1 2

The Lairig Ghru Mountain Trail

The Lairig Ghru Mountain Trail

£21.00 GBP
£21.00 GBP
Sale Sold out
Tax included.
  • Earn your medal
  • Course navigation by Skamper
  • Trees planted for every run
The Lairig Ghru is one of the most famous passes in Scotland and cuts right through the heart of the Cairngorms. The trail follows an old droving route and is generally well maintained and runnable at both ends. The middle section is high, exposed and rocky with the path being indistinct in poor visibility. On a good day this is one of the best routes in the world and a hugely enjoyable challenge.
  • 26.3 miles / 42.3km
  • Ascent: 602m / 1975ft
  • Starts from: Mar Road, near the village hall in Braemar
  • Challenge instructions and .gpx download
  • Ten trees planted on completion
  • Lairig Ghru Medal

Track Your Progress with Skamper

Skamper, our companion app, provides you with the route guidance and tracks your progress.
  • The clearest maps, designed specifically for runners
  • Accurate target times based on previous runs
  • Over 3000 other routes to explore and train on

Ten Trees Planted for your Run

As soon as you enter, Skamper commits to planting two trees. When you finish the Lairig Ghru Mountain Trail, Skamper commits to plant eight more. All trees are planted in partnership with EarthRuns Active for Earth. 

Earn Your Medal

Once you've completed the Lairig Ghru Mountain Trail, we'll send you a medal to celebrate your accomplishment. If you'd prefer, we'll plant an extra tree instead of sending you a medal.

More about the Route

Starting in Braemar, before heading through the Mar Lodge Estate and onto tracks. After passing Black Bridge and heading along Glen Lui, the track proceeds through the abandoned Derry Lodge, crossing the River Derry footbridge amid Scots Pine. The path then ascends from Glen Luibeg, curves around Càrn a'Mhaim, and offers views of the Corrour Bothy, located 500m to the left of the trail before passing Clach nan Taillear (Tailor’s stone).

The trail then passes Garbh Choire and Ben Macdui, (Scotland’s second highest mountain) along with the unfolding scenery of Cairn Toul and the Pools of Dee. As the trail winds through dramatic cliffs and boulder fields, it peaks at 835 before gradually descending and reaching ever thickening forest, and crossing the Iron Bridge. The route then meanders through Rothiemurchus Forest, featuring captivating pinewoods and occasional river crossings, before reaching the road at Coylumbridge and following the shared path to the finish at Aviemore.

Be conscious that conditions can change at any time of year and this should only be attempted by those suitably equipped, and with experience in the high mountains. Logistics are also difficult with it being a point to point route, with a train service only at the Aviemore end.
View full details

Skamper Reforestation Project

Skamper commits to planting trees for every challenge completed. The bigger the challenge, the more trees get planted.

  • At least one as soon as you enter.
  • The remaining trees pledged when you complete the challenge.
  • For longer challenges we plant even more.

Skamper plants the trees in partnership with EarthRuns Active for Earth.

Each tree will grow to support over 300 species and create enough oxygen to support two human beings.

Trees clean our air and water, create habitats for biodiversity, contribute to our health and wellbeing, and create jobs for social impact. So that’s why we need to plant more – as many as we can.

Before you enter...

These challenges can take runners to wild places. Please note that by using the entry code for this event the participant will be deemed to have agreed to the following terms. Please do not enter anyone for this challenge if you have any doubts they can comply with these.

The participant agrees to:

  1. Complete the challenge accompanied or, at the least, inform a trusted contact of their proposed route and timings.
  2. Set off with a fully charged mobile phone and backup power pack, and the means to keep both dry.
  3. Carry a weather protected map of the entire route and a compass and know how to use both. Identify suitable retreat routes before starting.
  4. Set off with sufficient time to complete the route in daylight with a safety margin of at least an hour.
  5. Carry or wear: waterproof jacket and trousers, hat, gloves, headtorch, whistle and sufficient food and water for the conditions.
  6. Know how to summon a Mountain Rescue Team and give them a grid reference:  Dial 112 or 999 (you can text if your phone is registered to the 999 SMS text service).  Ask for Police, then ask the Police for Mountain Rescue.  
  7. If, once the participant sets off, they are in any doubt about the weather or conditions being safe, they can stop the course and return on a more suitable day to begin the challenge again.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I enter a challenge?

Simply download the app, create your profile, select your challenge/event from the events tab and enter the code in your card. Then run!

How do I claim my reward?

You will receive a notification to say the challenge is complete and the team at Skamper will automatically send you your reward.

What if I don’t have any courses near to me?

We are happy to add more courses for you, if there aren’t any that are easily accessible for you. Simply use the ‘request a course’ feature in the explore tab and either suggest a course or ask for one of a certain length and we’ll design it for you!

Can I enter multiple challenges at once?

Yes, you can! For example you can enter ‘marathon in a week’ and ‘ultra in a month’ and the app will record all of your runs for both challenges automatically.

Do I have to start my challenge on a certain date?

No, you can start your challenge on any day. For the weekly challenges you then have seven days to complete them and for the monthly ones, 30 days.

Is there an expiry date on a challenge?

Codes will remain live for 12 months, after which they will expire.

Can I walk the challenges, or do you have to run them?

You can do the challenges at any speed you like, so you can walk or run.

Do I have to run a Skamper course, or can I run other routes and then upload my miles to the app?

Skamper is all about delivering on demand running courses, so you have to run Skamper courses to complete the challenges. Other challenges allow you to manually upload any miles run, but our app gives you actual courses to complete. It’s all part of the challenge!

What if I can’t complete the challenge in the time period specified due to illness or injury?

We understand that sometimes things get in the way of running, so drop the team a line at info@skamper.app and we’ll see what we can do.

Do I have to run with my phone?

Because Skamper shows you a display of the course and helps you to navigate it,  tracking you round it, you will get the maximum benefit if you run with your phone. However, once you are confident of a course you can record your run on your GPS watch and then upload the GPX file to the app using the ‘+’ in the top right hand corner of a course. This will then automatically count towards your challenge.