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Ben Vrackie
Ben Vrackie is described in one walking guide as a "small mountain", which just goes to show that everything is relative. But don't let its size (it is only 841m after all) keep you. As the next Corbett or Munro is a fair distance, this "Speckled hill" presents a fantastic vantage point (as I will demonstrate!).
The walks starts a bit north of Pitlochry, west of Moulin, where there is a car park especially designated for Ben Vrackie climbers.
As you can see, the walk is spread over two parts, so bear with me.
The walk is signposted, so no worries about getting off in the wrong direction.
The first part is through woodland, which is perfect for a hotter day. It means you'll be enjoying some shade when you are nearly back down again. Because once you're out in the open, you are really out. It's a steady climb on a broad path with a few benches on which you can sit down and enjoy the view towards Pitlochry.
As you move along the ascent, you arrive at this intersection. The Bealach Path Killiecrankie is the stretch in green and one can make a detour which will add another kilometre to the climb. We took the easy way and went "straight" up and down.
As you can observe from the first picture and the map as well, you pass a lochan, which is a great place to take a wee breather, because this is where the gradient starts to bite. On the other hand, the path towards the summit has been completely revamped so as to counter erosion. 
Even though the path looked rather perilous from a fair distance, the fully man-made stone path was constructed all the way to the top and makes life a lot easier. So much so that after we had tackled this lovely Corbett, my other half admitted this was one she would do again... and she felt so confident we tackled another Corbett the day after.
This said, Ben Vrackie is a very popular mountain indeed, which meant that when we had reached the summit (aye, we were first that day), we could see a whole school group making their way up. The first lad had his mobile in his hand and was fiddling with it as he was heading the pack strung along the path; the one trailing the group was dressed in plain clothes (including non-walking shoes), carried a plastic bag and was heard repeatedly muttering "I'm going to die". On our way down, the path was littered with sweet wrappers. Sigh.
But don't forget to enjoy the summit first. The summit cairn boasts a viewpoint indicator and if it's a clear day, you'll be able to make out Munros and Corbetts all around.
The closest hills are those of Beinn a' Ghlo (which is really three separate Corbetts).
Towards Ben Lawers
Two of my favourite Munros to photograph: Stob Gabhar and Stob a 'Choire Odhair
After enjoying lunch (brownie and a wee dram included), we made our way down again. On the picture to the right, you can see the lochan and the long way down. See that green patch smack in the middle of the picture? It's a wee bit further to the car park. But remember there will be shade!
Mind, if we still had energy to drive around hunting down Pictish stones, you will surely have plenty of energy left as well.
I do wonder about the
one lad though.
Done 26 May 2016.
