Beinn a' Chaorainn, Cairngorms

Beinn a' Chaorainn
Aberdeenshire, Banffshire
Looking up Glen Derry: Beinn a' Chaorainn (R) and Beinn Mheadhoin (R)
Range:	Cairngorms
Summit:	3,553 feet NJ044013

Beinn a' Chaorainn is a mountain in the heart of the Cairngorms range. It is quite a remote hill, being located roughly 12 miles southeast of Aviemore and nearly 9 miles northwest of Braemar. The mountain stands on the border of Banffshire and Aberdeenshire.

The hill's name is Gaelic, and means "Mountain of the Mountain-ash Tree". It used to be spelt Beinn a' Chaoruinn, but the spelling of the word caorunn (in genitive case here) was altered to caorann by the Gaelic Orthographic Convention's attempts to standardise spelling.

Overview

From the summit to Derry Cairngorm and Ben Macdhui

The mountain is a pointed hill, however it is not particularly conspicuous in views being overshadowed by the more imposing and impressive peaks of the Cairngorms which stand nearby. The hill is located at the head of Glen Derry and faces its higher and better-known neighbour Beinn Mheadhoin across the Lairig an Laoigh (The Pass of the Calves). Beinn a' Chaorainn reaches a height of 3,553 feet and so qualifies as a Munro.

Notwithstanding the mountain's name, the hill seems bare of any trees, not even the mountain ash which gave it its name. The mountain should not be confused with another Munro also known as Beinn a' Chaorainn which is in Glen Spean above Loch Laggan.

Geography

Beinn a' Chaorainn lies on the northern part of the Moine Bhealaidh (Yellow Moss) plateau, a large area of featureless land which hardly drops below 2,800 feet, to the east of upper Glen Derry. The southern part of the plateau is occupied by another Munro, Beinn Bhreac, which lies about 3 miles south of Beinn a' Chaorainn across boggy ground. On its western flanks Beinn a' Chaorainn falls away steeply to the Lairig an Laoigh pass on slopes that are mostly grassy but are craggy in places. To the east stands Beinn a' Chaorainn Bheag (3,337 feet), a subsidiary top, which is listed in Munro's Tables. They are linked by a col with a height of 3,100 feet. There are several small lochans at the lowest point of the broad ridge, the largest of which is called Lochan Beinn a' Chaorainn. Further to the east (3 miles from the summit) stands the massive mountain of Beinn a' Bhùird ‎ to which Beinn a' Chaorainn is linked by the high ground across the Moine Bhealaidh. Drainage from the mountain either goes south to the Derry Burn to eventually reach the sea at Aberdeen by way of the River Dee or north by way of Glen Avon and the River Spey to reach the Moray Firth.

Ascents

The ascent of Beinn a' Chaorainn along with the neighbouring Munro of Beinn Bhreac is a long round trip of over 17½ miles, starting at the Linn of Dee car park (NO065901), five miles west of Braemar. The route follows the estate road along Glen Lui for five kilometres to Derry Lodge: bicycles can be used on this stretch of the route and secured in the woodland around Derry Lodge for collection on the return journey. The route then goes north up Glen Derry for two kilometres before ascending the western flanks of Beinn Bhreac and then continuing northwards for almost five kilometres across the Moine Bhealaidh to reach the summit of Beinn a' Chaorainn. An approach from the Aviemore side of the Cairngorms is feasible, starting at the Cairn Gorm ski centre, but this involves crossing or bypassing Cairn Gorm, Loch Avon and Beinn Mheadhoin before reaching the mountain and is a long, hard walk. The view from the summit gives a fine panorama and takes in all the Cairngorm giants.

References

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Beinn a' Chaorainn, Cairngorms)

• The Munros: Donald Bennett et al.: Scottish Mountaineering Trust: ISBN 0-907521-13-4
• The High Mountains of Britain and Ireland, Irvine Butterfield, ISBN 0-906371-30-9
• The Magic of the Munros, Irvine Butterfield, ISBN 0-7153-2168-4
• Hamish’s Mountain Walk, Hamish Brown, ISBN 1-898573-08-5
• The Munros, Scotland’s Highest Mountains, Cameron McNeish, ISBN 1-84204-082-9