Cairn Toul
Cairn Toul, west of the Làirig Ghrù in the Cairngorms, is an impressive peak with ridges above Lochan Uaine reaching to the Devil’s Point and Angel’s Peak.
Cairn Toul
| Height | 1291m |
| Prominence | 166m |
| Meaning | cairn of the barn |
| Lists | Munros (M4) |
| Location | West of the Lairig Ghru, Cairngorms and North East Grampians |
| Grid Ref | NN963972 |
| Lat/Lon | 57.05429, -3.71033 |
| Munro tops | Stob Coire an t-Saighdeir (1213m) |
Cairn Toul is a shapely Munro peak in the northern Cairngorms, its fine ridges rise above the western side of the Làirig Ghrù and overlook corries and lochans. Being the fourth highest mountain in Scotland, the views from the summit are excellent and far.
Possibly one of the best routes up Cairn Toul is to hike from the Làirig Ghrù up one of its spurs on its east-facing side. There are three to choose from (see main photo above) with some rock-scrambling on the south-eastern spur near the summit. One of these ascents can be done with either the Cairngorm 4000s or West of Làirig Ghrù from Glenmore routes.
Being linked to other more modest peaks, hillwalkers are spoilt for route choice. With a bit of a detour, Cairn Toul could be fairly easily tagged onto routes approaching from Glen Feshie, Glen Einich or Linn of Dee.
Routes up Cairn Toul
West of Làirig Ghrù from Glenmore | |
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Hillwalking route up Braeriach, Cairn Toul and Sgòr an Lochain Uaine, vast high plateaux west of the Làirig Ghru with superb views over the Cairngorms. Peaks : 3 Munros
Ascent : 1850m (6070ft) Distance : 28km (17m) Time : 10hr* | |
Cairngorm 4000s | |
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Circular hillwalking route over the Cairngorm 4000ers from Glenmore, including Ben Macdui, Braeriach, Cairn Toul, Sgòr an Lochain Uaine and Cairn Gorm. Peaks : 5 Munros
Ascent : 2250m (7380ft) Distance : 28km (17m) Time : 10:45hr* | |
Nearby hills and mountains
* Times shown are estimates – see timing notes on the disclaimer page for more information.