Clach Choutsaich

A high-altitude outlier of the massive Beinn a’ Bhuird plateau, Clach Choutsaich is the 'Stone of the Quoich.' It’s a remote, granite-guarded Munro Top that offers stunning views into the deep corries, provided the Cairngorm mist hasn't decided to swallow you whole for the afternoon.

• •This 1121-meter summit is classified as a Munro Top. It is significantly higher than any mountain in England or Wales, despite being a mere secondary hump in the Cairngorm range.
• •The peak overlooks the remote Glen Quoich, home to the 'Punch Bowl.' This is a natural rock basin where the Earl of Mar supposedly toasted his Jacobite rebels with whiskey in 1715.
• •Its name is a Gaelic nod to the Quoich Water. The granite here is part of the massive Cairngorm batholith, weathered into distinctively rounded forms by millennia of sub-arctic conditions.
• •Accessing this remote height usually requires a long trek from Braemar. Most hikers utilize a 'bike-and-hike' approach to save their knees from the inevitable ten-mile walk back through the glen.
• •It is the perfect place to discover that the Cairngorm plateau looks identical in every direction once the mist descends. You will likely find yourself navigating by pure guesswork and the silent judgment of local ptarmigans.