Beinn a' Bhùird

Beinn a' Bhùird, at 1,197 metres, is the eleventh highest mountain in Britain, a vast plateau in the eastern Cairngorms hiding some of the range's most dramatic corries within an otherwise gentle, rolling outline.

The standard route starts from the Linn of Quoich car park near Braemar, following a track up Glen Quoich through magnificent old Scots pine woodland — among the finest in the Cairngorms. A path built by the National Trust for Scotland climbs above the woods, crossing the shoulder at An Diollaid before broadening out onto the summit plateau, with the option to detour to the plateau edge for dramatic views into Coire an Dubh-Lochain.

Very fit walkers sometimes continue across the plateau to neighbouring Ben Avon via the bealach known as The Sneck, though this makes for a genuinely long day and most return to Linn of Quoich by the outward route.

The round trip is around 22 kilometres with roughly 900 metres of ascent, and typically takes seven to nine hours.

There is one river crossing on the approach — the Allt an Dubh-Ghleann — which requires a paddle even in normal conditions and can be impossible in spate, so this route is best avoided after heavy rain. The summit plateau itself is broad, largely featureless, and highly exposed, making navigation genuinely difficult in poor visibility.

The Linn of Quoich car park is chargeable; there is no public transport to the start.