Beinn a' Chuallaich

Beinn a’ Chuallaich is a sizeable hill four kilometres northeast of Kinloch Rannoch in Perth and Kinross. It stands between Strath Tummel and Glen Errochty, overlooked by the more striking Schiehallion seven kilometres to the south-east. The hill reaches 892 metres and qualifies as both a Corbett and a Marilyn. Its Gaelic name means ‘Hill of the Herding’, recalling its use as a gathering point on ancient drovers’ roads. The western corrie is a broad, gentle bowl once used for summer grazing. Maps from the 18th and 19th centuries show the hill under different names before the current spelling became standard. The hill dominates views from Kinloch Rannoch and offers several long ridges and two major corries. The north-east ridge passes the subsidiary top of Meall nan Eun at 852 metres and leads to Loch Errochty. Loch na Caillich sits on this ridge at about 700 metres and is a noted deer wallow. Coire Odhar on the east side has steep cliffs and large detached boulders. The western corrie, Coire Labhrainn, drains via the Allt Mòr, a powerful burn after heavy rain. All water from the hill eventually reaches the River Tay through Glen Errochty or Strath Tummel. The southern ridges drop steeply to the River Tummel valley. One ridge passes the rocky outcrop of Càrn Fiaclach. Another ridge descends to Drumglas on Dunalastair Water, with Creag Buidhe on its lower slopes. The third southern ridge ends at Craig Varr, a steep crag formed by glacial action about 10,000 years ago. The crags are popular with climbers and contain around thirty routes up to fifty metres long. The summit has a trig point and a three-metre-high quartzite cairn twenty metres away. From the top there are wide views of Loch Rannoch and the Ben Alder massif to the north-west.