This is an enjoyable wander through the hilly hinterland above the Perthshire village of Dunkeld, in a varied landscape of woods, lochs, knolls and crags. Deuchary Hill may be small, but its steep and craggy character outshines some peaks twice its size, and thanks to its open position on the border of lowland and highland, the summit view must be one of the best from any small Scottish hill (try spotting the Paps of Fife, Schiehallion, Ben Lawers and Beinn a’ Ghlo, among others).
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Height Profile
metres / Distance
miles
Detailed description
1
NO0232143720 From the information board follow a path uphill and left, heading almost due west on a rising traverse through pine woods. At a junction where the wider track on the left begins to descend, go right on a narrower footpath, climbing over an old fallen yew to reach a small stream. Up on the right is a 'secret' cave, an 18th Century folly that's worth a quick look. Back outside the cave, leave the main path and climb a less-defined trail steeply uphill through the woods on the south side of the burn. Soon rejoin the main path, which climbs northwest through pretty woodland into the well-defined cleft of Cave Pass. Go over the high point of the pass and at a path junction take the right hand trail.
2
NO0137644177 It's worth paying close attention to navigation now, because there are more trails in the woods (courtesy of mountain bikers) than are marked on the map, while some of the routes marked as forestry tracks are in fact less distinct on the ground. The path you're on makes a long traverse across a thickly wooded slope, and where you might expect to find an obvious track descending through the woods towards a lower track parallel with the road, the evolved trail on the ground actually starts ascending instead. A gently rising traverse leads up over a broad shoulder, then descends, a little indistinct at first, north-northwest. The path soon becomes an old forestry track (which is what you'll have been expecting for a while from the map), and the view opens out up Strath Tay. At a T-junction go right, walking uphill for a few minutes to reach another T-junction. Here go left, almost due north, to a gate at a third T-junction.
3
NO0130045727 Turning right here, you're now on a waymarked trail. Follow this broad forestry track northeast. Ignoring all side turnings, the main track runs along the edge of a clear-felled area (the devastation of industrial forestry is evident!), then through open pastures (dog owners note: cows may be grazing). Reach another gate and T-junction. Here go left on a good estate track winding through interestingly hummocky terrain. Pass along the shoreline of the delightful Rotmell Loch, and then pass wooded Dowally Loch to reach a house, Raor Lodge.4
NO0162747877 Here turn right onto a track signed for Loch Ordie. This winds gently uphill though open grassland and heather moor, with a little gurgling burn for company – all very pleasant. About 500m short of Loch Ordie, look out for a gated track on the right. Grassy underfoot, this leads uphill through young growth woodland, at first southeast and then taking a more zigzagging course. After a steady ascent of about 1km, follow a burn up to the hidden pool of Lochan na Beinne. Ahead, the final summit knoll of Deuchary Hill is obvious, crowned with a trig point. The map shows the track ending well short of the hill, but on the ground it continues as a very clear and well-trodden footpath, which climbs through scattered trees and up steeply to the craggy summit. It's a really top spot.
5
NO0374448513 Again the map is of limited help on the descent, but the path you want is obvious on the ground – just look south from the trig point and you'll spot it winding down through the heathery knolls and micro crags. It's a steep descent, but full of interest. About 0.5km from the summit, join a wider path at the foot of the hill. Turn right onto this, crossing a burn and heading roughly southwest through attractive open woodland. This path winds gently downhill to a junction by a bridge over the Leddown Burn.
6
NO0310947213 Go left, following the track down to the beautiful tree-fringed pond of the Mill Dam. At a crossroads in the tracks, just by the outflow from the pond, take the second left turning, which leads around the north side of the house at The Glack. Continuing roughly southwest, the track winds through mature oak woods and then pines, looping through a number of turns below the house at Birkenburn. The way is now obvious: stick with the best-used track past the house at Upper Hatton, and continue down through the woods past the end of Loch Cally to regain the Cally car park.
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Difficulty: ModerateDistance: 10.63 miles (17.10 km)
Total ascent: 613m
Time: 4 – 5 hours (Walking)
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Additional Information
Start/Finish:Cally car park above Dunkeld - it'll be familiar if you've ever climbed at Upper Cave Crag, NO022437
Nearest town:
Dunkeld
Terrain:
A mix of forestry tracks, woodland trails and hill paths. The terrain isn't particularly boggy, but there is some steep rugged ground in descent of Deuchary Hill. With more trails on the ground than feature on the map, route finding in the pine woods is a bit hit and miss at times, and a GPS/smartphone mapping app can come in handy.
Public transport:
Train or bus from Perth to Dunkeld, followed by a bit of a walk out of town to get to the start of the route as described
Weather and Hill Conditions:
mwis: Cairngorms & Monadhliath – Met Office: East Highlands Maps:
OS Explorer 379 (1:25,000), OS Landranger 53 (1:50,000), OS Landranger 52 (1:50,000) Directory Listings:
Find more Listings near this route Tourist info:
Dunkeld (01350 727688); Blairgowrie (01250 876 825); Pitlochry (01796 472215)
Further Routes
by Dan Bailey UKH
- East Ridge of Beinn a' Chaorainn and Beinn Teallach 21 Jan
- A' Chralaig and Mullach Fraoch-choire 4 Dec, 2023
- Meall na Teanga & Sron a' Choire Ghairbh - The Loch Lochy Munros 6 Nov, 2023
- Bynack More 19 Oct, 2023
- Beinn a' Mhuinidh 4 Oct, 2023
The secret cave mentioned near the start of your description is Lady Charlotte's Cave - a folly 'constructed' in 1774 by the 3rd Duke of Atholl. Which is actually a Grade B listed building!
Also, look out for the beavers at Mill Dam, near the end of your route.
Good race too: http://www.scottishhillracing.co.uk/RaceDetails.aspx?RaceID=RA-0235
Thanks for that, pre-victorian then!