Creag Dhubh or , Scottish Gaelic for the black crag, is a mountain in the

Grampian Mountains The Grampian Mountains () is one of the three major mountain ranges in Scotland, that together occupy about half of Scotland. The other two ranges are the Northwest Highlands and the Southern Uplands. The Grampian range extends northeast to so ...

of Scotland. It is located in the Strathspey area of the central Highlands, above and to the west of the village of

Newtonmore Newtonmore ( ) is a village of approximately 1100 inhabitants in Badenoch, within the Highland (council area), Highland council area of Scotland. The village is only a few miles from a location that is claimed to be the exact geographical centre ...

. It has an elevation of and sits between Glen Banchor and the River Calder to the north, and the

River Spey The River Spey () is a river in the northeast of Scotland. At it is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom and the third longest and fastest-flowing river in Scotland. It is an important location for the traditions of salmon fishing an ...

valley to the south and south-west. Despite its modest height, Creag Dhubh is often considered to be a true mountain and offers fantastic views from its summit, including of Strathspey, the Corrieyairack and Creag Meagaidh. The hill's steep and craggy slopes, with a complex ridgeline, make it difficult walking though.

Creag Dhubh hill race

Every year as part of the Newtonmore Highland Games, the Creag Dhubh Hill race is held. The route starts and finishes with a lap of the shinty pitch at The Eilan, crosses the River Calder, the A82 road and several fences, and ascends the eastern flank of Creag Dhubh as far as the first summit, An Torr, before returning by the same route. Since 2024, a trophy commemorating Tom Robertson was awarded to the first female to complete the course. Tom had been in charge of running the games for over four decades.

Cliffs and Cluny's Cave

On the southern flanks of Creag Dubh, above Lochan Uvie and close to the

A86 road The A86 is a major road in Scotland. It runs from the Great Glen at Spean Bridge to Kingussie and the Cairngorms National Park via Loch Laggan. It is a primary route for its entire length. The road was built as a parliamentary road by Thomas ...

, are a series of

Schist Schist ( ) is a medium-grained metamorphic rock generally derived from fine-grained sedimentary rock, like shale. It shows pronounced ''schistosity'' (named for the rock). This means that the rock is composed of mineral grains easily seen with a l ...

cliffs. UK Climbing class them as "one of Scotland's biggest and finest 'roadside' crags", with the south facing aspect meaning the rockface is relatively quick drying. However, the climbs are exposed and not suitable for beginners. Near the top of these cliffs is Cluny's Cave, or , a small cave in which Ewan Macpherson of Cluny, the chief of

Clan Macpherson Clan Macpherson ( , ) is a Scottish clan from the Scottish Highlands, Highlands and a member of the Chattan Confederation. History Origins The Scottish Gaelic surname for Macpherson is ''Mac a' Phearsain'' which means ''son of the parson''. ...

, spent time hiding from the Jacobite army following the

Battle of Culloden The Battle of Culloden took place on 16 April 1746, near Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. A Jacobite army under Charles Edward Stuart was decisively defeated by a British government force commanded by the Duke of Cumberland, thereby endi ...

in 1745. The cave itself is not easy to find, hidden amongst rocks, bracken and heather on the steep slopes. Scottish outdoors writer and presenter Cameron McNeish had an accident near the cliffs while out for a hill run near his home. After lying unconscious for over an hour, he managed to stumble down the hill to the roadside where a passing neighbour assisted him. McNeish broke his ankle and arm amongst other injuries sustained from falling down the crags, although he has no memory of this.

References

Marilyns of Scotland Grahams Mountains and hills of Highland (council area) {{Coord, 57.047149, -4.180755, display=title