The day on the ridge
The Night Before – Wild Camping at Glenshee
We arrived at Glenshee Ski Centre on Saturday evening at around 8 pm, when it was already completely dark. From the ski centre, we drove approximately 2 km north and found a car park on the right-hand side of the road.
After parking, we collected our camping gear and walked downhill towards the river, where we found two bridges, one wooden and the other covered with grass. We crossed the grassy bridge and walked another 200 metres before finding a suitable place to pitch our tent.
There was no rain overnight, but it was bitterly cold. When we woke up the next morning, a thin layer of frost had formed on our tent. Fortunately, the morning greeted us with clear skies and sunshine, promising excellent conditions for the hike.
Munro 1 – Càrn Aosda (917 m)
We started our hike from Glenshee Ski Centre at around 9 am, with Càrn Aosda as our first target.
The ascent followed established ski tracks and was relatively straightforward. However, this hike had another important purpose beyond summiting three Munros: learning to navigate using a paper map and compass.
We deliberately decided not to use GPS, although we had a GPX route available on our watch for emergencies.
The ski tracks, buildings and other structures provided excellent landmarks for identifying our location on the map. We practised matching these features with map symbols and understanding our direction of travel.
With sunshine and good visibility, we reached our first summit and continued towards Càrn a’ Ghèoidh.
Munro 2 – Càrn a’ Ghèoidh (975 m)
The route towards Càrn a’ Ghèoidh took us away from the ski infrastructure and across open mountain terrain, with grassy slopes, rocky sections and gently undulating ground.
This was particularly useful for practising navigation. With fewer man-made landmarks, we relied on the surrounding hills, ridges, lochans and contour lines to identify our position and direction.
The weather remained sunny throughout, with winds of approximately 15–20 mph becoming more noticeable on the higher exposed sections.
The ground was generally stable and the route easy to follow in clear conditions. We reached the summit of Càrn a’ Ghèoidh, completing our second Munro and gaining more confidence in traditional navigation.
Munro 3 – The Cairnwell (933 m)
From Càrn a’ Ghèoidh, we continued towards The Cairnwell, following the high ridge. We noticed loose rocks on the southwestern approach, making the ridge a better option for more secure footing.
After reaching our third summit, we began looking for the descent towards Glenshee Ski Centre.
There were no route markings indicating the way down. We retraced our steps approximately 500 metres from the summit and found a small opening in the wooden fence on our right. After passing through it, an established path appeared, leading downhill towards the valley near the chairlift.
The descent was straightforward, although a few sections were wet and boggy.
We returned to the car park at approximately 1 pm, completing all three Munros in just four hours.
A Hot Coffee and the Journey Home
After a cold night camping and a successful morning in the mountains, we treated ourselves to a well-earned hot coffee at the Glenshee Ski Centre café.
We then started our journey back to Leeds at around 1 pm, arriving home at approximately 7 pm.
Three Munros in four hours, a freezing night under canvas and valuable navigation experience — another memorable chapter in our journey to all 282 Munros.
Walked & recorded
The route I actually walked
Glenshee Three Munros Circular – Càrn Aosda, Càrn a’ Ghèoidh & The Cairnwell
- Starting point
- Glenshee Ski Centre – Main Car Park · Directions ↗
This route was personally walked and recorded for this 282 Stories hike. Conditions and access can change; check current forecasts, carry suitable mapping and use your own judgement.
Recorded on the day
Conditions on my hike
The weather was excellent throughout the hike, with sunshine from start to finish, clear skies and good visibility. There was no rainfall during the walk.
Wind speeds were approximately 15–20 mph, mainly noticeable near the summits, along the ridges and across higher exposed areas. Lower sections were relatively sheltered. Temperatures felt cooler at higher elevations, particularly where exposed to the wind, although no exact temperature readings were recorded.
Underfoot conditions were generally good, with firm, stable ground and established paths across most of the route. The southwestern approach to The Cairnwell had loose rocks requiring extra care, while parts of the final descent towards the car park were wet and boggy despite the dry weather.
Overall, the sunny weather, good visibility and relatively moderate winds made for enjoyable hiking conditions, with loose rocks and occasional boggy patches being the main underfoot challenges.
Hike timeline
- Left the trailhead
- Carn Aosda
- Carn a’ Gheoidh
- The Cairnwell
- Back at the trailhead
Lessons learned
This hike was a great opportunity to practise navigation using a paper map and compass without relying on GPS. We learned how to identify our position using terrain features, contour lines and landmarks, with the ski infrastructure providing useful reference points. The clear weather made learning easier, but also reminded us that navigation would be more challenging in poor visibility. We also learned to avoid loose rocky approaches where a safer ridge route is available, watch out for boggy ground even in dry weather, and pay attention to unmarked descent paths.
