Scotland
Carn na Caorach
610M
2001FT
About Carn na Caorach
Rising above the historic Corrieyairack Pass near Fort Augustus, this 610m Tump offers a rugged taste of the Monadhliath’s western fringes. Its broad, heather-clad slopes provide a straightforward but remote-feeling ascent, rewarding walkers with clear perspectives across the Great Glen toward the high peaks of Glen Shiel.
Key Statistics
Rank
136th Highest in Region
Parent Range
North West Highlands
Prominence
?
40m
Nearest Town
Highland
Geology
You are walking over the Tarvie Psammite Formation. This rugged foundation is made of psammite, a durable rock formed from layers of ancient, compressed sand.
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NH323187
Latitude
57.2282°N
Longitude
4.7796°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is Gaelic, with Càrn na Caoraich translating as "Cairn of the Sheep," a reference to the high-altitude grazing land that characterizes these rolling eastern fringes of the Great Glen.
- •The hill is situated just north of the Corrieyairack Pass, the site of General Wade’s famous military road constructed in 1731 to facilitate troop movements through the Highlands.
- •From the summit, walkers gain a commanding view of the Beauly-Denny power line as it traverses the pass, set against the distant, jagged skyline of the Glen Shiel peaks to the west.
- •Reaching exactly 610 metres, it clears the 2,000-foot milestone by less than a metre, a margin of victory that secures its status as a Tump and a notable "two-thousander."
- •True to its name, you are far more likely to encounter hardy Blackface sheep than fellow walkers on these boggy slopes, and the sheep generally have a more dignified way of crossing the peat hags.