Parking
Start at Glen Tilt Car Park (Old Bridge of Tilt), just north of Blair Atholl. Blair Atholl buses and trains are about 1 km away; there is no direct public transport to the car park. Overnight parking is not permitted.
Overview
About Càrn a’ Chlamain from Glen Tilt
Why go
- The Glen Tilt approach adds river scenery before the summit climb
- A boulder-covered summit above an open plateau
Heads up
- The long estate-track approach makes this a full-day walk
- The upper route can be hard to follow in mist or snow
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation162–945 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
3 active Cairngorms alerts
- CautionStorm Boelo high windsStorm Boelo will bring extremely windy weather to the Cairngorms; take extra care and limit time outdoors. - The Park Authority expects the very windy weather to last until Monday 26 October.Official details
- ClosureGlenmore wildfire closures and dangerous treesWildfire damage has closed Allt Mor car park and the path to Sugarbowl/Utsi’s Bridge; keep out of the closed area.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Cairngorms Tour Guide
Your drive to Càrn a’ Chlamain from Glen Tilt, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Cairngorms National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Cairngorms audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Old Bridge of Tilt and the Red Squirrel Walk0:00 / 0:26
“You're approaching Old Bridge of Tilt, with woodland walks from Glen Tilt car park. For a short stop, I'd choose the red-marked Red Squirrel Walk, a gentle one-mile loop taking thirty to forty minutes beside the river.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Blair Castle and Gardens
- Atholl Country Life Museum and a Village Meal
- A Siege in the Family
- The Woodland Leaves That Fold
- 298 audio storiesacross Cairngorms’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Red Deer, Reindeer, Osprey, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 260 trails, 90 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Càrn a’ Chlamain from Glen Tilt
Is this your kind of hike?Càrn a’ Chlamain from Glen Tilt is a 15.
Càrn a’ Chlamain from Glen Tilt is a 15.7-mile out-and-back from Glen Tilt Car Park to the 963 m summit. You walk the whole valley approach and return on foot, then climb a steep southeast ridge to the boulder-covered top. Allow 7–9 hours and about 930 m of ascent. This is a full Munro day, with several miles of estate track before the steep hill section begins; choose it for the long glen walk and mountain finish, not a quick summit dash.
The Glen Tilt approachLeave the car park on the path through the trees, cross the old stone footbridge and follow the…
Leave the car park on the path through the trees, cross the old stone footbridge and follow the glen tracks beside the River Tilt. The route contours a steep valley side before opening into birch and wider views. A viewpoint with wooden seats looks up the glen just beyond the range cabin. Farther in, the stone bridge over Allt Mhairc gives a close look at water-carved bowls and pools; keep going past Gaw’s Bridge to the Allt Craoinidh crossing, where the mountain climb starts.
Climbing the southeast ridgeFrom Allt Craoinidh, take the steep grassy path through heather to a broad track up the ridge.
From Allt Craoinidh, take the steep grassy path through heather to a broad track up the ridge. It climbs steadily and bends around a steeper section before cutting across the stony summit dome. Leave the track for the short, rough approach to the cairn. The upper path can be hard to pick out in mist or snow, so this is a route where you need to be comfortable navigating once you leave the clear estate track.
What you get at the topThe summit is a boulder-covered dome above an open, rolling plateau.
The summit is a boulder-covered dome above an open, rolling plateau. The reward is the sense of space and the long view back over Glen Tilt. For a photo, include the stony track and the rocky dome in the foreground; that shows the final climb as well as the skyline.
Access and returnDescend by the same route.
Descend by the same route. Atholl Estates welcomes responsible public access and dogs under control. During the 1 August–20 October stag-stalking season, the estate identifies the southeast ridge as one of the main routes hillwalkers can use; follow its access guidance before setting out. The distance here includes the full walk from Glen Tilt Car Park and the return, rather than a cycle-assisted valley approach.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Cairngorms
159 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
63 sightingsReindeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
102 sightingsOspreyMost seen around 5 PMSighting map
37 sightingsBlack GrouseMost seen around 4 AMSighting map
72 sightingsRed GrouseMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
82 sightingsPine MartenMost seen around 9 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Cairngorms. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
