Ben Macdui and Cairn Gorm Circular – BIG Views from the UK’s Second Highest Mountain

Ben Macdui summit in summer
I bagged my first Munro in August 2021. It was Ben Macdui - the UK's second highest mountain. In the same hike I also got my second munro, Cairn Gorm. Here's how that hike went!

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My first Munros, back in 2021, were the summits of Ben Macdui and Cairn Gorm on a beautiful August day.It occurred to me that I’ve never documented that hike. So here it is – a circular hike that took in Ben Macdui (the UK’s second highest mountain and my first Munro), Stob Coire an t-Sneachda (a Munro top) and Cairn Gorm (sadly one of the ugliest munro summits around I think).The hike starts in the Cairngorm Ski Centre car park, already a few hundred metres above sea level. Don’t be fooled though. You’ll still clock up over 1,200m of elevation gain over the day with the descent from Ben Macdui and re-ascent to Cairn Gorm.Here’s how the hike went:
Hike date18th August 2021
Weather conditionsSo wonderful! Blue skies and mild temperatures. A tad breezy but nothing too serious. Pretty much perfect hiking conditions. 
Distance hiked19km
Walking time6 hours 5 minutes
Elevation gain total1,221m
TerrainEasy to follow path early on. Final approach to Ben Macdui summit is very rocky underfoot and the same with the final ascent to the Cairn Gorm summit. Really easy to follow path (stepped in parts) off Cairn Gorm and back to the car park.

Ben Macdui, Stob Coire an t-Sneachda, Cairn Gorm Route

This is the route we took:

As ever, my Apple Watch recorded a longer distance and slightly more elevation than the AllTrails estimate. But this is often down to the fact I wander off route here and there to take photographs!

Ben Macdui Parking and the Initial Ascent

The route starts from the ski centre car park (lots of spaces) with a beautiful and really straightforward path:

path to ben macdui

Even the stream crossings had boulders placed for easy access with dry feet!

Looking back over Loch Morlich is stunning. And if you’re lucky, you may even spot a reindeer herd casually hanging about the mountain.

A Rocky Ascent to Ben Macdui and that BEAUTIFUL Summit

As you approach the summit of Ben Macdui, there’s less of a path and more of a boulder field. This can be a tad tedious underfoot but it’s not long from here before you’re summiting. And what a summit Ben Macdui is. A raised trig point gives you phenomenal 360 views.

Ben Macdui Summit

With the weather in Scotland, part and parcel of hiking is knowing there’s a good chance you won’t bag the big views. But for my first Munro summit, I was utterly spoilt. It was clear and gorgeous and one of those days where the views felt well worth the hike.

Stob Coire an t-Sneachda

From here, we descended the way we came up but veered off towards the munro top of Stob Coire an t-Sneachda instead of tracing our steps back.

Marked by nothing more than a little cairn, this munro top does have some beautiful views. And from here you can clearly see your onward route towards your final summit of Cairn Gorm.

The Ascent to the Cairn Gorm Summit

The final ascent to the Cairn Gorm summit is again rocky underfoot. It’s a mountain after all.

And as beautiful as the views from this Munro are, the summit itself isn’t a patch on Ben Macdui.

Courtesy of essential equipment up top, this is sadly one of the ugliest mountain summits I’ve sat on!

Cairn Gorm Summit

However, just look away from the metal structures and out at the views instead!

Descending to the Car Park

One of the perks of this walk starting and ending at the ski centre is that the paths for the descent are good and easy to follow.

It’s a fairly tedious walk down but not a difficult one. And there’s a great cafe for a coffee when you get back to the car park.

Something to Consider…

I hiked up Ben Macdui on a really glorious day. But in poor visibility (which is incredibly common, navigation on the Cairngorm plateau is notoriously tricky.

It’s home to some utterly incredibly wildlife and plants too though. But it can be brutal up there in poor weather. 

Would I Hike Ben Macdui Again?

Honestly, I loved this hike. It got me hooked on Scotland’s glorious mountains. Ben Macdui itself really is spectacular and the views on a clear day are incredibly rewarding. So yes, I’d do it again for sure. 

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