Scotland
Creag na Caillich
914M
3000FT
About Creag na Caillich
Standing at the western terminus of the Tarmachan Ridge, this rocky summit offers a more rugged character than its neighbour, Meall nan Tarmachan. Renowned for its rare arctic-alpine flora and dramatic schist cliffs, it provides a spectacular vantage point over Loch Tay and the sprawling Lawers range to the east.
Key Statistics
Rank
53rd Highest in Region
Parent Range
The Grampians
Prominence
?
69.3m
Nearest Town
Morenish
Geology
You are walking on the Ben Lawers Schist, a lime-rich rock formed from ancient mud. These layers were transformed by intense heat and pressure deep underground.
Classifications
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NN562377
Latitude
56.5093°N
Longitude
4.3369°W
Did You Know?
- •The name translates from Gaelic as the 'Crag of the Old Woman.' It likely refers to the Cailleach, a powerful hag and creator deity in Scottish folklore who was said to represent the spirit of winter and the wilderness.
- •The hill is celebrated by botanists for its base-rich mica-schist rock, which supports a fragile ecosystem of rare arctic-alpine plants, including alpine forget-me-not and various rare saxifrages.
- •Most walkers approach the summit as the final peak of the Tarmachan Ridge traverse, following a narrow, rocky crest that requires a steady head and basic scrambling skills at the 'bad step' section.
- •From the summit cairn, there is a clear, commanding view southwest across Glen Dochart to the distinctive, massive pyramids of Ben More and Stob Binnein.
- •Standing at 914.3 metres, the hill is effectively a ghost of a Munro; it misses the magic 3,000-foot mark by roughly ten centimetres, the height of a well-packed sandwich.