Big Brae

About Big Brae

A formidable 940m Cairngorm peak that serves as the spiritual centerpiece of the historic 'Braes o' Mar.' Once a hideout for outlawed Jesuit priests, it offers spectacular views and a rigorous workout for anyone who mistakenly thinks a 'Brae' sounds like a gentle afternoon stroll.

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Did You Know?

• •This peak was the primary territory of John Farquharson, an 18th-century Jesuit 'heather priest' who lived as a fugitive. He reportedly used the mountain's caves as makeshift chapels to evade Hanoverian authorities while ministering to the local clans.
• •The legendary Farquharson eventually died at Balmoral Castle in 1782. This was decades before the estate was purchased by Queen Victoria, back when it still served as the ancestral home of the Farquharson chiefs.
• •At exactly 940m, the summit is officially classified as a Munro. It provides the quintessential Cairngorm experience, featuring a sprawling granite plateau and weather conditions that can shift from summer to an Arctic blizzard in the time it takes to eat a sandwich.
• •Much of the hill's oral history was preserved by the Victorian folklorist Colin Chisholm. He spent years corresponding with the global Scottish diaspora to salvage local legends about the 'heather priests' before they were forgotten.
• •Calling a 3,084-foot mountain a 'Brae' is a masterclass in Scottish understatement. It is the linguistic equivalent of calling a hurricane a 'bit of a breeze,' and your hamstrings will certainly experience the irony during the final ascent.