Cat Law

Cat Law stands on the high moorland between Braemar and Montrose in the Grampian Mountains. The broad, grassy summit rises gently above rolling hills that stretch for many kilometres in every direction. Its modest height hides the fact that it is one of the most celebrated hills in eastern Scotland. The peak sits on a historic drove road once used to move cattle from the Highlands to the markets of the Lowlands. Today the route is followed by long-distance walkers and mountain bikers. Cat Law is classified as a Marilyn, Graham and HuMP, three specialist lists that measure prominence and shape rather than sheer altitude. The Marilyn label means it stands out clearly from surrounding terrain, while the Graham category recognises a broad, dome-like profile. Organisations such as the Scottish Mountaineering Club maintain these lists and publish them on the Database of British and Irish Hills. The name Cat Law comes from the Gaelic word for ‘wild cat’, reflecting the area’s former wildlife. Visitors reach the summit by following a clear path that climbs steadily across heather moorland. The final section is marked by a large cairn built by generations of walkers. From the top there are uninterrupted views across the wide straths of Angus to the North Sea coast thirty kilometres away. On clear days the profile of the Cairngorms appears to the west, while the Law itself dominates the foreground. The silence of the high plateau is broken only by the cry of curlews and the occasional bleat of sheep.