A' Chailleach

A’ Chailleach is a Munro in the Monadh Liath range of the northern Grampian Mountains. It stands near Newtonmore in Highland, about seven kilometres north-west of the town. The mountain’s Gaelic name means ‘the old woman’, and its summit rises to 930 metres above sea level.

The route most climbers take starts at a car park at the end of the road into Glen Banchor. Walkers follow the Allt a’ Chaorainn burn up the south-east flank to reach the grassy summit marked by a cairn. Many combine the climb with the nearby Càrn Sgulain or continue to Càrn Dearg five kilometres further south-west.

From the top the view stretches over the Monadh Liath plateau and down to the Spey valley. The eastern side drops steeply into Coire na Caillich, a rocky corrie, while the western slopes fall sharply into Glen Banchor. Gentle grassy ridges lead north to the high plateau and south-west to the subsidiary tops of Geal Chàrn and Creag na h-Iolaire.