Ben Avon

Ben Avon, at 1,171 metres, is the easternmost of the high Cairngorms and one of the most distinctive Munros in Scotland, its vast summit plateau scattered with remarkable weathered granite tors.

The most direct route starts from the Keiloch car park on the Invercauld Estate near Braemar, following the old right of way up Gleann an t-Slugain — passing the ruins of Slugain Lodge and a hidden fold known locally as the Fairy Glen — before climbing to the bealach called The Sneck between Ben Avon and neighbouring Beinn a' Bhùird. From here a path climbs onto the plateau, where the huge tor of Leabaidh an Dàimh Bhuidhe marks the true summit, requiring a short and easy scramble up through a dip in the rock to reach the highest point.

A longer but celebrated alternative approaches from Tomintoul via Strath Avon, passing several more of the mountain's tors along the way, including the large Clach Bhan; this route is best tackled with a mountain bike given the distance involved.

The round trip from Keiloch is around 32 kilometres, and most walkers treat this as a very long single day of ten to twelve hours or split it with an overnight stay at a remote bothy; many use a bike for the lower glen sections to reduce the walking distance.

This is one of the longest and most committing standard Munro days in Scotland — the summit plateau is vast, largely featureless, and extremely exposed, making navigation genuinely difficult in poor visibility, and mobile phone signal is unreliable throughout the approach.

The Keiloch car park is chargeable; there is no public transport to the start.