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The rounded top of Càrn an Fhìdhleir on the skyline across brown moorland.
The Cairngorms

Carn an Fhidhleir

A Munro of 994 metres, number 149 of the 282.

Photograph by Nick Bramhall (CC BY-SA 2.0)

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Carn an Fhidhleir is one of the remote ones.

It stands on the borders of Aberdeenshire, Highland and Perth and Kinross, far from any public road, with its twin An Sgarsoch about three kilometres to the east and no other Munro within eight.

The hill has a second name, Carn Ealar, and that is the one Atholl Estates uses.

Two Mountain Bothies Association bothies stand in the country around it. The Tarf Hotel, on Atholl Estate, is about six kilometres from the summit in a straight line. The Red House, on the National Trust for Scotland's Mar Lodge Estate, opened in December 2022.

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 904 841. The highest ground is 15 metres north-east of the cairn.
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, 994 m. Feels like −4° in the wind.

West wind to 13 mph, gusting 28
Rain, about 2 mm
Light from 7.49am to 6.11pm, ten hours

Sat 17Some cloud−2° to 4° on top · 9 mph, gusts 19
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, Carn an Fhidhleir, 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.

A late snow patch beside the faint path on Càrn an Fhìdhleir, with brown hills beyond.

Photographs by Nick Bramhall (CC BY-SA 2.0)

This route is a serious undertaking with a potentially difficult remote river crossing near the north end.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 904 841
  • 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: An Sgarsoch, Beinn Dearg, Carn a' Chlamain, Mullach Clach a' Bhlair. 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.