Càrn Dearg

Càrn Dearg rises above the empty heart of the Grampian Mountains, a 941-metre Munro on the Highland–Perthshire border. Its Gaelic name means ‘red pointed hill’, and it stands east of Fort William between the long lochs of Ossian and Ericht. The mountain sits in a sweep of uninhabited moorland north-east of Rannoch Moor, where few walkers pass. To the east the ground climbs again to the neighbouring Munro of Sgòr Gaibhre.

The summit is the high point of a broad north–south ridge that begins at Meall na Leitire Duibhe, eight hundred metres up the north-west spur. From the rounded top the ridge runs south for about four kilometres to Sròn Leachd a’ Chaorainn, seven hundred and thirty metres high. A short east spur drops into the broad Bealach Màm Ban, which links the mountain to Sgòr Gaibhre three kilometres away. Because it lies far from roads and villages, Càrn Dearg is climbed less often than many Munros.

The usual start is Corrour station on the West Highland Line. Walkers follow a path past the youth hostel on the west shore of Loch Ossian, then climb above the loch to the north-west ridge. The final slope is marked by a cairn on the summit. A longer route begins at Rannoch station, heads up the Allt Eigheach valley, crosses the Màm Ban col, and follows the east spur to the top. From the col there is also a way over to Sgòr Gaibhre.