks the main summit to the northeast.
• •The approach from Braemar via Gleann an t-Slugain passes the 'secret' howff and the ruins of Slogan Lodge, providing a historical journey into a landscape once heavily used for sporting estates and deer stalking.
• •The plateau is one of the few places in the UK where you can walk for several kilometres at an almost constant elevation of over 1,100 metres, a geographical flatness that feels strangely unnerving in the middle of a mountain range.