Carn na Caim

Càrn na Caim stands on the high plateau of the Drumochter Hills, a windswept stretch in the Highland council area where the land rises above the main road and railway between the north and south of Scotland. The plateau is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, covered in heather and bog, and the mountain itself is one of two Munros that crown this broad upland. To the south lies A’ Bhuidheanach Bheag, another 936-metre summit, while five deep corries notch the northern and western flanks. The mountain is hard to pick out from the south and east because it slopes gently away, but its northern side falls steeply into a series of ridges and gullies that run from north-east to south-west. These hollows are named Coire Chais, Coire Cam, Coire Bhàthaich, Coire Ulleim and Coire nan Cisteachan, each cutting into the plateau like fingers. The highest point is marked by a cairn and gives wide views across Badenoch towards the north-western hills. Walkers usually start near Dalwhinnie on the A9 and follow an old fence line across the boggy moor to the summit. A longer route comes up from Glen Tromie to the east, but most prefer the shorter climb from the south-west that joins the plateau and reaches the cairn without a path. The open ground offers few landmarks, so navigation is needed once the fence ends and the terrain turns rough.