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Beinn a' Chlachair's corrie from its rim under snow, with the summit dome on the skyline and crags on the far wall.
Loch Laggan and Creag Meagaidh

Beinn a' Chlachair

A Munro of 1,088 metres, number 56 of the 282.

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Beinn a' Chlachair stands south of Loch Laggan, one of the three Munros that Ardverikie Estate counts on its ground.

The avalanche forecasters who work these hills give the name as the stonemason's hill.

With its neighbours it surrounds a high loch, Loch a' Bhealaich Leamhain, and Creag Pitridh is the nearest of them, about four kilometres to the north-east.

The top is a plateau with a cairn. One forecaster, up there on a fine March day, wrote of the views it gives across to the main Creag Meagaidh massif and south to Ben Alder.

The walk in
Ardverikie Estate asks walkers to leave their cars in a lay-by on the A86 and walk in.
The ground
Day visitors are welcome to walk over the public areas of Ardverikie Estate at any time. The estate asks walkers to keep away from the castle and the houses, and allows no vehicles on the estate itself.
Stalking
The stalking season runs from August to March. If you are worried about running into a stalk, ring the estate office during normal office hours on 01528 544300.
Under snow
On 15 March 2025 the avalanche service's forecaster found snow on the path above 750 metres. In quite a few places fresh snow was hiding ice beneath it, so care was needed. No forecast is issued before 17 December 2026, and having none does not mean there is no risk under snow.
Summit
Grid reference NN 471 781.
Parking
Ardverikie Estate names two lay-bys on the A86: one about ¼ mile west of the Gatelodge, at grid reference NN 533896, and, for the far west end of the estate at Moy, the large lay-by beside the concrete bridge, at NN 433830, from where you walk in.
On the hill today

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, West Highlands forecast, Beinn a' Chlachair, Creag Meagaidh 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.

Photographs by Stephan Seidel and James Caven, via Google

Motor vehicles of any kind are not permitted anywhere on the estate.Ardverikie Estate, on public access to its ground
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 471 781
  • 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 Beinn a' Chlachair yet. If you were up, yours would be the first.

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

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From the magazine
Read more elsewhere

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

Sleep and eat at its foot

Next along: Geal-charn, Creag Pitridh, Carn Dearg, Aonach Beag. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Ardverikie Estate's and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service'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.