Sàil Chaorainn

Sàil Chaorainn, at 1,002 metres, is a relatively low, quiet summit at the far end of the Cluanie group of Munros — one of the quietest places in Scotland on a still afternoon, several miles from the nearest road with nothing to hear but the occasional bird.

Reached from Sgùrr nan Conbhairean via a bealach and a short final rise, the approach follows an obvious, largely descending trail across a grey plateau. The summit itself can feel surprisingly understated for a Munro — a relatively low point with lovely views, particularly towards Glen Affric and back to A' Chralaig and Mullach Fraoch-choire's dramatic ridge — several regular visitors specifically note it as an inconspicuous, easily overlooked spot given its remote position.

The return retraces the ridge back towards Sgùrr nan Conbhairean; rather than reclimbing the full summit, most walkers use the bypass path below the summit cone to the west, avoiding the reascent before continuing down the south-west ridge to Càrn Ghluasaid and back to Lundie.

The combined round taking in all three Munros — Càrn Ghluasaid, Sgùrr nan Conbhairean, and Sàil Chaorainn — from Lundie is around 17-18 kilometres with roughly 1,320 metres of ascent, typically eight to eight and a half hours; for the ambitious, this group links further west via the Bealach Coire a' Chait to A' Chralaig and Mullach Fraoch-choire, though this considerably lengthens an already substantial day.

The remoteness here is the defining characteristic — this is genuinely a long way from any help, and full navigation and self-sufficiency should be assumed given the distance involved, particularly if weather deteriorates on the exposed connecting ridges.

Parking at Lundie is free; Citylink buses between Glasgow and Inverness run along the A87, stopping at the driver's discretion.