Braeriach, Mountain summit in Scottish Highlands, United Kingdom
Braeriach is the third highest summit in Scotland, located in the Cairngorms massif and topped by a broad, crescent-shaped plateau. The plateau drops steeply into several large corries on its northern and eastern sides, forming deep bowls that shape the surrounding valleys.
Sir Hugh Munro listed this peak in his 1891 catalogue of Scottish mountains above 914 meters, a publication that changed how people thought about hillwalking in Scotland. That listing gave rise to the tradition of attempting to climb all summits on the list, a pursuit still followed by walkers today.
The name Braeriach comes from the Scottish Gaelic 'Am Bràigh Riabhach', which roughly means 'the brindled upper part'. The mountain sits at the heart of territory where Gaelic was spoken for centuries, and the names of its corries and ridges still carry that language today.
The most common starting point is the Sugar Bowl car park, from where the route passes through the Chalamain Gap before ascending to the plateau. The terrain is rocky and the weather can shift quickly, so good footwear and warm layers are worth having at any time of year.
Some of the corries on the northern face hold patches of snow well into summer, which is rare at this latitude in Britain. These hollows stay cold enough to keep ice long after the rest of the mountain has thawed, because they are sheltered from direct sun for most of the day.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
