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The Cairnwell, a green and stony hill with its masts on top, above a track across the moor under broken cloud.
Glenshee, Lochnagar and Glen Clova

The Cairnwell

A Munro of 933 metres, number 244 of the 282.

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

The Cairnwell stands over the A93 at the Glenshee ski centre, in the Cairngorms National Park, where Aberdeenshire meets Perth and Kinross.

Communication masts stand on its 933 metre summit, and a chairlift climbs its side to a top station below them. The park authority gives the Gaelic as Càrn Bhalg, mountain of bag-shaped lumps.

Starts from
The Glenshee Ski Centre car park on the A93, near the foot of the Cairnwell chairlift.
The ground
The hill's slopes are a ski area. In the ski season the centre asks walkers to stay outside its snow fences and off the tow tracks, and allows no dogs on its runs.
At the masts
A notice of June 2025 asked anyone walking to the top to keep well away from the masts while work was done there. Follow any notice on the day.
Summit
Grid reference NO 134 773, at the communication masts
Car park
Glenshee Snowsports Centre's, on the A93, sat nav postcode AB35 5XU. In 2026 it was free for the first 50 minutes (the first hour, by the centre's summer page) or with a chairlift ticket, then £4 for the day, paid by the QR code on its signs or at the café.
The chairlift
It runs to a top station below the summit. The centre gives its summer season as June to September, 9.30am to 4.15pm, weather permitting, with tickets from the café. Check its status page on the day.
Toilets and food
The centre's toilets are open at all hours. Its café, Tea@TheShee, is at the car park; outside the ski season the centre's pages disagree on whether it opens every day or only Wednesday to Sunday.
The road
The councils work snow gates on the A93 at the Spittal of Glenshee and at Braemar. After heavy snow the centre warns of delays at them while the road is cleared.
On the hill today
0° to 5°Drizzle on the summit, 933 m. Feels like −4° in the wind.

North-west wind to 12 mph, gusting 27
Rain, about 1 mm
Light from 7.47am to 6.10pm, ten hours

Sat 17Some cloud−2° to 4° on top · 10 mph, gusts 23
Sun 18Clear−2° to 4° on top · 10 mph, gusts 18
Mon 19Drizzle−4° to 6° 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: Southeastern Highlands forecast, Cairngorms National Park and Monadhliath forecast, Cairnwell, 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 Lewis Nicoll, gregory666 and Alex Macdonald, via Google

Take Chairlift to top Station and at top walk up steep and rocky hill path to communication masts at 933 metresGlenshee Snowsports Centre, in its walking leaflet
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 134 773
  • 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: Carn Aosda, Carn a' Gheoidh, Glas Maol, Creag Leacach. Checked on 9 October 2026. The facts on this page are Glenshee Snowsports Centre's, and the hill's name is as the Cairngorms National Park Authority gives it; 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.