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Carn a' Mhaim

Munro
Quick Facts
This is the height of the mountain above sea level. However, on the climb, it is the ascent that matters, i.e. the sum of all the uphill parts of the route.
Altitude
1037 m (3402 ft)

This is the standard notation used on Ordnance Survey Landranger maps.

Each reference consists of two letters identifying a 100,000 metre square block then three digits defining the Easting and finally the three digits defining the Northing with reference to the South West corner of the block.

NN166712 is the grid reference for the summit of Ben Nevis. Where you are given the map number ( For Ben Nevis = 41) it is acceptable to omit the two initial letters e.g. 166712. (Instructions on how to read the references are given on the OS maps).

Grid Ref.
NN99459518
An indication of this mountains height rank within its class. Where two mountains share the same height they are ordered alphabetically.
Stature
95 of 282 Munros
The number of ascent routes currently available on Munromagic.
Routes
2
Mountain names are usually in Gaelic, the native language of the Scottish Highlands, or have been derived from the old Scots and Norse languages. We give the most commonly accepted meaning, but accept that some of these are disputed.
Meaning
Cairn like peak of the large rounded hill
 

The UK is covered by 204 Ordnance Survey Landranger 1:50,000 scale maps. Maps numbered 1 to 86 cover Scotland but for the highest mountains (Munros) only 23 maps are required. The name given roughly describes the area covered by the map.

OS Landranger Maps Required
  43   Braemar & Blair Atholl
 

A description of the characteristics of the mountain including any hazards of which you should be aware.

  Description
Carn a' Mhaim, overlooking Glen Dee has a long ridge descending N to a beallach at 800m, lying S of the summit of Ben MacDui.

The W slopes of this ridge are craggy and steep and best avoided, whereas the E slopes are of a more moderate incline. From the summit a short broad ridge to the SE terminates in the crags of Coire na Poite.

Carn a' Mhaim is normally ascended via its S slopes from the path leading from Glen Luibeg to the Lairig Ghru.

Hazards you may encounter on Carn a' Mhaim include
 Steep slopes on or near ascent routes.
 Crags on or near ascent routes.
 Crags near summit.
 
General Considerations
 Temperature decreases by 1degree C for every 100m of ascent.
 Wind usually increases with altitude.
 Visibility can change markedly with cloud level.
 River/Stream levels can increase markedly in one day.
Picture Gallery for Carn a' Mhaim

Looking northwards down the Carn a' Mhaim ridge to Ben Macdui and the Lairig Ghru on a wonderful February day 2008

© Colin Barclay
Image by Colin Barclay

Carn a' Mhaiim from high on Sron Riach.

© Allan Leighton
Image by Allan Leighton

Carn a'Mhaim from the Luibeg Burn crossing.

© Graham Young
Image by Graham Young

Lairig Ghru with Carn a'Mhaim in the middle seen from Braeriach 7th June'08

© Alistair Craig
Image by Alistair Craig
View All 14 Images for Carn a' Mhaim

A selection of weather forecasts local to #GetMountain.Top_Name#.

Ordnance Survey digital maps are also available to members.

  Weather & OS Maps
Cairngorms * Monadhliath
by MWIS (PDF format) 		East Highlands
by Met Office 		Derry Cairngorm
by Metcheck
Carn a' Mhaim Area Map
Legend  Munro  Corbett  Graham  English/Welsh Top  Accommodation

A selection of local accommodation options who advertise with Munromagic.com.

  Where to Stay
We currently have no
sponsored accommodation listings for this area.

The summary information of one or more ascent routes that include Carn a' Mhaim.

Click on the route title to load the full content for that route.

  Routes that include Carn a' Mhaim
  Ascent Distance Time Including... Description Rating
1 1745 m 33.49 km 10 hrs Ben MacDui, Derry Cairngorm and Carn a' Mhaim  A long rewarding day which took 11.5 hrs to complete. Care is required when crossing the bouldery summits of Ben MacDui & Derry Cairngorm. A fine ridge walk from Carn a'Mhaim & Ben MacDui. A moderate although long route for the reasonably fit.  
2 1030 m 23.42 km 6.5 hrs Carn a' Mhaim  A relatively long route with an ascent on steep grass slopes. The route duration can be reduced by cycling to Derry Lodge.  
 

Pictures submitted by members on the summit of Carn a' Mhaim

  Baggers Gallery for Carn a' Mhaim

Summit of Carn a'Mhaim with some serious peaks behind. From L to R: Cairn Toul, Braeriach and Ben MacDui - the next stop that day.

© Ian Munro
Image by Ian Munro

Ian and Ross Nixon on summit. Ian celebrating his final Munro.

© Ian Nixon
Image by Ian Nixon

Top of Carn a Mhaim 13.01.12

© Dave Smith
Image by Dave Smith

Summit of Carn a' Mhaim 13/08/2010

© john wells
Image by john wells
View All 15 Baggers Images for Carn a' Mhaim
The logging section stores any entries for Carn a' Mhaim in your own log. From here you can
  1. Add a route log entry that includes this mountain
  2. Write a full account of your route including photos
  3. Edit an existing log entry including uploading a GPX file or add a photo
  4. Delete your log entry
  Logging
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Recently Climbed By
Julie Richmond on 23 Sep 2023
Tony Dick on 10 Sep 2023
John Carroll on 09 Sep 2023
David McSporran on 22 Jun 2023
William Black on 16 Jun 2023
Graham Neish on 04 Jun 2023

If a member has uploaded a tracklog as part of their personal route log and opted to share it then it will be presented here.

You can view a members route overlayed on an online map or download the KMZ file for use in Google Earth.

 Shared Members Track Logs

Post a few words about Carn a' Mhaim or read what others have had to say.

 Comments
 
David Scott
wrote on
September 25, 2010
There is now an excellent path climbing up Carn a' Mhaim. It forks of from the path that leads down to the Larig Ghru quite soon after you pass thru the deer fence. The ridge on the far side of Carn a' Mhaim is airy but no real exposure. The climb up Ben Mac Dui was brutal covered in snow. The ruin marked on the OS map just SE of Ben Mac Dui's summit is good for decent shelter. We found the climb up Derry Cairngorm not that hard. And the walk back down to Derry lodge is very interesting. Excellent Walk.
M. Forbes
wrote on
May 4, 2008
Me and my friend Sizer scaled this munro along with Ben Macdui and Derry Cairngorm and it was hard! We left at 10am from Linn o Dee and spent the first couple of hours taking it easy passing Derry Lodge and following the path to Cairn a Mhaim. However after following the path for a while we were informed that this path only takes us to Ben Macdui, so we proceeded to scale the steep slopes of Cairn a Mhaim without a path. It was backbreaking, but after a couple of breaks we made it! The view was brilliant and we stopped to speak to a couple of nice fellow climbers, before proceeding to Macdui.
Roger Vander Steen
wrote on
August 18, 2006
If approaching from Derry Lodge there is a worn path all the way to the top but the start is indistinct. After crossing the Luibeg Burn, pass through a gate in a deer fence. The path to the Lairig Ghru climbs steadily and the junction is just before the top of this slope, about 350 metres beyond the gate.
 
 

A full written account of a climb submitted by our members.

You can prepare your own write up by first making an entry in your route log and then visiting the logging section above.

  Route Write-Ups
There are no Route Write-Ups submitted for Carn a' Mhaim
 
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