Càrn Ghluasaid

Càrn Ghluasaid, at 957 metres, is the southernmost of three Munros stretching north of Loch Cluanie into the wilds towards Glen Affric — a rather featureless summit plateau that can make locating the exact highest point genuinely difficult in poor visibility.

The route starts from a large rough parking area off the A87 at Lundie. Crossing the road, an old section of the main road is followed west before a worn, stony stalkers' path, signed for Càrn Ghluasaid, climbs north — one of the finest paths to be found on any north-west Highland mountain, zig-zagging up the south-west ridge and continuing onto the summit plateau. A tiny cairn marks the technical highest point, though another cairn a few metres away, positioned right on the edge of steep cliffs falling immediately beyond, has the finer outlook — an optical illusion means each cairn can appear the higher when viewed from the other.

From the summit, the route continues north-west along the plateau rim, keeping impressive cliffs to the right, over a short descent and longer climb to the minor top of Creag a' Chaorainn (bypassed by the main path unless specifically sought out), before the ridge turns and climbs more steeply towards Sgùrr nan Conbhairean.

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.

The featureless summit plateau demands genuine navigation confidence in poor visibility, and while the outward stalkers' path is excellent, the return route across open moorland or via a burn crossing can become boggy and, after heavy rain, the burn itself potentially uncrossable — planning an alternative return via the same path is often the safer option.

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