Cairn Gorm

Although the hills around here were originally known as Am Monadh Ruadh (the Red Hills), they have soon renamed the Cairngorm National Park after the UK's sixth highest mountain, Cairn Gorm. Cairn Gorm is not only the name of the park in which it is located; it is also the location of one of Scotland's five ski resorts.

Cairngorm Mountain, while not Chamonix or Verbier, is a ski resort with 11 lifts, including a funicular, nine button tows, and a drag tow. Cairngorm Mountain can offer 32km of pistes for skiers and snowboarders during good snow years (which are becoming increasingly rare in Scotland these days, unfortunately), with much more off-piste available for those looking to get away from the resort boundaries.

Aside from the ski resort, Cairn Gorm is a dull mountain in comparison to the peaks that surround it in the Cairngorm National Park. With a summit just 150m above the ski resort's funicular station, you are never far from the raucous and touristy atmosphere that a railway up a mountainside inevitably brings.

Elevation: 1,245m
Location: Cairngorms
Scottish Gaelic name: An Càrn Gorm
Gaelic meaning: Blue or Green cairn