I recently enjoyed great wee adventure, riding Cairngorm Mountain‘s funicular train and then a summit walk to the top of the UK’s sixth tallest mountain, Cairn Gorm, It’s an excellent experience for families, people who do not have the experience or fitness to walk from the base of a mountain to the summit and also for visitors who are short on time. Let me tell you more about it.
Train ride and hike to Cairn Gorm summit
I love a mountain walk and a chance to enjoy great views, but I don’t always have time to do so mid-week. So, the opportunity to ride a train to a higher altitude and take a short walk – a Summit Guided Walk – to the top of one of the UK’s tallest mountains greatly appealed.
Scotland’s summer weather has also proved a bit fickle this month and a shorter outing enjoyed in calm and sunny conditions – I had spotted a forecast that showed a window of opportunity last Thursday morning – gave me further incentive to head to Cairngorm Mountain.
I booked the guided walk on-line for the 10.15am trip (priced £40). The walks take place Wednesday to Sunday at 10.15am and 1.15pm. You should allow two hours for the trip.
The group size is a maximum of 10 people and the guide for my walk was ranger Stevie, plus assistant Joseph. The group included a family with three children from Belgium, two couples from England and myself.
Note: It’s not possible to ride the funicular and then walk to the summit on your own. You can walk from the base to the summit but not simply from the top station. The guided walks are part of a bid to reduce summit footfall and subsequent erosion by keeping numbers to a manageable level for the built trails.
Our group met at the Ranger Base at Cairngorm Mountain Base Station at 635m elevation (right next to a large car park). The funicular journey takes less than 10 minutes and rises smoothly to 1097m at Ptarmigan Top Station.
It was a delight to see the mountain slipping by and without any effort required from me. I thought of the many times I have walked and skied this mountain and in a wide variety of weather.
Instead, from the train, I could sit and simply survey the scenery from the window.
Lower on Cairn Gorm, the view takes in the not-particularly-attractive structures of a ski mountain, although they are a necessary part of the winter infrastructure for Scotland’s many skiing fans. The higher we climbed, the better the vistas became of both the wildly beautiful mountain of Cairn Gorm and the wider rugged landscape of the surrounding Cairngorms National Park.
I also spotted three new downhill mountain bike tracks, which form a series of bermy snakes of varying lengths and as long as 1.4km. These look great fun and will merit a return trip to the mountain.
I was grateful that the forecast was more than I’d hoped for and, as we alighted at the Ptarmigan Station and walked out on to the mountain slope, I needed to remove my jacket. It felt warm and it was almost wind-free.
Rangers Stevie and Joseph with some of our group.
Guided walk to the summit
Stevie gathered the group together to tell us about the next part of the tour, which would involve a walk to the summit (less than 1km and a height gain of only 150m) on a gently ascending and well-made path.
There was no rush to reach the top and each of us strolled uphill, stopping at regular intervals to enjoy the ever more expansive views. Steve provided lots of interesting information about the mountain, including possible flora and fauna sightings, as well as pointing out many other surrounding peaks. He offered an excellent lesson in local geography and geology – and also urged us to keep our eyes peeled for Cairngorm quartz
Did you know?: The Cairngorms are best known as a source of smoky quartz but specimens of both beryl and topaz have also been found. In Victorian times, hunting for crystals was a popular pastime although these days very few fine specimens are discovered.
More about the Cairngorms
The Cairngorms, Am Monadh Ruadh in Gaelic, roughly translate as The Red Mountains. The name is believed to have come from the rosy-red pink granite that was once the dominant colour of the mountain range when the glaciers of the last ice age retreated. Back then, the shattered granite rocks were exposed and looked reddish.
Today, most of these rocks have been rounded by frost and snow and are grey in colour with a covering of lichens and mosses.
Meanwhile, the Gaelic name for Cairn Gorm itself is An Càrn Gorm, meaning blue or green hill.
The Cairngorms form the UK’s largest area of high ground and temperatures are frequently cold, even in summer. We spotted small pockets of snow, remnants of the winter season, on northern slopes of surrounding mountains even in July.
The Cairngorms is also acclaimed as climatically, geomorphologically and biologically the most extensive Arctic-like area in the UK. Surprisingly, there is a great deal of life on the vast mountain plateau.
As well as lichen and moss, plants such as Mat Grass, Carnation Sedge and Woolly Fringe-Moss thrive. Flowers, usually best seen in spring, include Lady’s Mantle, Starry Saxifrage and Dwarf Cornel.
A small, rounded bird called a ptarmigan is a relatively common sight on the mountain and their plumage changes colour to suit the seasons. During our walk we spotted other birds, including dotterel and snow bunting. If you’re lucky – and I have been on other Cairngorms mountains – you might spot a golden eagle soaring high above.
Superb views from Cairn Gorm summit
Cairn Gorm rises to 1244m at the summit. As well as being one of the UK’s tallest peaks it easily makes it on ton a list of Scottish mountains known as Munros. There are 282 Munros with a height of more than 914.4m (3000ft).
At the top, close to a weather station and large cairn, the group stopped to enjoy the 360-degree views. I chatted with other people who were experiencing their first Scottish mountain summit. They talked enthusiastically about the amazing feeling of being somewhere “wild and remote”, of the “peace and tranquility” and the “stunning landscape”.
While I have bagged all the Munros and I am often out walking and running in Scotland’s hills and mountains, it was a joy to see other people’s happiness and delight. For those too young or without the required fitness and experience to hike in Scotland’s often rugged terrain, the Cairngorm Mountain funicular and Summit Guided Walk offers an incredible treat.
I took my time to slowly turn a full circle really witnessing the fabulous views in all directions.
To the north-east, I could see the great rocky tors on top of Bynack More and Creag Mhor (I completed a recent challenging walk to these two mountains) and, to the south-east, Beinn Mheadhoin.
Further south, the UK’s second highest mountain of Ben Macdui rose above steep high crags, which also plunged to the western shore of beautiful Loch Avon.
Looking north and north-easterly, I spotted the sparkling waters of Loch Morlich far below, surrounded by the lush green of Rothiemurchus Forest, and the tiny buildings of the town of Aviemore. On a clear day, you can see as far north as Ben Wyvis and the mountain ranges of Assynt north of Ullapool.
I have visited this exact location on many occasions, in different seasons and all kinds of weather, on foot and on skis and every time it lifts my spirits.
Other walks and things to do at Cairngorm Mountain
If you have the experience, fitness and energy, it’s a relatively straightforward hike in good weather to reach the summit of Cairn Gorm. From the base station, a return walk on a path extends to 6.5kms and some 585m elevation.
A longer 11km walk takes in the Northern Corries and Cairn Gorm summit. see Walk Highlands.
A half-day ranger guided walk on a Thursday morning from June to October also explores the Northern Corries of Cairn Gorm.
You can also ride the funicular up and down, but you can’t then walk on your own to the summit.
Spend time at Ptarmigan Top Station, where there is a restaurant with panoramic views, Cairngorm Gin Bar, a viewing terrace, a 270-degree immersive exhibition (I really enjoyed this), Cairngorm Learning Zone with interactive sandboxes for children and the Shop at the Top selling gifts, clothing and local products
Cairngorm Mountain Bike Park: Green trails for beginners and younger children; intermediate graded blue trails; and thrilling red trails. Bike hire is available.
In winter, there is a range of skiing and snowboarding options.
- In the interests of disclosure, I was invited to join the Guided Summit Walk and I didn’t pay for the trip. This article is my own views and has been written without input from Cairngorm Mountains.