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While away for a long weekend at Kinloch Rannoch we decided we wanted to go for a walk but we weren't sure about where to go. Schiehallion was the obvious choice but a recent knee injury and waking up with a migraine pretty much ruled out the seriously big hills. Something at a lower level seemed more appropriate so we picked up a local pocket walking guide from the village shop and headed for Craig Varr.
This was the view of Schiehallion as we walked to the shop. The early morning mist from the surrounding lochs and forests had risen up and appeared to be flowing over the mountain.
- Schiehallion with rising mist
We'd noticed that the ground looked pretty wet so before setting off we went back to the hotel to change into boots and our walking gear, not expecting a hard walk but just to save trainers and jeans from being destroyed by mud. This proved to be a wise choice! Our first route, to set off from the Loch Rannoch Hotel and walk along the base of the hills to meet the Craig Varr route had to be abandoned as the path was flooded and too boggy to be any fun. Instead we walked into the village and headed for the proper start of the Craig Varr route.
Passing the waterfall at the start of the route it was clear that the path up the hill was also pretty wet, nowhere near as boggy as the other path though so we just had to take our time and be wary of slipping. I didn't want to fall and aggravate my knee which I'd hurt running a few weeks previously and I thought had healed almost entirely. Once we got out of the treeline the sun decided to make an appearance on the other side of the loch. Encouraged by the sight and starting to feel the heat from the walk uphill I decided it was t-shirt weather and removed my fleece.
Crossing the bridge over the burn that must have been responsible for all the water flowing down the well trodden path, it was now clear that our little 2 mile walk was a bigger job than we originally anticipated. As we were getting closer to Craig Varr it seemed much higher than it's advertised 800ft of ascent and the evil perspective trick of having Schiehallion in the background didn't help matters. Thankfully the views over Loch Rannoch were worth all the effort.
We continued on, following the line of what remained of a stone dyke up the hill from the burn. This section was very boggy, again making us thankful for the decision to kit out in our boots. Eventually we left the line of the wall for a short clamber to the top past the grazing sheep. Once on top we were rewarded with some stunning views towards Loch Tummel, across to Schiehallion and over Loch Rannoch. It made the perfect location for a picnic lunch while we took in the scenery and tried to count just how many paragliders we could see buzzing round the summit of Schiehallion (eventually it looked like there were up to 7 of them floating around it).
After lunch the sun disappeared again and the temperature took a dramatic drop. No longer t-shirt weather! We decided we'd had enough, so instead of wandering further along the ridge we quit while we were ahead and headed back to the village. As soon as we started heading down I felt that familiar pain in my knee that I'd hoped I'd seen the last of a week or two previously. It got worse after a few metres and meant that we had a very careful, deliberate descent of the hill to try and minimise the pain. Definitely glad we'd only opted for a small hill! Obviously a few more weeks of rest are needed before I try doing any proper exercise again.
We stopped again at the waterfall once we were at the bottom to take a look back at Craig Varr, looming over Kinloch Rannoch. Despite my hobbling away from the hill, the walk had cured my migraine and it was a great afternoon out with some truly spectacular views. Ok, it was no munro but Schiehallion isn't going anywhere. Once my knee's healed I can get stuck into the bigger hills.
- Sun breaking out on other side of Loch Rannoch
- View over Loch Rannoch from halfway up Craig Varr
- Following the dyke up the hill
- View towards Loch Tummel
- Schiehallion
- Loch Rannoch
- Craig Varr with Schiehallion
- Craig Varr