Explore with Amie

Despite living in Scotland for six months now, I haven’t managed to get up as many munro as I would have liked. I suppose I overestimated how much time I would have for exploring whilst studying at the same time and, unfortunately, my time in Scotland is almost over. I’m still very much looking forward to moving to the Lake District full time and Scotland will always be there for me to explore throughout the coming years. I am super excited then to be sharing with you two more munro that I managed to bag a couple of weeks ago: Ben Vorlich and Stuc a’Chroin.

Ardvorlich is alongside Loch Earn, one of the many lakes that Scotland is famed for. The loch acts as the source of the River Earn and is home to the Loch Earn Watersports centre. It is also home to Rainbow trout, Brown trout and Arctic char fish; there were quite a few fisherman along the banks when we arrived. As well as all that though, it is beautiful place to start the walk!

The walk first skirts a beautiful house and gardens which you can visit and walk through. We opted to head straight up Ben Vorlich and, to be honest, there isn’t too much to say about the walk up to the munro as it is a long, long walk up one path. This always feels like it takes longer because of the lack of variation and this one is very steep. However, you are surrounded by incredibly beautiful scenery. The lambs were playing together and the clouds parted to show us the view of Loch Earn below.

Ben Vorlich is classed as part of the Grampian Mountains range and is 985 metres tall. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to just how large the mountains are in the Scotland; Ben Vorlich is taller than England’s tallest mountain Scafell Pike yet is only ranked 165th of the munro. Despite that though, as I said earlier, this is the perfect munro for beginners as it does not require any technical ability and is seen as one of the easiest of all the munro. The path up to the top is a straightforward, albeit a beautiful one. It also has fabulous views back down to the loch from the top, or so I have heard. Unfortunately, we were in the clouds.

It is the second part of this walk that gets a little more challenging. Stuc a’Chroin is Ben Vorlich’s neighbouring munro and is the more difficult to hike of the two. At a height of 975 metres, it is smaller than its neighbour but requires a scramble to get to the top. The scramble is said to be a rather straightforward one though and, as long as your sensible, shouldn’t cause too many problems if the weather conditions are okay. That is what you have to look out for when tackling walks like this one. It was a dry and warm day when we headed up so it was ideal conditions to challenge ourselves a little bit. I am not the most confident scrambler but managed this one with relative ease. I am definitely getting better instincts when it comes to where to put my hands and my feet which is great! I was pretty proud of myself for managing to get up here with little to no help from Alex, though he was always on hand to help if I needed it. If you want to build your confidence with scrambling, perhaps this would be a good one to attempt.

There isn’t strictly one path up the rocks as you can go any way that you think looks manageable. Often, we didn’t pick the easiest route so that I could push myself that little bit more. It did slow us down a little bit but was so worth it for the feeling of accomplishment I had when we made it to the top! The actual peak of Stuc a Chorin then, is a short walk away though there are actually two cairns at the top. The official peak is the second one, naturally furthest away from the climb.

Then, it is time to retrace your steps before heading back slightly left to the path that will take you back to your car. Don’t worry, you don’t have to climb back down the rocks! The main thing to note for the return route is how boggy it is. I posted a reel on instagram which features a clip of my incredibly muddy boot as I got it submerged in the bog at one point. It’s not too much of an issue if the weather hasn’t been too bad which was the case for our walk but, in the rain I imagine it would be much worse. There are many paths around the area as people have tried to avoid the worst spots so it is perfectly manageable overall. You’ve just climbed two munro, who cares about the mud!

The return route actually connects back to the original path up Ben Vorlich so it is quite satisfying to walk parallel to that path on flatter ground and see the steep route that you took up to the first munro. Then you’re back to the gravel path all the way back to your car. I believe it took us around 8hrs to complete the route but this will, of course, be dependent on the weather conditions and your previous hiking experience. However, I would really recommend this one as I had a fabulous day and was very proud of what we had accomplished when we got back to the car. This is one of the most popular routes and I can completely see why!

For more information about the route click here or follow the step by step below.

Start Point: Ardvorlich (S Loch Earn Road)

1. Head through the gateway to the house and gardens. There is a signpost next to the entrance that reads: ‘Access to Ben Vorlich’
2. Keep right and then follow the path to the left, following the signposts for ‘Ben Vorlich’
3. Continue straight up this path as it begins to climb. On a clear day, you can see Ben Vorlich ahead in the distance.
4. You should cross a ford as well as a bridge further up the path.
5. Continue straight to the peak of Ben Vorlich.
6. From the peak stone, turn right (when you’re facing the trig point from the direction you approached) and follow this ridge, alongside the metal posts.
7. The path soon descends quite steeply. You may be able to see the rocky climb to Stuc a’Chroin ahead.
8. Follow the path as it bends to the left, skirting the rocks until you find a path upwards that you feel comfortable with. You may be able to tell from footprints in the mud where others have attempted to climb but pick a route that you feel able to do.
9. Once you have reached the top, head past the first cairn and onto the second. This is the official peak of Stuc a’Chroin.
10. Retrace your steps for a couple of hundred metres and take the first path that appears, leaving the path to the left.
11. This path skirts the rocks that you climbed. Take the next path on the right which is a steep descent into the valley.
12. Continue straight along this boggy path as it skirts Ben Vorlich and continues to descend along the valley.
13. Eventually, this path reaches the gravel path that you used to ascend Ben Vorlich.
14. Retrace your steps down this path and back to your car.

End Point: Ardvorlich (S Loch Earn Road)

Have you bagged these two munros?

Amie x