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A walk up Craig Varr above Kinloch Rannoch
A walk · Kinloch Rannoch

Craig Varr – The Crag above Kinloch Rannoch

About 2.8 miles on foot.

Kinloch Rannoch's squareStartCraig VarrWhere you turn

Craig Varr is the craggy hill that rises straight out of the back of Kinloch Rannoch.

A path zigzags up through birch woods and onto the open hillside to a lookout over the east end of Loch Rannoch, the River Tummel and the cone of Schiehallion. It's a short, steep morning for fit walkers, with lunch at the Cornerstone when you're back in the village.

Time
An hour and a half to two and a half hours: about 4.5 km there and back from the village square with 340 m of climbing. A short, steep hill.
The path
A steep zigzag path through birch wood, then wet, pathless hillside and a rough final climb.
Where to start
In the village square in Kinloch Rannoch, by the bus stop.
Set off
From November to February, set off by noon to be down in daylight.
When to go
All year in daylight; from November to February set off by noon. Deer are stalked on Rannoch's hills from July to mid-February: keep to the path. The Cornerstone shuts on Mondays and Tuesdays.
Dogs
On a lead: sheep and deer graze the hill.
Children
Steep, with a boggy stretch near the top: for older children who walk well.
Toilets
The Cornerstone's toilets are open to anyone while it's open.
Before you set out
Deer are stalked on Rannoch's hills from 1 July to 20 October (stags) and 21 October to 15 February (hinds): keep to the path.

The walk

The walk starts in the square in Kinloch Rannoch, where you park by the bus stop, and leaves by the track beside the garage. The Rannoch and Tummel Tourist Association calls Craig Varr a steep walk with magnificent views of Loch Rannoch and Schiehallion. Walkhighlands gives it as about 4.5 km there and back with 340 metres of climbing, an hour and a half to two and a half hours.

The first climb is a steep zigzag on a wide path through birch wood; higher up, the hillside is wet and the path fades for a while before a short, rough pull onto the crags, so wear boots. From the top the loch runs away west, the Tummel leaves the village to the east and Schiehallion stands across the glen. The village grew up after the 1745 Rising, settled by discharged soldiers and crofters, and its obelisk remembers Dugald Buchanan, the schoolmaster and Gaelic poet.

Stags are stalked on Rannoch's hills until 20 October and hinds from 21 October to mid-February, so keep to the path, and keep dogs on a lead: sheep and deer graze the hill.

If it rains

Not one for low cloud: the view is the point and the top is boggy. In rain, walk the village's riverside path by the Tummel instead and go straight to lunch.

Afterwards

  1. About 3 min on foot

    The Cornerstone

    The Cornerstone

    Lunch

    Lunch is a few minutes' walk from the square at the Cornerstone, a village bar and restaurant in an old stone building with a bright, larch-clad dining room and a wood-burning stove. It opens Wednesday to Sunday from 11.30am and shuts on Mondays and Tuesdays. Dogs are always welcome, and its toilets and baby changing are open to anyone whenever it's open. On a Monday or Tuesday, take a piece, a packed lunch, up the hill instead.

    More about The Cornerstone

Before you go

  1. Book accommodation nearby

    If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.

    West Tempar Bothy2 miles awayWest Tempar BothySleeps 2Lassintullich House2 miles awayLassintullich HouseSleeps 16Lassintullich Bothy2 miles awayLassintullich BothySleeps 2Garden Cottage2 miles awayGarden CottageSleeps 2

Where to eat

The Cornerstone, a restaurant in Kinloch Rannoch.

Find out more

For further reading, before you go.