Parking
Start at Badaguish Outdoor Centre. The car park is off the approach on the right; head back through the grounds, pass the far gate and take the forestry track. Starting at Glenmore is a different, shorter route.
Overview
About Creagan Gorm and Meall a’ Bhuachaille Ridge
Why go
- A complete ridge traverse with views over Loch Morlich and the Cairngorms.
- Ryvoan Bothy and the Green Lochan add variety to the return.
- Reaches Meall a’ Bhuachaille by the quieter western ridge.
Heads up
- A long day with about 730 m of climbing and a steep descent from the summit.
- Boggy moorland and a route-finding-sensitive descent below Creagan Gorm.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Cairngorms map
Full mapElevation331–796 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 Creagan Gorm and Meall a’ Bhuachaille Ridge, 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
Badaguish and the Creagan Gorm Ridge0:00 / 0:25
“You're approaching the access to Badaguish, the starting point for the Creagan Gorm ridge circuit.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Cairngorms Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Loch Morlich Beach
- Glenmore and the Green Lochan
- Cairngorm Reindeer Centre
- Hayfield and Pine Knoll
- 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 Creagan Gorm and Meall a’ Bhuachaille Ridge
A full hill day from BadaguishThis 16.4 km (10.
This 16.4 km (10.25 mile) loop starts at Badaguish Outdoor Centre, climbs Craigowrie and Creagan Gorm, crosses the ridge to the 810 m summit of Meall a’ Bhuachaille, then returns by Ryvoan Bothy, An Lochan Uaine and Glenmore. Allow six to seven hours and expect a hard day with about 730 m of ascent. Pick it for the long, varied ridge rather than the quicker summit walk from Glenmore.
Into the openWalk back through the Badaguish grounds, pass the far gate and take the right-hand forestry…
Walk back through the Badaguish grounds, pass the far gate and take the right-hand forestry track. After about 1.5 km, a clear path forks right. It climbs through trees to a felled area, then leaves the plantation for open moorland. The slope steepens and there are boggy patches before the path reaches a cairn and continues to Craigowrie.
Across the ridgeFrom Craigowrie, the ridge rolls south and then southeast, with views over Badaguish, Glenmore…
From Craigowrie, the ridge rolls south and then southeast, with views over Badaguish, Glenmore and Loch Morlich toward the Cairngorms. A climb reaches Meallan Gorm at 771 m, followed by a dip and another rise to the cairn on Creagan Gorm. Watch the descent from that cairn: the route drops to the bealach below Meall a’ Bhuachaille, and it is easy to lose the line if you wander too far left. The final substantial climb reaches the Corbett’s summit and its large shelter cairn.
Down to RyvoanFollow the constructed path ENE from the summit.
Follow the constructed path ENE from the summit. It starts gently, then steepens considerably as it descends toward Ryvoan. The small stone Ryvoan Bothy is an open shelter maintained by volunteers; follow the bothy code and carry your rubbish out.
The long way backTurn right at the bothy onto the broad track.
Turn right at the bothy onto the broad track. After a short stony descent, continue toward the trees with An Lochan Uaine, the Green Lochan, just off to the left. Keep to the main track toward Glenmore Lodge, then use the cycle path through the trees beside the minor road. From the reindeer centre and main road, turn right and take the next track on the right, past the barrier, to climb gently back to Badaguish.
If you want the summit with less walkingThe shorter circuit from Glenmore reaches Meall a’ Bhuachaille too, but skips the…
The shorter circuit from Glenmore reaches Meall a’ Bhuachaille too, but skips the Craigowrie–Creagan Gorm ridge. Choose this full route when the ridge itself is part of the day you want.
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.
