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…
Glenshee, Lochnagar and Glen Clova
Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach
A Munro of 1,110 metres, number 42 of the 282.
The hill
Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach is one of the White Mounth hills, the high ground round the heads of Glen Muick and Glen Callater in Aberdeenshire, inside the Cairngorms National Park.
It is the nearest of them to Lochnagar, whose summit is a little over two kilometres away to the north-east.
Number 42 of the 282, it stands higher than its other neighbours, Carn an t-Sagairt Mor, Cairn Bannoch and Broad Cairn.
Balmoral Estate's rangers manage public access to Glen Muick and the Lochnagar area and look after about 100 kilometres of upland paths. Over in Glen Callater, Invercauld Estate owns the bothy, which was once a stable.
- Starts from
- Three car parks lie round this ground, each on its own side: the Spittal of Glen Muick, Auchallater for Glen Callater, and Glen Doll. Read the route and the notices below before choosing.
- The ground
- The Balmoral Estate's rangers manage public access to Glen Muick and the Lochnagar area. Invercauld Estate runs the car park for Glen Callater and owns the bothy in the glen. Check for stalking before you go.
- Summit
- Grid reference NO 226 845
- Glen Muick
- On 4 March 2026 the Southern Cairngorms avalanche forecasters reported the bridge from the public road to the Glen Muick visitor centre damaged and closed to vehicles and people on foot. Ask the Balmoral rangers before you set out. The estate says there is no public transport to the Spittal of Glen Muick.
- Auchallater
- Invercauld Estate's pay-and-display car park for Glen Callater, 3 km south of Braemar on the A93. In 2026 it charged £3.50 a vehicle for up to a full day, with coins only at the machines.
- Glen Doll
- Forestry and Land Scotland's car park, on the minor road from the head of Glen Clova, nearest postcode DD8 4RD. In 2026 it charged £3 for the day by coins, card or RingGo, free with a Blue Badge, and Angus Council keeps toilets there. In October 2026 part of the car park was closed from 24 August 2026 for up to three months, the Dounalt road was shut for forestry work with a diversion for Jock's Road, and the Capel Road Track was blocked by trees.
On the hill today
−1° to 3°Drizzle on the summit, 1,110 m. Feels like −5° in the wind.
West wind to 17 mph, gusting 33
Dry, or nearly
Light from 7.47am to 6.09pm, ten hours
Sat 17Drizzle−2° to 3° on top · 11 mph, gusts 25
Sun 18Mostly clear−3° to 3° on top · 11 mph, gusts 20
Mon 19Drizzle−4° to 5° on top · 9 mph, gusts 18
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, Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach, 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.
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 NO 226 845
- 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 Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach 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.
- Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach on WalkhighlandsA full route description with a mapwalkhighlands.co.ukThe route↗
- Visitor and ranger centres in the national parkThe Cairngorms National Park Authority on the Spittal of Glen Muick visitor centre and the Glen Doll ranger basecairngorms.co.ukThe rangers' bases↗
- Balmoral Castle Ranger ServiceThe rangers' telephone number, to ask about the bridge, the Spittal of Glen Muick and stalkingvisitcairngorms.comThe rangers↗
- Walking and cycling on InvercauldInvercauld Estate on walking its ground and on its car park at Auchallaterinvercauld.estateThe estate↗
- Glen Doll visitor informationForestry and Land Scotland on the car park, its charges and its toiletsforestryandland.gov.scotGlen Doll↗
- Cairngorms National Park and Monadhliath forecastThe Mountain Weather Information Service's forecast for the Cairngorms National Park, written by forecasters three days ahead. Read it with the Southeastern Highlands one, which names the Angus hillsmwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- Southeastern Highlands forecastThe same service's area for the Angus hills. Read it with the Cairngorms onemwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- Carn a' Choire BhoidheachThe Met Office's forecast for the summit itself: a model for one point, not a report from the hillweather.metoffice.gov.ukSummit forecast↗
- Southern Cairngorms avalanche forecastThe Scottish Avalanche Information Service's Southern Cairngorms forecast, whose core runs from the Lochnagar mountains to the Cairnwell and Glas Maol ranges. Full winter forecasts begin on 17 December 2026; before then there is no forecast, but snow still brings the risksais.gov.ukAvalanche↗
- The bridge to the Glen Muick visitor centreThe avalanche forecasters' post of 4 March 2026 reporting the bridge closedscairngormsblog.sais.gov.ukNotices↗
- Glen Doll alertsForestry and Land Scotland: closures and notices at the car park, on Jock's Road and on the Capel Road Trackforestryandland.gov.scotNotices↗
Next along: Carn an t-Sagairt Mor, Cairn Bannoch, Lochnagar - Cac Carn Beag, Broad Cairn. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Invercauld Estate's, Forestry and Land Scotland's, the Cairngorms National Park Authority's and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's; the forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's and the Met Office'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.