Ben Vorlich

Gaelic meaning : Hill of the bay
Height : 3,232 feet
Walk distance : 8.25 miles
OS Map : Loch Earn
Difficulty rating : 2.5


Loch Earn's Ben Vorlich is one of the first Munro's seen when heading north along the a82. Sitting on the Banks of the Loch it reaches a height of 3,231 feet and apparently commands great views of the hills further north. I've climbed twice and both times never seen anything from the summit. Vorlich is a mountain of two halves, the first section of the path is a doddle as you follow a vehicle track up the Glen.

 

The second half is a tough slog as you leave the well made vehicle track and head up the side of the steep mountain.

 

 

Hopefully you'll have better views of the Corrie near the summit than I had.

Views at the summit where non-existant, but blustery wind, cold and rain where prevalent so I didn't hang around for long.

I didn't enjoy this walk that much. On the day I found it was a real effort and it felt like it took for ever. Later that week I found out I had Lyme disease . . .  so I guess that would explain it then !

**Updated pics** this time with a view.

 The view over to Stuc a' Chroin

Here's the elevation with Stuc a' Chroin included on the right :

And the full route with Stuc a' Chroin also

Glen Banvie and the Falls of Bruar

Walk distance : 10 miles
Total ascent : 1,247 feet
OS Map : Pitlochry
Difficulty rating : 1.5 out of 5
 
Another of Blair Atholl's fine day walks takes you through a mixture of woodland, forestry and open moorland. Towards the end you are rewarded with the incredible Falls of Bruar. Steeped in history, this walk is fairly easy going and well signposted, a great way to wile away 4-5 hours.

Starting from the car park at Old Blair follow the orange arrows towards the Hamlet of Old Blair. A really picturesque little place I didn't expect to find, tucked away in St Brides Kirk, a fascinating peice of Scottish history. Namely the grave of John Graham of Claverhouse, more commonly known as Bonnie Dundee. If you want to find out more about him I'd recommend the Bealach na Searmoin and Killiecrankie walk.

Once you've left the leafy hamlet you'll soon cross the Banvie Burn and enter the Banvie woods.

Not far into the woods you'll come a cross a sign for "The Whim" a folly built by one of the Dukes of Atholl.

The Whim is at a stage on the walk which makes it a natural and great place to stop for a rest, you're afforded great views back to Blair Castle and beyond.

After returning to the path and following it through the woods you'll soon exit and enter the bleak but atmospheric Glen Banvie. Follow the vehicle trackpassing the distant cairns off to the right.

 I didn't pass a single soul here until I reached the pine trees near the end of the Glen.

When your heading up the Glen you'll notice a track on the other side, this path will take you to Beinn Dearg. At 3,307 feet it's not a monster, but it's fairly remote and is an 18 mile round trip, so definitely one for another day. Continue on through the Pine plantation and start heading downhill, you'll soon reach the sign for the Falls of Bruar.

I'd recommend making time to see these wonderful falls. Once rested and fed continue on until you reach your original starting point.

Hard to believe that until around 300 years ago there were no tree's here at all!

The first tourists complained the falls were nothing spectacular and too bleak, so the Earl of Atholl planted trees, millions of them.

Here's the route profile :

And the route itself :

Glen Tilt

This 10 mile walk cuts through the Atholl estates and along the banks of the beautiful Glen Tilt. Easy to follow and not much in the way of climbing it makes for a great day out whatever your fitness levels. Park at the car park in Old Bridge of Tilt and follow the yellow markers, couldn't be easier.

On the way look for little view points along the path. The walk heads up the sides of a very steep valley, so care is needed at times.

Early on in the walk look out for Red Squirrels along the way.

There is a shooting range located along the walk, check the notice board at the car park to see if you are able to walk the whole distance or check the Atholl Estate's Ranger Service. If you've not done that look for red flags or listen out for "pee-oww pee-oww" noises, then duck !

 

If you survive and get down past the shooting range the walk closely follows the path of the River Tilt for couple of miles.

