Munros Near Aberdeen
There are 30 munros in Aberdeenshire, but not all Aberdeenshire munros are easily reached in a single day from Aberdeen.
Our munros near Aberdeen list contains 26 Scottish mountains that are within 2 hours drive from Aberdeen City Centre, so make sure that you factor this travel time in when planning your munro-bagging trip!
Most of the munros near Aberdeen are in The Cairngorms National Park and Angus, so if you're staying at our Thainstone House hotel near Aberdeen this won't add much time to your journey. Guests of our Balmoral Arms (formerly named Deeside Inn) in Ballater will find these munros much quicker to reach, with most of them located towards south-west Aberdeenshire, close to Ballater and Braemar in Royal Deeside or North Angus.
Most of the munros near Aberdeen listed below are accessible from the following road layby or car parks:
Spittal of Glenmuick car park in Ballater
Glen Doll car park in Kirriemuir
The layby car park on the A93 Cairnwell Pass
Glenshee Ski Centre in Cairnwell Pass
Linn of Dee car park and nearby Linn of Quoich car park.
Spittal of Glenshee or Dalmulzie Hotel car park
These start points are all within a 2 hour drive from Aberdeen, and offer a place to park your car while you climb. Some of them do charge for parking.
1. Mount Keen (929m)
Mount Keen is the munro closest to Aberdeen as-the-crow-flies, and the only one within 40 miles. Mount Keen is actually just over the border in Angus, but is under 1.5 hours drive from Aberdeen city centre, making it a convenient munro to bag.
Walk start point: Invermark Car Park near Invermark Castle, Glen Lee, Brechin, DD9 7YZ
2. The Cairnwell (933m)
3. Càrn Aosda (917m)
4. Càrn a' Ghèoidh (975m)
The Cairnwell Munros are an easy way to get 3 munros under your belt, without a week of aching legs afterwards. If you want to make it even easier, you can use the ski centre’s Cairnwell Chairlift!
Parking at the Glenshee Ski Centre is just under a 2 hour drive from Aberdeen City Centre, and with a cafe, you can grab a coffee before you start.
Walk start point: Glenshee Ski Centre, Old Military Road, Ballater AB35 5XU
5. Mayar (928m)
6. Driesh (947m)
Two of the easier munros near Aberdeen on our list, Mayar and Driesh make a great choice for a day out in the hills.
Both Mayar and Driesh are also over the border in Angus, it's just over a 1.5 hour drive to the car park.
Walk start point: Glen Doll Car Park & Ranger Base, Unnamed Rd, Kirriemuir, DD8 4RD
7. Broad Cairn (998m)
8. Lochnagar (1155m)
9. Càrn a' Choire Bhòidheach (1118m)
10. Càrn an t-Sagairt Mòr (1047m)
11. Cairn Bannoch (1012m)
Just under 1.5 hours from Aberdeen city centre, this group of hills isn’t for the first-timers but is a great challenge.
The White Mounth Munros circuit in The Mounth uplands is a long and exposed mountain walk, with most of the Mounth hills requiring a long walk to summit.
Walk start point: Spittal of Glen Muick Car Park, Spittal of Glenmuick, Glen Muick, Birkhall, Ballater AB35 5SU
12. Tom Buidh (957m)
13. Tomount (958m)
14. Càrn an Tuirc (1019m)
15. Cairn of Claise (1064m)
If you travel 1.5 hours you’ll reach a good sized road-side car park (with parking charges) along the A93, just a few minutes after passing through Braemar, Ballater. Keep an eye out for Braemar Castle and Balmoral Castle on the way!
With boggy sections, pathless exposed plateaus, these mound-shaped munros aren’t at the top of everyone’s list, but those who do venture on will be rewarded with great views of Glen Callater.
Walk start point: Layby car park on the A93 through Cairnwell Pass, just after Sean Spittal Bridge, just before reaching the Glenshee Ski Centre (Google Maps link).
16. Glas Maol (1068m)
17. Creag Leacach (987m)
Because the start point for these munros is at a higher elevation, you don’t have to scale the full 914 metres (3000ft) to reach these munro peaks, and, weather permitting, take in views across the Cairngorms and Deeside.
Càrn an Tuirc and Cairn of Claise can also be added to a your route up Glas Maol and Creag Leacach, and the total elevation you climb is likely to be even less than 900 metres, which you’ll be thankful for when you make it back to the car park!
Walk start point: Layby car park on the A93 through Cairnwell Pass, just after Sean Spittal Bridge, just before reaching the Glenshee Ski Centre (Google Maps link).
