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…
Drumochter and Loch Ericht
Geal-charn
A Munro of 917 metres, number 277 of the 282.
Photograph by gregory666, via Google
The hill
Geal-charn stands on the west side of the A9 at Drumochter, above Balsporran, where the road and the Highland Main Line run side by side through the pass.
It is not to be confused with the much higher Geal-charn of the Ben Alder range.
Only five Munros are lower, which puts it near the very end of the list of 282. Its nearest neighbour is A' Mharconaich, about two kilometres to the south-east, with Beinn Udlamain and Sgairneach Mhor further south.
The Drumochter Hills are a Special Area of Conservation, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Protection Area. Dalwhinnie, the nearest village, is in the Park Authority's words the highest village in the Highlands.
- Nearest start
- Transport Scotland's 2016 note on walkers' routes names the Balsporran car park on the A9 for A' Mharconaich beside it, and records that walkers for these hills cross the A9 on the level.
- Stalking
- Check for stalking before you go and follow any signs.
- Under snow
- There is no avalanche forecast for the Drumochter hills: the Scottish Avalanche Information Service forecasts for six other areas. Having no forecast does not mean there is no risk under snow.
- Summit
- Grid reference NN 596 782.
- Roadworks
- In October 2026 overnight resurfacing on the A9 at the Pass of Drumochter was due to finish by the morning of Tuesday 13 October, with temporary traffic lights, a lane closed during working hours and lay-by 83 shut. More works follow, so check Traffic Scotland on the day you travel.
- Fuel and toilets
- The Dalwhinnie Service Station has 24-hour fuel and a toilet.
On the hill today
−2° to 4°Some cloud on the summit, 917 m. Feels like −6° in the wind.
South-west wind to 4 mph, gusting 10
Dry, or nearly
Light from 7.53am to 6.11pm, ten hours
Sun 18Clear−3° to 4° on top · 9 mph, gusts 19
Mon 19Drizzle−3° to 6° on top · 6 mph, gusts 12
Tue 20Drizzle0° to 7° on top · 10 mph, gusts 19
A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: Southeastern Highlands forecast, Cairngorms National Park and Monadhliath forecast, Geal Charn, 917 metres, North Grampian mountain 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 NN 596 782
- 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 Geal-charn 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.
- Geal-charn on WalkhighlandsA full route description with a mapwalkhighlands.co.ukThe route↗
- Transport Scotland's note on walkers' routesTransport Scotland's own record, from 2016, of where walkers for the Drumochter hills start and cross the A9transport.gov.scotCrossing the A9↗
- A9 dualling, Glen Garry to DalwhinnieTransport Scotland on the scheme to put the crossings under the road; it is still in preparationtransport.gov.scotThe road↗
- Southeastern Highlands forecastThe Mountain Weather Information Service's forecast, three days ahead and written by forecasters. Its area takes in Drumochter, with a note on the old county of Perthshire; read it with the Cairngorms forecastmwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- Cairngorms National Park and Monadhliath forecastThe national park's area. Read it beside the Southeastern Highlands one; the service's area map shows which covers the hillmwis.org.ukMountain weather↗
- Geal Charn, 917 metresThe Met Office's forecast for the summit itself: a model for one point, not a report from the hillweather.metoffice.gov.ukSummit forecast↗
- North Grampian mountain forecastThe Met Office's mountain forecast for the area, the one its summit page links toweather.metoffice.gov.ukMountain weather↗
- A9 roadworks and closuresWorks, lane closures and closed lay-bys on the A9 at Drumochter, which change from day to daytraffic.gov.scotNotices↗
Sleep and eat at its foot
Rannoch at Redhill Retreat
Stay: At Kinloch Rannoch, on the Loch Rannoch side of these hills, away from…
Lassintullich House
Stay: On the Loch Rannoch side of these hills, away from the A9
The Cornerstone
Eat: Kinloch Rannoch; closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
Laggan Stores Coffee Bothy
Café: A café at Laggan Bridge, north of these hills
Next along: A' Mharconaich, Beinn Udlamain, Sgairneach Mhor, A' Bhuidheanach Bheag. Checked on 10 October 2026. The facts on this page are Transport Scotland's, Traffic Scotland'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.