Glen
Glen Banchor
Monadhliath Munros straight out of Newtonmore — a Munro day you can start from the station platform.
- Munros
- 3
- Highest peak
- Carn Dearg (945.7m)
Glen Banchor runs west and north-west from Newtonmore into the Monadhliath hills — a minor road leaves the village and gives out at a road end above the River Calder, beyond which tracks continue into the upper glen. Newtonmore station is on the Perth–Inverness main line, so the Munros above the glen — A' Chailleach (929m), Carn Sgulain (920m) and Carn Dearg (946m) — can be reached on foot from the village without a car.
The Monadhliath is the range that Cairngorms visitors drive past to reach the Cairngorms. It runs northwest from the A9 across a vast rounded plateau — grassy, often boggy, lacking the rock architecture of the Cairngorm massif. Summits here do not attract crowds. The views from the plateau on clear days extend southeast across the Cairngorms and southwest toward the Drumochter hills. In poor visibility the featureless terrain makes navigation demanding.
In the lower glen is the old Banchor burial ground, a quiet stop on the way in.
The road in
Single-track road etiquette
Pull into passing places to let oncoming vehicles pass. Don't park in passing places. If a faster vehicle is behind you, pull over and let them past. Do not reverse at speed — wait in a passing place.
End of road
The minor road from Newtonmore ends at a small parking area west of the village; tracks continue into the upper glen toward the Monadhliath — foot only beyond the road end.
Parking1 spot
Glen Banchor road end
No charge published — check signs on site
Small parking area where the public road ends west of Newtonmore. Main vehicle access point for the Monadhliath approaches. Walkers from the train can walk the road from the village.
Hills from Glen Banchor3 Munros
What's in the glen
Banchor burial ground
The old Banchor burial ground in the lower glen, on the way in from Newtonmore.
Monadhliath plateau
The Monadhliath plateau above Glen Banchor is vast, grassy and almost entirely unvisited. A' Chailleach (929m), Carn Sgulain (920m) and Carn Dearg (946m) sit on the high ground above the glen. The summit views on clear days extend southeast across the full Cairngorm massif. Navigation on the featureless plateau demands care in poor visibility — there are few landmarks above the valley.
River Calder
Our take
Take the train to Newtonmore and walk Glen Banchor. A round of A' Chailleach and Carn Sgulain is a long day on rough, often boggy ground — work out the distance on your own map — but it starts and finishes in a village with a station rather than at the end of a long drive. The Monadhliath Munros will not give you the drama of Liathach or the Cuillin, but they will give you a plateau largely to yourself and the specific satisfaction of a hill day done without a car. Look in at the old burial ground in the lower glen on the way.
History
Glen Banchor is in the heart of Badenoch — the territory of the Clan Macpherson, whose seat at Cluny Castle lies a few kilometres to the south-west above the River Spey. The Macphersons were out in the '45 under Ewen Macpherson of Cluny, and after Culloden (1746) Cluny spent nine years hiding in the hills and glens around Badenoch — including a period in a concealed shelter known as "Cluny's Cage" on Ben Alder — while the government searched for him and his estate was forfeited. He was finally smuggled to France in 1755 without ever being captured.
Practical
- Mobile signal
- Signal in Newtonmore. No signal in the upper glen or on the Monadhliath plateau.
- Midges
- Moderate(3/5)
- Public transport
- Newtonmore is on the Perth–Inverness main line (ScotRail); the glen road starts in the village, so the hills can be walked from the station.
- Dogs
- On lead — livestock or ground-nesting birds present.
Map
Hills (green), bothies (brown), parking (blue), wild swimming (light blue).
Nearby glens
Scotland outdoor updates
Route guides, condition reports and seasonal picks — once a month, no noise.
Glen Banchor — common questions
- How's the drive into Glen Banchor?
- Single-track with passing places. The minor road from Newtonmore ends at a small parking area west of the village; tracks continue into the upper glen toward the Monadhliath — foot only beyond the road end.
- Can you drive a campervan into Glen Banchor?
- Best avoided in a big vehicle. Narrow sections, tight turns or scarce passing space make Glen Banchor awkward for motorhomes and large campervans — park in a wider valley and walk in.
- Will midges be a problem in Glen Banchor?
- We rate Glen Banchor 3/5 for midges — significant between late May and September. Still, humid evenings are peak biting time; wind and height are your friends. Pack Smidge and a head net from May.
- Is it legal to wild camp in Glen Banchor?
- Yes. Under the Land Reform Act 2003 you can wild camp on most unenclosed land in Scotland, provided you follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code — keep off enclosed farmland, camp in small groups, and leave no trace. Glen Banchor sits outside the Loch Lomond and Trossachs Camping Management Zones, so the March-September permit restrictions there don't apply here.
- How do I reach Glen Banchor by public transport?
- Newtonmore is on the Perth–Inverness main line (ScotRail); the glen road starts in the village, so the hills can be walked from the station.