18, Glas Tulaichean (1051m)
19. Càrn an Rìgh (1029m)
20. Beinn lutharn Mhòr (1045m)
One of the longer days out in this list will see you summit three munros over 1,000m (3,281ft).
Parking at the Dalmulzie Hotel and only bagging Glas Tulaichean would shave off quite a few miles and metres of ascent, and the drive would just creep in at under 2 hours. This is a long day out, and not recommended to casual walkers!
Walk start point: Spittal of Glenshee or Dalmulzie Hotel (parking charge), Blairgowrie, PH10 7QE
21. Beinn Bhreac (931m)
22. Beinn a' Chaorainn (1082m)
Another pair of munros under 2 hours from Aberdeen, Beinn Bhreac and Beinn a’ Chaorainn are definitely not tourist hotspots.
Bagging these two munros near Aberdeen offers fine views of The Cairngorms, but is a long route. Keen munro-baggers often choose to bike to Derry Lodge before embarking, to reduce the overall length of the walk.
Walk start point: Linn of Dee Car Park, Braemar, Ballater, AB35 5YJ
23. Derry Cairngorm (1155m)
24. Ben Macdui (1309m)
25. Carn a'Mhaim (1037m)
Ben Macdui is the highest in this list, second-only in the UK to Ben Nevis, making it the 2nd highest Munro in the UK, and the highest easily reachable munro near Aberdeen in our list.
The usual approach to Ben Macdui and surrounding munros is from the Sugarbowl car park, or one of the Cairngorm Mountain Ski Resort car parks in Aviemore. For the purposes of this list we’ve listed the Linn of Dee which is under two hours from Aberdeen.
Approaching from Linn of Dee makes for a long walk with a lot of elevation gain, so once again, some walkers choose to cycle to Derry Lodge to reduce the time spent on your feet.
Walk Start point: Linn of Dee Car Park, Braemar, Ballater, AB35 5YJ
26. Beinn a' Bhùird
The 11th highest mountain in Britain, and the 2nd highest on our list of munros near Aberdeen, Beinn a’Bhùird is not likely to be the first on your list to climb.
With a significant river crossing, and a very long walk indeed on to an exposed and tricky to navigate plateau, it might be one to avoid for all but the dedicated munro-baggers aiming to tick off all 282 munros in Scotland.
Walk start point: Linn of Quoich car park, a layby next to the road crossing the River Quoich (Quoich Water), near Allanaquoich, Ballater, AB35 5YJ
Of course, if you’re willing to drive or walk a lot further, any munro or mountain near Aberdeen is within your grasp!
Always take care when planning to climb mountains in Aberdeenshire, tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back, research deer stalking in the area, check the weather forecast, and make sure there isn’t snow lying on the ground.
Munros in Aberdeenshire
Those willing to venture a little further afield will find there is some more stunning mountaineering to be done, and incredible views to be had. Below is a list of 30 munros in Aberdeenshire.
Ben Macdui (1309m)
Braeriach (1296m)
Cairn Toul (1291m)
Sgor an Lochain Uaine (1258m)
Beinn a'Bhuird (1197m)
Ben Avon (1171m)
Beinn Bhrotain (1157m)
Lochnagar (1155m)
Derry Cairngorm (1155m)
Monadh Mor (1115m)
Carn a’Choire Bhoidheach (1110m)
Beinn a’Chaorainn (1082m)
Cairn of Claise (1064m)
Carn an t-Sagairt Mor (1047m)
Beinn Iutharn Mhor (1045m)
Carn a’Mhaim (1037m)
Carn a Tuirc (1019m)
Cairn Bannoch (1012m)
An Sgarsoch (1006m)
The Devil’s Point (1004m)
Broad Cairn (998m)
Carn an Fhidhleir (994m)
Carn a'Gheoidh (975m)
Tolmount (958m)
Carn Bhac (946m)
An Socach (944m)
Mount Keen (939m) (near Aberdeen)
The Cairnwell (933m)
Beinn Bhreac (931m)
Carn Aosda (917m)
If you’re planning a hill walking break in Aberdeenshire or the Cairngorms, why not take a look at our dinner, bed and breakfast breaks in Scotland? Our accommodation in Ballater is well situated for summiting all of the munros near Aberdeen in our list, but we have more hotels breaks in Scotland if you’re looking to explore further afield!
Climb and hike to the top of a munro, appreciate the views they afford, discover more of Scotland’s beauty from a new viewpoint. Find out more reasons why you should stay with Crerar Hotels here.
List of Cairngorm munros: https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/munros/munros-region
List of Aberdeenshire munros: https://www.visitabdn.com/blog/munro-bagging-in-aberdeenshire/
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