Passing abandoned settlements you really get lost in the atmosphere and get a feel for the Glen.

Keep walking until you come to Allt Mhair, an excellent place to stop and have a rest and a great little stone bridge.

Once over this you will notice a marker for a view point up to the left, more ruined settlements and a great view down to Bheinn A' ghlo.

After a short while, cross the arched stone bridge and follow the path back to the car park. There a re a couple of things to remember, I walked in shorts and through bracken to get to the view point at the end of the walk. Unfortunately I picked up a nasty little tick and ended up being diagnosed with Lyme Disease thanks to it. Glen Tilt ticks are legendary and can reach sizes far larger than ordinary ticks, I found the remains of one on the way back . . .

Here's the route elevation :

And the route :

Bealach na Searmoin

Choices, choices . .

Gaelic meaning : Pass of the sermon
Height : 2,050 feet
Walk distance : 10 miles
OS Map : Pitlochry
Difficulty rating : 1.5

The Bealach (a Bealach is a mountain pass) na Searmoin or Pass of the Sermon runs past Ben Vrackie near Pitlochry and through Killiecrankie. Follow the well made path up to heights of around 2,000 feet around some beautiful moorland through some forestry commision land and finally finishing on the banks of the stunning River Garry.

Visibility was poor but it wasn't as wet as it looked, conditions made it all the more atmospheric.

The summit of Ben Vrackie, easily "visible" from the Bealach. On another day I would have made time to climb it.

 Views on the way down the Bealach stretch all the way to Blair Castle and the Grampians beyond (on a better day anyway)

Once you're over the Bealach you head for Killiecrankie and the River Garry. If you've never been here before, spend some time at the Soldiers Leap and the Killiecrankie battlefield. This is an area I love and I could spend days here.

 The falls where Donald McBane is alleged to have jumped over.

Walking along the banks of the Garry. Although the weather was really poor I found this one of the most enjoyable walks I've done.

Here's the profile :

And the route itself :

Beinn a Ghlo

Beinn a Ghlo's 3 peaks viewed from Glen Tilt

Carn Liath

Gaelic meaning : Grey rocky hill
Height : 3,218feet
Walk distance : 13.75 miles
OS Map : Atholl
Difficulty rating : 4

Bràigh Coire Chruinn-bhalgain

Gaelic meaning : Brae of the corrie of round blisters

Height : 3,531feet

Càrn nan Gabhar

Gaelic meaning : Cairn of the goats
Height : 3,700feet 

Beinn A Ghlo is a huge mountain covering 40sq km with 3 munro summits. Situated at the head of Glen Tilt near Blair Atholl this mountain has 3 Munro summits so gives a tough but worthwhile day out.

 The walk starts by parking at the side of Loch Moraig, then following the well made path to the first Munro - Cairn Liath. The path rises quickly and steeply up it's slopes, which are a challenge in themselves as they are badly eroded, to it's peak at around 3,220 feet.

Cairn Liath showing the stunning ridge section

Once Cairn Liath has been summited you then find yourself on a cracking ridge linking Liath to peak number 2 - Braigh Coire Chruinn-bhalgain. I loved this section, the weather which had been misty and cold started to clear as we crossed the ridge and gave us glimpses of Glen Tilt down below.

The ridge drops down a thousand feet before you start back climbing Braigh Coire Chruinn-bhalgain. Not much could be seen as the weather closed in again, thankfully for those without a great head for heights the path is easily followed.

Due to the worsening weather and time constraints we decided to call it a day at this point, so missed out on the final peak Carn nan Gabhar.

A great walk, one that you get a real feel of being out in the wilds of Scotland. You'll need a map & you'll need a compass as on the way back there's not much of a track to follow. Keep an eye out for wild grouse, on the way down we nearly stood on 4 or 5, which gave us a bit of a fright. Also keep your eye out for frogs . . up a mountain ??

 

Here's the elevation profile which gives an excellent idea of how steep the ascent is on Carn Liath :

And here's the route round all three tops :