Hidden Scotland
Sign in
The rounded, heathery bulk of An Sgarsoch under a pale sky.
The Cairngorms

An Sgarsoch

A Munro of 1,007 metres, number 126 of the 282.

Photograph by Nick Bramhall (CC BY-SA 2.0)

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

An Sgarsoch is one of the remote ones.

It stands on the border of Aberdeenshire and Perth and Kinross, in the hills between Glen Tromie and Glen Tilt, with its twin Carn an Fhidhleir about three kilometres to the west.

It has a good story, too. ScotWays records a local tradition, noted in the 1950s, that an early cattle tryst was held on the summit.

Atholl Estates, which calls the neighbouring hill Carn Ealar, looks after ground here. The nearest roof is the estate's Tarf Hotel: a bothy, whatever the name says, about five kilometres away in a straight line.

Main routes
In the stag season Atholl Estates asks walkers to keep to its main routes, which here are the approaches from the north and the connecting ridge between An Sgarsoch and Carn Ealar.
The Geldie Burn
There is no longer a bridge over the Geldie Burn. ScotWays calls the crossing serious, and its right of way from the Linn of Dee to Blair Atholl a serious undertaking, with a potentially difficult, remote river crossing near the north end.
Stalking
In the stag season Atholl Estates asks hillwalkers to keep to its main routes, or to ring its Hillphone on 01796 481740, updated at 8am daily. Its access page gives the season as 1 August to 20 October, but other dates are printed elsewhere, so ask the estate. There is no stalking on Sundays.
Summit
Grid reference NN 933 836. The top is a small pointed rock about 20 metres from a large cairn, which may hide ground as high.
Car parks
The Linn of Dee, where ScotWays' right of way begins, belongs to the National Trust for Scotland. To the south, Atholl Estates allows no overnight parking at its Cally, Glen Tilt and Logierait car parks.
Bothies
The Mountain Bothies Association lists the Red House, Ruighe Ealasaid, on Mar Lodge Estate, and the Tarf Hotel, Feith Uaine, on Atholl Estate, where the Feith Uaine Mhor beside it may be difficult to cross in spate. Bothies are for short stays only.
On the hill today
0° to 4°Drizzle on the summit, 1,007 m. Feels like −4° in the wind.

West wind to 13 mph, gusting 26
Rain, about 2 mm
Light from 7.49am to 6.11pm, ten hours

Sat 17Cloudy−2° to 3° on top · 9 mph, gusts 20
Sun 18Clear−4° to 4° on top · 9 mph, gusts 16
Mon 19Drizzle−6° to 6° on top · 11 mph, gusts 22

A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: Cairngorms National Park and Monadhliath forecast, Southeastern Highlands forecast, An Sgarsoch, Southern Cairngorms avalanche forecast, Northern Cairngorms avalanche forecast.

October2026

MTWTFSS

Going another day?

Choose the day you mean to climb.Near or far: the light you will have, and what the summit is likely to be doing.

An Sgarsoch on the skyline beyond the stony bed of the River Feshie.

Photographs by Nick Bramhall (CC BY-SA 2.0)

At the Geldie Burn there is no longer any bridge.ScotWays, of the right of way from the Linn of Dee to Blair Atholl
Before you go

Carry

  • A paper map and a compass, and the skill to use them
  • Waterproofs, warm layers, hat and gloves
  • Food and drink
  • A head torch, a whistle and a first aid kit
  • A survival bag
  • Boots with a good grip

Under snow and ice this is a different day, with short light and the risk of avalanche. It needs an ice axe, crampons, winter boots and the skill to use them.

If something goes wrong

  • Dial 999, ask for the police, then mountain rescue
  • Give a six-figure grid reference: the summit is NN 933 836
  • Say how many are hurt, how many are with you, and your number
  • Register to text 999 before the day: text the word register to 999

The summit is optional. Turning back is the right decision whenever the cloud, the wind or the light say so.

How to call for help in the hills · Safety and skills for the hills · ThinkWINTER

From our readers

Nobody has written from An Sgarsoch yet. If you were up, yours would be the first.

Tell the next person

Were you up? Three words is enough.A free account, a word for the weather and a line if you like.

Sign in to tell them
From the magazine
Read more elsewhere

For the route itself, take the map and read these.

Sleep and eat at its foot

Next along: Carn an Fhidhleir, Carn a' Chlamain, Beinn Bhrotain, Beinn Dearg. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Atholl Estates', ScotWays', the Mountain Bothies Association's and the National Trust for Scotland's; the forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's, the Met Office's and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's. Height and position from The Database of British and Irish Hills, v18.3, adapted, CC BY 4.0. This page is not a route description and does not replace a map.