Carn Leachter Beag

Rising above the Slochd Pass north of Aviemore, this quiet Monadhliath summit offers a retreat from the busier Cairngorms. The terrain is characteristic of the range: rounded, heather-clad, and occasionally boggy. Reaching the top earns a clear perspective across the A9 corridor towards the sprawling Northern Corries of the Cairngorm plateau.

• •The name derives from the Gaelic Càrn Leacach Beag, which translates as the 'small stony hill', distinguishing it from its larger neighbour to the southwest, Carn Leacach.
• •The hill sits on the edge of the high ground overlooking the Slochd Mhuic, the historic pass used by General Wade’s military road to breach the Monadhliath mountains.
• •From the summit, walkers can look directly south to the prominent notch of the Lairig Ghru, framed by the massive profiles of Braeriach and Ben Macdui.
• •It is the kind of hill where you are more likely to encounter a startled red grouse than another human, which is exactly why some walkers prefer it to the honeypots across the valley.