Càrn na Drochaide from Linn of Quoich

Càrn na Drochaide is a steep out-and-back from Linn of Quoich car park to a broad 818 m summit plateau. The connected mapped corridor is about 2 miles each way, or 4.1 miles round trip; allow 4 to 5 hours for the climb, rough upper ground and stops. Longer published estimates do not match this mapped line, so check that you are following the same route before setting out.

Start past the barrier and cross the new bridge over the Quoich. The track passes below a white house, through a gate in the deer fence and by a whitewashed cottage, then the isolated house at Allanmore. Beyond it, pass two separate pines and look left for a grassy track climbing uphill a couple of hundred metres farther on.

The faint track winds uphill toward a thin band of pines. Turn right where it climbs more steeply beyond the trees; a straighter track alongside the pines fades out. The route can become hard to see across a shallow dip and then peters out on the small plateau of Creag a’ Cheirich. Visit the cairn just south of its top for the Dee and Lochnagar view, then head well left toward the col below Càrn na Drochaide to stay clear of the rocky gorge Clais nan Cat. The final ascent is pathless over steep heather, turning stony higher up.

The upper hill eases into an open, uneven plateau with small cairns and a larger cairn at the 818 m top. Its position is the reward: the view ranges over the main Cairngorms to the north and west, toward Ben Avon to the north, and down the Dee toward Lochnagar and Glen Clunie. Just south of the cairn on Creag a’ Cheirich is a worthwhile place to pause for a clear view down the Dee.

Use the charged Linn of Quoich car park at the road end and check the posted payment terms. Dogs are welcome under Scotland’s access rules; keep them on a short lead or close to heel around livestock and wildlife. Deer stalking takes place on surrounding hill ground, so check current local notices before crossing the open slopes and follow estate signs.