The Best Hike in the Cairngorms: Hiking to Loch Avon

When we visited Scotland on our campervan roadtrip, we asked some avid Scottish hikers which hike we should do in the Cairngorms and their answer did not disappoint!

Ben Macdui – Loch Avon Hike General Information

This hike can be found on All Trails under Ben Macdui – Loch Avon hike, and is an 18.5km hike with 1,189m elevation and usually takes between 5-7 hours. It is a challenging but super rewarding hike with some great views and alot of adventure. You can start (and end) the hike in the Cairngorm Mountain Upper Car Park and you should plan to start earlier in the day (to ensure you have enough time to do it).

Our Experience

We decided to do a loop up to the summit of Ben Macdui and then back down by Loch Avon to get back to the carpark, combining the two big hikes. We did the hike in May (which usually is a slower season) and the summit to Ben Macdui was somewhat busy! However, it starts to thin out once you make your way up the mountain. The path is relatively easy to follow most of the way up, but once you start getting to the rocky area, you need to look for the rock piles that indicate the way to the top.

After we summited, we took a different path down to Loch Avon. We completed the hike in May, and there was still SO much snow after Ben Macdui towards Loch Avon for a good portion of the hike until you get down to a lower elevation. This is why I recommend downloading the trail route on your phone offline (you will have no service once you get closer to the summit of Ben Macdui) so you will have a guide despite having no clue where you are going if you end up hiking in the thick fog and snow like us.

The part after the summit down to Loch Avon was my favourite part as there was almost noone on the trail and the scenery made me feel like I was really experiencing what Scotland had to offer. However, this could have partially been because the summit was completely fogged out due to weather so there was no view at the top of Ben Macdui – but the fog did give a different vibe to the hike!

After what felt like we were walking forever, we finally got our first view of Loch Avon – it was amazing. And the views just get better as you get closer.

Once we reached the lake and had to cross to the other side to get to the beach area / take the hike back up to the carpark we realised that there was no way of avoiding the river. The smart thing to have done would have been to remove my footwear and socks and walk through barefoot but ofcourse that didnt cross my mind at the time so I somehow thought I could walk through without getting my socks wet? I was wrong – my boots werent tall enough and I ended up walking the remainder of the hike with wet socks. Learn from my mistakes and bring extra socks, higher boots, or take your shoes off to cross the river!

There is a beautiful beach at the Loch that you can relax and take a break to eat some snacks at – it is such a great view and we had it all to ourselves.

After walking to the left side of the beach you can see on the image above (yes where all the rocks are!), we came across our next challenge – a waterfall. This almost stumped us yet again, but we realised there was a “path” to scale the waterfall right beside it. This made it one of the coolest things we had done yet. It wasnt necessarily scaling but it was a very steep path that went right beside the waterfall – we even had to cross the waterfall at one point,. The waterfall was really tame (perhaps not a waterfall but a stream? call it what you like!) when we were there so it wasnt dangerous as far as we were concerned.

After this, we walked through some more of Scotlands endless scenery for the new few kilometres before we started to connect back to one of the main paths and make our way down a different route back to the car park. This was the least exciting part of the hike, but nonetheless worth it after the experience we just had.

One day and so many amazing views – I cannot recommend this hike enough!

Can You Stay Overnight?

One of our favourite things about Scotland is the countrys take on wild camping, which basically means you carry everything in and out and can set up camp anywhere thats not on private land.

So if you dont feel like doing one big hike, you could split this up with a night overlooking Loch Avon! Click here for the park advice on wild camping in the Cairngorms and always be respectful of the area, others, and wildlife. Make sure you always double check the most up to date information on wild camping in the area you are in.

Where To Stay In The Area?

Campervanning: the Cairngorms was the ONE place we actually had a hard time finding campervan spots throughout our entire campervan trip in Scotland. If you are campervanning, I really recommend booking a spot in advance. Plus it will be a good opportunity to get some electricity / clear the tanks!

Unless you are willing to drive completely in and out of the park itself (which is a large area) to find a “wild” campervanning spot for free (we could not find any spots that were a bit more secluded on the night we stayed in the park area), I would suggest booking a campsite. Their website lists a bunch of camps in the area – click here for more information on campervanning.

Camping: Again, wild camping is allowed in the park! So the options for camping are really endless. Stay at a campground to enjoy more facilities, book a more rustic campsite, or wild camp in the less busy areas are all great options. If you are travelling during high season (or even shoulder seasons) book campsites in advance if you want one – camping in the Cairngorms is a hot commodity. Their website has again a bunch of campsites available in the area, click here for their information on campsites.

Hotels: for those who enjoy a bit more comfort, there are hotels in and around the national park area aswell. This will cost a bit more and will again, require advance booking due to the areas popularity but is another good option!

What Else To Do In The Park?

The Cairngorms is a great national park all year round for SO many reasons. There is so many outdoor activities (summer, spring, fall, winter!), nature and wildlife, attractions (museums, historic sites, castles), food and a great brewery / distillery scene to enjoy. We only visited the area overnight so didnt get to see too much, but we did enjoy these two places:

The Old Bridge Inn: We visited the Old Bridge Inn for a pint and a bite! They serve some great food options and they have indoor and outdoor seating (with a large tented area to enjoy a drink).

The Pine Marten Bar: They have a great selection of food and drinks here, but we just stopped in for a quick drink. The atmosphere here is relaxed and its a cute pub with some friendly staff!

Other Information

• Download or have the trail information offline if using all trails – you will not have service once you start getting closer to the summit of Ben Macdui.
• There are no toilets throughout the hike… plan accordingly.
• Its a long hike – bring plenty of water and snacks!
• Check the weather before you go to pack accordingly. It may be warmer at the bottom of the hike and a completely different temperature at the top!
• Be prepared to get your feet wet! Bring extra socks just incase.
• If you wanted just to hike down to Loch Avon you definitely could but if you have the time to route through the Ben Macdui summit was awesome and gave the best views of Loch Avon from the top.