Geallaig and the Gairn - 14th December 2025

Route Map

The Graham’s Book describes this hill as: Commanding a fine position between the straths of the River Dee and the River Gairn, Geallaig Hill is a large and bulky Graham.  With its open, featureless higher slopes, it appears to hold few secrets for the walker, but its lower slopes were once heavily farmed and supported a far great population than today.

There was plenty of room for parking opposite Braenaloin a small farm on the B976. It was 12 degrees when we left the cars but in the wind it felt cold.  We decided the head up Geallaig Hill first and get the height gain and windy part of the day done first.  Height was gained quickly following the moorland track all the way to the summit.

The summit of Geallaig is marked by a wind-shelter cairn surrounding a trig point.  This made a great shelter for morning coffee and Christmas Cake.

The view was excellent with a grand prospect across much of Deeside.

The track follows the broad ridge, then at the fork we took the right branch, which leads us back onto the B976 road.

A short walk along the road takes us onto the second half of this walk.  We reach a well made track leads through a gate and across the moors.  We continue along the track which takes us near to the ruins of an old settlement.  Here we seen a buzzard, the only other wildlife we had seen on the walk was some grouse, but with all the grouse butts that was a telltale sign.  The track now heads northwards, passing above the abandoned house of Blairglass.

Finally, the track descends gently into the upper reaches of Glen Gairn.  As soon as we stopped for lunch a heavy rain shower passes over, it didn’t last for along and a beautiful rainbow appeared.

There are more abandoned farm cottages at Tullochmacarrick, the track reaches Rineten, then the final leg to Braenaloin and we are back to the start of the walk.

Susan Low