Ben Vuirich from Atholl
Hillwalking route up Ben Vuirich from Atholl
Ben Vuirich can be approached from Loch Moraig near Blair Atholl, initially on fine estate tracks. Higher up, grass and heather clad undulating ground lead to a lonely trig point.
Route outline
Corbetts | ||||
Ascent | 860m (2820ft) | |||
Distance | 20km (12m) | |||
Time | 6:30hr | |||
Start/finish | Loch Moraig Grid Ref : NN905670 | |||
Terrain |
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Nav |
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Effort |
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Scenery |
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Access to the foot of Ben Vuirich is along excellent estate tracks and paths. Higher up the ground is heather clad ground and fairly pathless, testing navigation skills, even in clear conditions.
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Route description
1. Getting to Blair Atholl and the walk start
Ben Vuirich near the sheds below Carn Liath
The village of Blair Atholl sits aside the A9, north of Perth. Near the centre of the village, immediately east of the bridge over the River Tilt, there is a road junction with sign pointing the way to Monzie and a few other places.
Drive up this road and you'll come to a junction - keep right (marked by a Right-of-Way sign to Glen Tilt). The road climbs uphill and comes to another junction, again keep right and towards Monzie Farm. The road now narrow, goes over a cattle-grid and then into open fields, though fenced off with electric-wires. Near the end of the road there is a parking area by another cattle grid aside Loch Moraig which is partially hidden behind some trees.
2. Ben Vuirich
Ben Vuirich from the south-west
On foot or bike, head along the road to the gate on the sharp bend at the end of the public road.
Through this gate, head up the track for 1.5km to two sheds .
Keeping on the track, continue past the huts for another 2km to a junction then keep left.
Bike it for just under a further 1km then leave your bike where the track (now faint and rough) begins to drop to a burn.
Now on foot, cross the burn and aim north-eastwards uphill on a faint path on gently sloping grassy terrain.
A cairn is reached at around c500m, which marks a junction in paths, keep uphill aiming for green grass to the left of heathery slopes.
Unfortunately there is no way of avoiding heather entirely to gain the crest of Sron na h-Innearach and once on this follow undulating ground east to the foot of Beinn Vuirich.
A simple uphill trudge is all that's left between you and the trig point on Ben Vuirich's summit .
3. Return
Ben Vuirich's summit trig point
Return either by the same route, or alternatively head west-north-west from the summit to drop down to cross the wet north-east shoulder of Stac nam Bodach to a fine path to follow back to the cairn to then return.
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Weather forecasts »
Regional | MWIS - Southeast Highlands |
Peak specific | Mountain Forecast.com Met Office YR.no |
Seasonal | SAIS - Southern Cairngorms Midge forecast |
Alternative and nearby routes »
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Ben Vrackie from Moulin | |
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Beinn a' Ghlo from Blair Atholl | |
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Carn a' Chlamain via Glen Tilt | |
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