Scotland Is Worth Gorging On — But Sometimes It Swallows You
The mountain that weighed the Earth
In no other part of Scotland is a road of equal length, beauty, and variation as the journey between Pitlochry and Kinloch Rannoch.
The first three miles lead north to the entrance to the pass of Killiecrankie. Here the Rannoch road turns sharp down to the left, under the railway, and over the Garry Bridge with grand views along the Pass and down the valley.
At the far end of this charming glen is the Queen’s View, a lofty projecting rock, reached through a wicket that affords a magnificent aspect over Loch Tummel.
Seven miles short of Kinloch Rannoch is my destination, Schiehallion, one of Scotland’s most famous Munros (mountains over 3,000 feet).
It’s ten years since I last attempted to reach the summit, a climb I’d undertaken on a whim. I’d needed a brisk walk after a Christmas works night out in the nearby town of Aberfeldy. Spirited into a sense of adventure by the bright winter’s day and the 12-year-old malt still circulating in my veins.
The path up Schiehallion is clear and easy to follow. I took the snow-capped peaks as an invitation rather than a warning. In truth, I was wholly unprepared.
