Ben Vrackie

[colinwatson]

A short hop up to Pitlochry to climb a hill I had not been on since 1997 - Ben Vrackie, the hill with the four memorial benches on its slopes!

Parked at Moulin, where there are plenty of spaces, although I would imagine that it must get quite busy at weekends. A torrential downpour just as we parked delayed our start a bit, but after 10 minutes, we were making our way up the path. We were glad to get out of the stuffy air in the forrest to enjoy the fresher conditions on the moor and pressed on the the first bench to have our tea break.

Ben Vrackie from just past the first bench

Looking south to Pitlochry and the A9 corridor

The path in 1997 was fine, but there has been a lot of work done on it since and it made for pleasant walking up to Loch a'Coire.

Almost at the loch

The only climbing of any note is after the loch, but the path follows some very sensible gradients.

Ben Vrackie from the loch

Looking north to Schiehallion from just below the summit

Not too far from here to the top.

The summit!

The view to the north really opens out at the top, although it was cold enough for thermal hats and gloves!

Beinn a'Ghlo

Looking south east

The view west to the Road to the Isles and Schiehallion

Looking down to the loch, with Pitlochry beyond

After enjoying our excellent sandwiches, we retraced our steps back down the path. Once out of the wind, it was good to remove a few layers of clothing!

All in all, a very enjoyable day out on a cracking wee hill.