In 1847, a man from the Ordnance Survey made himself highly unpopular on Speyside, after his survey work confirmed that Ben Nevis was the highest mountain in Scotland, and Ben Macdui was second.
This means Ben Macdui gains comparatively little attention, but anyone undertaking Cairngorms walking holidays simply cannot give it a miss. At 4,295 ft, it is one of five peaks over 4,000 ft in Britain’s largest national park, and sits at the heart of a unique landscape in Britain, a vast plateau of sub-Arctic tundra fringed by various peaks and holding copious amounts of snow well into summer.
The peak is not a technical challenge; there are no knife-edge ridges to scramble here. However, an eye needs to be kept on the weather, even in summer, for navigating in poor visibility is tricky and it is definitely no place to be caught in an electric storm in summer.
Above all else, it is a long walk, although a very rewarding one, and can be combined with Cairn Gorm and also other Munros such as Carn a’Mhaim, Beinn Meadhoin and Derry Cairngorm.
The mountain does have a mysterious side to it, though: It is allegedly haunted, with some witnesses claiming to have seen a ghost up there known as the ‘Grey Man of Ben Macdui’. However, as with the Loch Ness Monster, we cannot promise any sightings.
Although it can be approached from upper Deeside, the most common ways up and down are from the north, either across the plateau from Cairn Gorm, or across the western flank of Cairn Lochan, with both routes linking Ben Macdui with the Cairn Gorm car park.
The summit, which is almost free of vegetation, affords spectacular views. Being 54 miles away, Ben Nevis is well out of sight; but the third, fourth and fifth highest peaks in Britain – Braeriach, Cairn Toul and Sgorr an Lochan Uaine, which lie across the vast chasm of the Lairig Ghru, another stunning feature of this awe-inspiring landscape.
It may not quite be the highest peak in Britain, but Ben Macdui is still a wonderful mountain to climb.