At One with the Mountains - An interview with Nick Gardner
Issue 6: Nick Gardner and his wife Janet were living an idyllic life on a croft…
The Cairngorms
Ben Macdui
A Munro of 1,309 metres, number 2 of the 282.
The hill
Ben Macdui, 1,309 metres, is the second highest mountain in Britain and the highest in the Cairngorms National Park.
It stands on the Cairngorm plateau, which the National Park Authority calls part of the UK's largest area of high ground. A large cairn, a trig point and a view indicator mark the top.
- The start
- The Coire Cas car park at Cairngorm Mountain, 635 metres above sea level, is one of the main ways into the massif, though not the only one.
- The ground
- Cairngorm Mountain's rangers look after the Cairngorm Estate at the start, and RSPB Scotland's rangers work on the plateau.
- The plateau
- The National Park Authority warns of extreme winter temperatures up here, unpredictable weather, and ground as dangerous as it is spectacular.
- Summit
- Grid reference NN 988 989
- Car park
- Coire Cas, at Cairngorm Mountain. In 2026 it is free for 45 minutes, then £3.50 for up to 8 hours or £5.50 for up to 18, and free with a Blue Badge. There is no charge in the snowsports season. Parking at Coire na Ciste is free, with donations welcome.
- Wildfire closures
- In October 2026 the Allt Mor car park in Glenmore was closed after the wildfire, and so was the Allt Mor path between it and the Sugarbowl car park.
- Bus, toilets and overnight
- The Aviemore Adventurer 30 bus runs between Aviemore and Cairngorm Mountain seven days a week, and there are toilets at the Base Station. To leave a car overnight for the hills, ring the Ticket Office first and fill in the operator's digital route card; it costs £5.50 a night.
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, Ben Macdui, Northern Cairngorms avalanche forecast, Southern 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.
Photographs by Paddy P, Maranda Audbrey and Romain Thuilliez, via Google
A brief visit to the Ranger Base could be a life-saver, and is especially recommended if you are unfamiliar with the mountains or are planning to stay out overnight.Cairngorm Mountain's Ranger Service, at the Coire Cas car park
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 988 989
- 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 Ben Macdui 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.
Read more elsewhere
For the route itself, take the map and read these.
- Ben Macdui on WalkhighlandsRoute descriptions with mapswalkhighlands.co.ukThe route↗
- Cairngorm Mountain Ranger ServiceThe Ranger Base at the car park, and the digital route card for hillwalkerscairngormmountain.co.ukThe rangers↗
- White-out on MacduiA walker's own account of losing the way on this summit in cloudmountaineering.scotA near miss↗
- Mountains and the plateauxThe National Park Authority on the high ground of the Cairngorms and its extremescairngorms.co.ukThe plateau↗
- Cairngorms National Park and Monadhliath forecastThree days of mountain weather for the Cairngorms and the Monadhliath, written by forecastersmwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- Ben MacduiThe Met Office's forecast for the summit: a computer model for one point, not a report from the hillweather.metoffice.gov.ukSummit forecast↗
- Northern Cairngorms avalanche forecastThe avalanche forecast for the mountains and corries round the Cairngorm plateau, where the Coire Cas start lies. Full forecasts begin on 17 December 2026sais.gov.ukAvalanche↗
- Southern Cairngorms avalanche forecastThe Southern Cairngorms avalanche forecast, which counts Ben Macdui itself as outlying ground, so read both. No forecast before 17 December does not mean no risk under snowsais.gov.ukAvalanche↗
- Path closures in the Cairngorms National ParkPaths and car parks closed in the National Park, with the Glenmore wildfire closurescairngorms.co.ukNotices↗
Next along: Derry Cairngorm, Cairn Toul, Sgor an Lochain Uaine, Braeriach. Checked on 9 October 2026. The facts on this page are Cairngorm Mountain's, the Cairngorms National Park Authority's and Visit Cairngorms'; 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.