Scotland
Carn a' Ghille Chearr
710M
2330FT
About Carn a' Ghille Chearr
Forming the grand climax of the Hills of Cromdale, this expansive Graham offers a sense of isolation and vast scale. Its broad, heather-smothered slopes require a steady plod through peat and moorland, rewarding walkers with a substantial summit cairn that straddles the historic boundary between the Highlands and Moray.
Key Statistics
Rank
19th Highest in Region
Parent Range
The Isle of Skye
Prominence
?
179m
Nearest Town
Data coming soon
Geology
You are walking on layers of psammite and quartzite. These rocks were originally ancient sands, transformed by pressure into the solid foundation beneath your feet.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NJ139298
Latitude
57.3510°N
Longitude
3.4314°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is Gaelic in origin: Càrn a' Ghille Cheàrr translates as the 'Cairn of the Shifty (or Wrong) Lad'. Local tradition suggests it refers to a dishonest servant who met his end on the ridge, though others claim it marks the spot where a local man was tricked by the Devil.
- •Standing as the highest point of the Hills of Cromdale, the summit offers an immense, unobstructed view across the Spey Valley toward the Cairngorm plateau, where the massive bulk of Cairn Gorm and the deep gash of the Lairig Ghru are clearly visible.
- •The lower western slopes were the site of the Battle of Cromdale in 1690, the final clash of the first Jacobite rising. The defeat of the Jacobite forces there was later immortalised in the well-known folk song 'The Haughs o' Cromdale'.
- •Navigating the ridge between this summit and its neighbour, Creag an Sgòir, involves crossing a labyrinth of deep peat hags; these 'humps and hollows' are notorious among local walkers for making progress much slower than it appears on a map.
- •Despite its status as a Graham, the ascent is often less of a mountain climb and more of a long-term relationship with a peat bog, requiring equal parts stamina and waterproof socks.