Càrn na Caim

Càrn na Caim, at 941 metres, is the more northerly of two Munros on a wide, undulating plateau guarding the east side of the Drumochter Pass — the hills themselves lack real distinction, but the walk gives a genuine feeling of space and the tops are the haunt of dotterel and ptarmigan.

The route starts from layby 87 on the west side of the A9, around three-quarters of a kilometre south of the Dalwhinnie turning. Crossing the road carefully, a gate leads onto a vehicle track passing beneath pylons and over construction tracks for the Beauly-Denny powerline, climbing steadily to reach the plateau near an old, long-abandoned quartz quarry. From here, continuing north along the track and following lines of fence posts over undulating ground around the top of Coire Uilleim leads to a sharp turn in the fence line just before the summit — the cairn itself isn't visible from this turn, but a worn path indicates the way to the tiny summit cairn, whose position on the plateau edge makes it a genuinely good viewpoint, with Meall Chuaich prominent in the foreground and views extending across Badenoch to the Monadhliath, the Cairngorms, and range upon range to the west.

The return typically retraces the outward route back to the top of the access track, from where a path continues south rather than back to the quarry, crossing a couple of dips in the plateau towards A' Bhuidheanach Bheag, the second Munro of the day.

Combined with A' Bhuidheanach Bheag, the round trip is around 19 kilometres, typically five to six hours — considerable backtracking is involved given the out-and-back nature of the standard route, though a more circular alternative exists via the ridge between Coire Chuirn and Coire Chaorainn for those wanting variety.

The approach is boggy in a shallow depression before the final rise, and the vast, largely featureless plateau demands genuine navigation care in poor visibility — full route-finding skills are essential given how easily the fence posts and faint paths can be lost in mist or low cloud.

The A9 layby is free; Dalwhinnie has both rail and bus connections nearby, within reasonable walking distance via the adjacent cycle path.