BEN MACDUI

THE STORY

Long thought to be the highest mountain in Scotland, if only by locals, it lost the accolade in 1810 when a survey downgraded Ben Macdouie by 100 feet (30m). This rather upset folk, particularly the landowner the Earl of Fife. One feature shared with The Ben is the ambiguity of the origin of the name. A popular interpretation derives from beinn na muic duibh - 'mountain of the black pig'. This is unlikely. Probably a more accurate interpretation says that it is from beinn mhic dhuibhe or mhac dhubhe - 'hill of the son of dubh' (dubh means 'the black one'). The Duff  family (Fife) owned much of the Aberdeenshire part of the mountain until they sold their holding in the 1960s.

AM FEAR LIATH MÒR

Do you scare easily? Then perhaps Ben Macdui isn't the hill for you! Am Fear Liath Mòr is the legend of 'The Big Grey Man of Ben Macdhui', a mythical creature that haunts the summit plateau in pursuit of weary souls. This video is an excellent summary of the legend; which leads to a very interesting photographic challenge - capturing a Brocken Spectre.

THE DETAILS

Mountain name, how to say it, what it means   |   its height   |   Mountain region; closest town(s) [may be some distance away tho!]   |   the view-points

THE VIEW-POINTS

1. Corrour Bothy: this sanctuary in the bottom of Coire Odhar provides an excellent foreground to illustrate the immensity of the hill
2. Devil's Point: with a view straight into the heart of Coire Clach nan Taillear and the glen rising to the Pools of Dee below Sròn na Lairige
3. Coylumbridge: the northern start point, trekking through the beautiful Rothiemurcus Forest, the hill framed by the Lairig Ghru entrance
   
4. Braeriach: from the shoulder above Coire Bhrochain you will see the hill dominating the Lairig Ghru
   
5. Carn a' Mhaim: this hill's long, rounded ridge points straight to the challenge ahead - the ascent to the UK's second highest summit

THE LOCALE

Deep in the heart of the Cairngorms, the hill demands effort from you before you can begin your art - it is a long way from any conurbation; you can cycle for a good distance of the routes in. Near to the summit is a memorial to the crew of an RAF Avro Anson that crashed here in 1942. MacDui dominates the famous glen Lairig Ghru, an ancient through-route from north to south. Many visitors camp at the closed bothy Derry Lodge or closer to the hill at Corrour Bothy. Linn of Dee at Muir has excellent waterfall features, and at the northern end Rothiemurcus Forest is stunning, with a castle ruin too in the middle of Loch an Eilein.

ALONG THE WAY

Linn of Dee  |  waterfalls  |  Derry Lodge  |  Ben MacDui  |  Lairig Ghru  |  Pools of Dee  |  Lochan Uaine  |  Loch Etchachan  |  Glen Derry

NEAREST BOTHY:

Corrour   |   Bob Scott's

USUALLY WALKED WITH:

m020 Derry Cairngorm   |   m095 Carn a' Mhaim

PLANNING

These links lead to the variety of walks, weather and maps to aid in planning your adventure to portray this hill.

FURTHER INFORMATION FOR THIS MUNRO:

McNeish "The Munros" 1999 p.129  |  SMC Hillwalkers 2013 p.132  |  Walkhighlands "The Munros" 2019 p.262  |  Bothy Bible 2017 p.175 + 169

• Walk 1: from Linn of Dee passing Derry Lodge and rounding into Lairig Ghru from the south
  
• Walk 2: the northern route through Rothiemurcus Forest into Lairig Ghru up to the Pools of Dee
  
• Walk 3: In search of the Grey Man on Ben Macdui
• Walk 4: from Cairn Gorm mountain resort

Banner image © Steve Cadman, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons