Cairn of Claise

The Cairn of Claise is a Munro standing 1,064 metres above sea level in the Grampian Mountains. Its Gaelic name means ‘hill of the green grassy place’ and it lies ten kilometres south of Braemar, close to the Cairnwell Pass. The border between Aberdeenshire and Angus cuts across the flat, grassy summit plateau. A low cairn marks the highest point among scattered stones, and an old stone wall crosses the plateau roughly along that county line. Though it is the second highest of four nearby Munros, the Cairn of Claise attracts few climbers for its modest profile. Most baggers include it on longer ridge days that start from the Glenshee Ski Centre beside the Cairnwell Pass. Those who prefer quieter approaches can begin at Auchallater on the A93 and ride a mountain bike up Glen Callater before tackling the slopes. The summit offers wide views across Caenlochan Glen to the south, where steep cliffs drop to the Caenlochan Burn. To the south-east the Canness Burn plunges over waterfalls between the cliffs of Learmour Craig and The Dacies. North-eastward the plateau shelves gently towards Tolmount and Càrn an Tuirc, while steep faces fall away to Loch Kander on the eastern edge.