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A long glen running away between high, bare hills, seen from the stony upper slopes on a clear day.
The Cairngorms

Braeriach

A Munro of 1,296 metres, number 3 of the 282.

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Braeriach is the third highest mountain in Britain, and the second highest in the Cairngorms National Park.

It stands above the Lairig Ghru, with Ben Macdui about four kilometres to the east and Sgor an Lochain Uaine and Cairn Toul close by to the south.

Visit Cairngorms calls it famous for its craggy corries, and they are known for their snow: a guide quoted there says the corries hold "some of Scotland's most persistent snowfields".

Harvey's Cairn Gorm map counts it among five Munros over 4,000 feet. The Garbh Choire Refuge, an emergency shelter listed by the Mountain Bothies Association, lies about a kilometre and a half from the summit.

Starts from
Forestry and Land Scotland counts its Sugarbowl car park, on the road up to the Cairngorm ski centre, a great starting point, and the Chalamain Gap beyond it part of the way to Braeriach.
The ground
Forestry and Land Scotland keeps the Sugarbowl and the forest around it.
Summit
Grid reference NN 953 999
Car park
The Sugarbowl, 8 miles from Aviemore on the road to the ski centre, is run by Forestry and Land Scotland with The Highland Council. In 2026 the council charges £2 for up to an hour, £3 for up to three hours and £5 for all day, from 8am to 10pm every day, with a longest stay of 14 hours. Forestry and Land Scotland allows overnight parking here for the hills, but the council's record says no staying overnight, so ask the council before leaving a car.
Wildfire closures
In October 2026 the way north and east through the forest from the Sugarbowl, towards the Allt na Ciste and the Ryvoan Pass, was closed after the wildfire, and so was the Allt Mor path from the Sugarbowl. Read both closure notices on the day before setting out for the Chalamain Gap.
Bus, toilets and food
Buses between Aviemore and the ski centre pass the entrance. There are public toilets in Glenmore village all year and at the Loch Morlich beach car park from 1 April to 31 October, and a café at the Glenmore Visitor Centre.
On the hill today
−2° to 1°Drizzle on the summit, 1,296 m. Feels like −7° in the wind.

West wind to 19 mph, gusting 33
Rain, about 2 mm
Light from 7.49am to 6.11pm, ten hours

Sat 17Fog−3° to 1° on top · 14 mph, gusts 28
Sun 18Clear−4° to 2° on top · 13 mph, gusts 21
Mon 19Drizzle−6° to 4° on top · 7 mph, gusts 14

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, Braeriach, 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.

Photographs by Matías Argüello and Paul Corson, via Google

The ravine is filled with a jumble of boulders that makes a spectacular destination on its own, or as part of a journey to climb Braeriach.Forestry and Land Scotland, of the Chalamain Gap, reached from its Sugarbowl 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 953 999
  • 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

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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: Sgor an Lochain Uaine, Cairn Toul, Ben Macdui, Sgor Gaoith. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Forestry and Land Scotland's, The Highland Council'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.