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The trig pillar on the summit of Driesh inside its ring of piled stones, low hills fading to the horizon under a blue sky.
Glenshee, Lochnagar and Glen Clova

Driesh

A Munro of 948 metres, number 218 of the 282.

Photograph by Chamath Palihawadana, via Google

On the hill todayI was up today
The hill

Driesh stands in Angus and is reached from Glen Doll, at the head of Glen Clova in the Cairngorms National Park.

Mayar, its neighbour, is climbed from the same car park.

Forestry and Land Scotland and the park authority spell it Dreish, and the authority says the meaning of the name is uncertain.

Starts from
Forestry and Land Scotland's Glen Doll car park, at the head of Glen Clova.
The ground
Forestry and Land Scotland keeps the forest, and marks its routes only as far as the forest edge.
Under snow
There is no avalanche forecast for Driesh or Mayar, but snow brings the risk here all the same.
Paths out of the forest
Forestry and Land Scotland names two mountain access routes out of the forest, the Kilbo path and the Corrie Fee path. In October 2026 both were open, with timber lorries on the forest road, and every other waymarked trail at Glen Doll was closed by storm damage.
Summit
Grid reference NO 271 735
Car park
Glen Doll, Forestry and Land Scotland's, at the end of the minor road beyond the head of Glen Clova; the nearest postcode is DD8 4RD. In 2026 it charged £3 for the day by coins, card or RingGo, free with a Blue Badge. You may leave a car overnight for the hills, paid for each day, but not camp or sleep in it.
Works
Part of the car park is closed from 24 August 2026 for up to three months, for riverbank work and repairs. Forestry and Land Scotland asks drivers to use the overflow and the top end.
Toilets and food
Angus Council keeps toilets at the car park, open 9am to 4.30pm daily and longer in summer. The nearest places to eat are in Clova village.
On the hill today
0° to 5°Drizzle on the summit, 948 m. Feels like −4° in the wind.

North-west wind to 13 mph, gusting 27
Dry, or nearly
Light from 7.46am to 6.09pm, ten hours

Sat 17Cloudy−1° to 4° on top · 8 mph, gusts 20
Sun 18Mostly clear−3° to 4° on top · 8 mph, gusts 16
Mon 19Drizzle−6° to 6° on top · 9 mph, gusts 19

A weather model's forecast for the height of the summit, not a report from the hill. Read the mountain forecast the evening before: Southeastern Highlands forecast, Cairngorms National Park and Monadhliath forecast, Driesh.

October2026

MTWTFSS

Going another day?

Choose the day you mean to climb.Near or far: the light you will have, and what the summit is likely to be doing.

These routes are suitable for experienced and well-equipped walkers onlyForestry and Land Scotland, of the hill walks to Driesh and Mayar from its Glen Doll car park
Before you go

Carry

  • A paper map and a compass, and the skill to use them
  • Waterproofs, warm layers, hat and gloves
  • Food and drink
  • A head torch, a whistle and a first aid kit
  • A survival bag
  • Boots with a good grip

Under snow and ice this is a different day, with short light and the risk of avalanche. It needs an ice axe, crampons, winter boots and the skill to use them.

If something goes wrong

  • Dial 999, ask for the police, then mountain rescue
  • Give a six-figure grid reference: the summit is NO 271 735
  • Say how many are hurt, how many are with you, and your number
  • Register to text 999 before the day: text the word register to 999

The summit is optional. Turning back is the right decision whenever the cloud, the wind or the light say so.

How to call for help in the hills · Safety and skills for the hills · ThinkWINTER

From our readers

Nobody has written from Driesh yet. If you were up, yours would be the first.

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Were you up? Three words is enough.A free account, a word for the weather and a line if you like.

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From the magazine
Read more elsewhere

For the route itself, take the map and read these.

Sleep and eat at its foot

Next along: Mayar, Tom Buidhe, Broad Cairn, Tolmount. Checked on 9 October 2026. The facts on this page are Forestry and Land Scotland's, Angus Council's and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service's, and the hill's name is as the Cairngorms National Park Authority gives it; the forecasts are the Mountain Weather Information Service's and the Met Office's. Height and position from The Database of British and Irish Hills, v18.3, adapted, CC BY 4.0. This page is not a route description and does not replace a map.