Ben Vorlich [Loch Earn] and Stuc a' Chroin Route Information

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Ben Vorlich [Loch Earn] & Stuc a' Chroin

Quick Facts

This is the summed total of all the climbing within a route and is a good indicator of the strenuousness of a route.

Total Ascent

1260 m

An estimate of the time taken based on a derivation of Naismiths rules. Our calculation is based on the horizontal and ascent components of a climb, we do not make a reduction for descent.

Registered users can customise these walking times by specifying their own walking and ascending speeds. They can also add a fixed time period for stoppages.

Route Time

5.5 hrs

The horizontal distance of the route.

Route Distance

14.70 km

The UK is covered by 204 Ordnance Survey Landranger 1:50,000 scale maps. Maps numbered 1 to 86 cover Scotland but for the highest mountains (Munros) only 23 maps are required. The name given roughly describes the area covered by the map.

You can click on the map name to purchase the map for £6.29 including postage which is one of the cheapest prices we have found.

OS Landranger Maps Required

57	Loch Tay & Glen Dochart
51	Stirling & The Trossachs

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A brief summary of this route.

Our summary will always contain one of easy, moderate or hard to indicate the severity of the route.

Notes

This is a relatively easy route, but the ascent of Stuc a' Chroin is a scramble.

Here we provide the nearest town to the start of the route where you will find basic services.

We then give directions from that location to the route start. Your approach route may differ.

Travel Information

Head to: St Fillans on A85

From S of Lochearnhead, travel E on minor road along S shore of loch to Ardvorlich where there is limited roadside parking. N.B. at weekends and holidays you will be competing with fishermen for the few parking spaces.

Route Waypoint Map

The total ascent is 1,260 metres. Allow 5.5 hours to complete this 14.70 km route.

In winter months please check the local snow conditions at sais.gov.uk.

The hillphones service can inform you of stalking activities in the area.

Usually the shortest way to climb the mountain, making best use of tracks and paths to gain altitude. Route navigation requires map reading skills and an ability to navigate with a compass.

The information given here will enable you to annotate your map and plan your route. We do not give anecdotal descriptions on where to find the paths, worn by the feet of previous mountaineers.

Where the access routes are few or the ridge is narrow, paths are generally obvious. On open ground, following paths without using your compass may get you lost in poor visibility.

Route Information

Waypoint Detail

	Start from track at Ardvorich on the south side of Loch Earn
		NN63332325	Distance	Altitude 100 m

1	Follow road S through Ardvorlich and continue on track S by river
		NN63032184	Distance 1.59 km	Altitude 250 m

2	At branch keep right (S) on good path leading to north ridge of Vorlich
		NN63062030	Distance 1.62 km	Altitude 540 m

3	Follow path S up north ridge and climb to summit of Ben Vorlich
		NN62911892	Distance 1.52 km	Altitude 985 m

4	Descend W towards Bealach an Dubh Choirean
		NN62491886	Distance 0.42 km	Altitude 805 m

5	Bear SW across Bealach an Dubh Choirein
		NN62171833	Distance 0.63 km	Altitude 720 m

6	Ascend SW and scramble up rocky slope
		NN61811796	Distance 0.52 km	Altitude 830 m

7	Continue S to summit of Stuc a' Chroin
		NN61741746	Distance 0.91 km	Altitude 975 m

8	Return N to descend to Bealach
		NN61811796	Distance 0.91 km	Altitude 830 m

9	Continue NE across Bealach an Dubh Choirein
		NN62171833	Distance 0.52 km	Altitude 720 m

10	Continue NE around the bealach
		NN62511902	Distance 0.65 km	Altitude 826 m

11	Descend NE to 650m Col
		NN61861959	Distance 0.93 km	Altitude 650 m

12	Ascend NE from col onto minor top
		NN61562007	Distance 0.57 km	Altitude 710 m

13	Continue N on ridge to the summit of Ben Our
		NN61602086	Distance 0.80 km	Altitude 733 m

14	Descend NNE to Sron Mhor
		NN61862169	Distance 0.87 km	Altitude 616 m

15	Bear NE and descend down ridge to approach path
		NN63032244	Distance 1.39 km	Altitude 202 m

16	Proceed NNE down path to return to the start
		NN63332325	Distance 0.86 km	Altitude 100 m

A selection of weather forecasts local to this route.

Weather

West Highlands
by MWIS (PDF format)

East Highlands
by Met Office

Beinn Ghlas
by Metcheck

Images of Ben Vorlich [Loch Earn] & Stuc a' Chroin

The NE buttress from the bealach between Stuc and Ben Vorlich on a snowy day in Jan 06. Excellent winter scramble to summit.

Image by Bruce Hay

Ben Vorlich from Stuc a`Choirn

Image by Ian Gray

Ben Vorlich

Image by Matty Wight

Approaching the summit of Stuc a' Chroin, with the bealach connecting it to Ben Vorlich on the left.

Image by Bill Wales

Route Area Map

Legend

Munro

Corbett

Graham

English/Welsh Top

Accommodation

A selection of local accommodation options who advertise with Munromagic.com.

Where to Stay

We currently have no
sponsored accommodation listings for this area.

Rating & Reviews

Rating & Reviews

Rated:

from 13 votes

Click Stars to Vote
Your Rating

Written by Gavin Poole on 06 Jun 2009:

Climbed Ben Vorlich & Stuc a' Chrion on 6th of June '09, using this route. The ascent up Ben vorlich is fairly quick, getting steeper at the end. Great views at the top. Stuc a' Chrion on the other hand is entirely different. Thoroughly enjoyed the scramble up the cliff face. Can be a little daunting looking up at it from the bottom, but is excellent fun if you give it a go. Great route, I'd recommend it.

Written by Peter de Villiers on 12 Mar 2009:

Did this walk on the 09 March 2009 in gale force winds and blizzard conditions at times. As the route from Ardvorlich is basically straight up and down we decided to do it although the weather conditions were treacherous. When the clouds occasionally cleared the views were stupendous, all surrounding hills white with snow. This was a gem of a walk but that was because of the weather conditions, thrilling and a little challenging. In good weather one would want more...i.e. Stuc A Chroin etc.

Written by John Gilchrist on 22 Jun 2008:

A sign at the beginning of the walk asks that walkers avoid the usual route of descent across Coire Buidhe because of erosion. The waymarked alternative route, though, is also showing signs of erosion. So if you don't want to take in Ben Our, try this more direct route of descent. At Stage 11, drop directly to the coire floor and follow a faint path down the right (east) bank of Allt a' Choire Buidhe. This takes you down to rejoin the approach path just above the third wooden bridge. Not too muddy, although this was after a long dry spell.

Written by John Mccallum on 05 Jun 2006:

Climbed both on June 3rd 2006. The bridge at Edinample is still down and there is no parking at the west side of it, instead we drove round the Loch and approached from the east side. Weather was great and Vorlich was fun but I found the 'scramble' on Stuc a' Chroin quite difficult as believe it or not I'm afraid of heights! We came down by the south easterly ridge of Stuc a' Chroin and traversed round the south side of Vorlich entering Glen Vorlich from the south east. Took about 7 hours all in. Word of warning it was difficult to park nearby as fisherman had taken over the south shore.

Written by Graham and sabine Timmins on 06 Mar 2006:

This may be a relatively uneventful walk in summer. But in winter and once above the snow line, it was quite an adventure. Great views!

Disclaimer. The details provided above are an aid to planning an expedition, but all distances, altitudes and bearings must be considered approximate. You must navigate with the appropriate map, a compass, your navigation skills and common sense, MunroMagic.com accept no responsibility for your interpretation of our route information.

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