Auchnafree Hill from Loch Turret

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Auchnafree Hill has an indistinguished summit of a rather sprawling moorland. However, it overlooks the impressive glacial trench of Loch Turret, making for an enjoyable hillwalk.

Terrain

Good tracks for most of the route; away from the tracks the plateau is boggy and featureless. Descent route is on fainter, rougher heather path, which eventually peters out.

Public Transport

None.

Start

Loch Turret dam car park. Open start point in Google Maps for directions.

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Walk Description

Stage 1

Park at the car park just below the Loch Turret dam. Glen Turret has been dammed for water since the 1860s and the dam has been enlarged or rebuilt several times - the current earth dam was built in 1963 and holds back 18,000 mega litres. Begin the walk up the right hand one of the two tracks with barriers. This leads up to a building at the eastern end of the dam.

Stage 2

Follow the track that runs along the eastern side of the Loch Turret reservoir. There are wonderful views all along this ice-carved glacial trench, with the crags of Càrn Chois and Creag nan Uan across the water and the Munro of Ben Chonzie beyond them. The track crosses several small burns flowing down the hillside.

Stage 3

After just over 4.5km and soon after passing the head of the loch a track junction is reached. Turn sharp right here to follow a track which climbs back across the slope before curving round and up the southern slopes of Auchnafree Hill. There are excellent views back across Loch Turret.

Stage 4

Near a high point is another track junction. Turn sharply left here; the track soon becomes rougher and fainter and swings northwards. When it peters out a narrow path leads on to a prominent cairn, the true summit of Auchnafree Hill is 100m away. The views are quite extensive, with Ben Lawers and its satellites prominent to the northwest.

Stage 5

The route now heads for Choinneachain Hill; you can either make a boggy, rough and pathless route across the plateau, or retrace your steps to the track and then follow it as it makes an undulating, winding course over Ton Eich before climbing up to Choinneachain Hill. There is a very prominent cairn near the track at the western edge of the plateau here.

Stage 6

Although it's possible to descend roughly down the SE ridge via another cairn, the estate's preferred route is to continue along the track. This heads east before turning south to descend the ridge above Creag Chaisean. Continue down the winding track for several kilometres, reaching a t-junction near a small dam on the Barvick Burn. Turn right here, and continue until the track forks. Here take the right branch again. Eventually the track swings back northwest to make the final gradual descent back to the start.

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