A walk up Oxen Craig, Bennachie's highest top

A walk · Aberdeenshire

Bennachie – Up Oxen Craig and the Mither Tap

About 5.6 miles on foot.

Oxen Craig is the highest of Bennachie's tops, a granite crown a few metres higher than the famous Mither Tap.

Forestry and Land Scotland's Mither Tap Quarry Trail climbs to both from the Back o' Bennachie, through larch and pine and past the old quarry where stone for the villages below was cut. It's a full, steep hill walk for fit walkers, with big views from the tops.

Time: About three and three-quarter hours: Forestry and Land Scotland's Mither Tap Quarry Trail, 9 km in all, over Oxen Craig (529 m) and the Mither Tap. A hill day.
The path: Waymarked; a very steep, rough trail with long climbs, large steps and rocky ground, muddy in places on the summits.
Where to start: Forestry and Land Scotland's Back o' Bennachie car park, a mile up a narrow road off the B9002 beyond Oyne (nearest postcode AB52 6RH): £2 up to an hour, £2.50 up to three hours, £3 all day; coins or RingGo; Blue Badge holders free.
When to go: All year in daylight; from November to February start by 11am, and leave it for another day in ice or snow.
Dogs: Welcome under close control: on a short lead or close at heel near livestock and from April to August, when birds nest on the ground, and never into a field with young animals, as the Scottish Outdoor Access Code asks.
Children: A long, steep hill day: for older children used to hills.
Toilets: At the car park, open from 1 April to 31 October.
Before you set out: Windblown trees lie across parts of Bennachie's paths: go round them with care, never over or under. The wind blows hard on the tops: boots, waterproofs and a warm layer.

The walk

The walk starts at Forestry and Land Scotland's Back o' Bennachie car park, a mile up a narrow road signed Back o' Bennachie Forest Walks off the B9002 beyond Oyne (the nearest postcode is AB52 6RH). Parking is £2 for an hour, £2.50 for up to three hours or £3 for the day, by coins or RingGo, and free with a Blue Badge. The toilets here open from 1 April to 31 October. The Mither Tap Quarry Trail is waymarked, 9 km in all, and Forestry and Land Scotland says to allow three and three-quarter hours.

It climbs out of the larch and pine onto the open hill and passes the old quarry at Little Oxen Craig, where stone was cut in the 1800s for houses in the villages below. From there it goes on to Oxen Craig, at 529 metres Bennachie's highest top, and to the granite cone of the Mither Tap. It's a hill day: very steep and rough, with long climbs, big steps and rocky ground, and muddy in places on the tops. Wear boots, and bring waterproofs and a warm layer, as the wind blows hard on top.

Windblown trees still lie across parts of Bennachie's paths: go round them with care, never over or under. For an hour in the trees instead, the Larick Trail is 2.4 km from the same car park.

If it rains

Open hill with no shelter on top, and the summit rocks are slippery when wet: in rain or low cloud keep to the Larick Trail in the forest, or leave the tops for a clear day.