BIG Five Walks in Highland Perthshire

Ben Vrackie

This walk takes you through a variety of terrain to stunning views. Start from the car park just outside Moulin. The path is good, but some sections are very steep.

Picture © Lis Burke and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Glen Tilt Trail

This path through Glen Tilt follows part of the once busy route that linked Braemar and places further north with markets in the south. The route passes though woods and open hillsides before a steeper climb to the viewpoint.

Continue past the birch wood currently being regenerated , crossing the small bridge over Allt Mhairc and overlooking the glen, once home to hundreds of people - now all that is left are ruins.

At Gow's Bridge, start your return journey down the glen. The area is a haven for wild flowers and butterflies.

The Birks of Aberfeldy

This is a beautiful circular walk on clear and well maintained paths, with dramatic drops down into the gorge of the Moness Burn as it runs towards the town of Aberfeldy. You can start the walk in the town itself, or park in the dedicated car parks just off the road as you leave the town in the direction of Crieff.

Allt Na Bogair (Rannoch Forest)

The Black Wood of Rannoch is a precious remnant of Scotland's native forests. This walk follows the steep sides of the Allt na Bogair burn, opening out to great views. This, and two other easy shorter paths (Carie and Kilvrecht walks), begin from the Carie Car Park, three miles west of Kinloch Rannoch.

Birnam Hill

This circular route begins in the village of Birnam. After making their way under the A9 trunk road and railway bridge, most walkers choose the clockwise option, which features a longer but gentler ascent, followed by a steep descent back to the starting point.

Beautiful mixed woodland and stunning views make this walk one of Highland Perthshire's highlights.

Head up under the road and rail bridges, following the footpath on the left. At the top, you have your first choice (pics 1&2). Left is a longer, slightly less steep route to the top, right is the steep way. We're going left, which is more popular - the clockwise route.

Go on past the houses and onto a private track - after a few hundred yards, follow the sign (pic 2) to branch left onto the narrow path taking you through lovely woods following the line of the railway.

Follow this path until you come to a track which goes up the hill to a disused quarry - we're going left onto flat ground (pic 4), before starting the climb up Birnam Hill at the sign post, pointing you right and up (pic 5).

From here it's just up and up, unless you fancy a small detour to the Stair Bridge viewpoint (pic 6). You night also consider branching off round the back of the hill to follow the route of the Highland Perthshire Enduro mountain bike event (pic 7 - and see here for more details).

You'll come to some steps set into the hill and you'll know you're getting close to the top - then you'll see the mighty impressive cairn that someone has built really quite recently, with a wooden sign showing north. Pause to admire the views...

Then onward, and from here on its really is pretty much downhill - although very steep in places, so take care. Pause to admire the great view from the rock above Dunkeld and Birnam and take the obligatory picture (below).

At the foot of the hill, turn right back down the hill and back to where you made your original decision to go left and do the route clockwise. You could of course make a real day of it by turning left up Birnam Glen, following the path up past Balhomish and down to Rumbling Bridge, then down past the Hermitage and back to Birnam via Inver - click here for more details.

Tips:

Although quite short, this is very steep in places, and there can be quite a difference in conditions between the top and the bottom. So take care, especially when going downhill, and be prepared with proper equipment.