Ben Vrackie

About Ben Vrackie

Rising steeply above Pitlochry, this popular Corbett serves as a prominent gateway to the Highlands. A well-maintained path climbs through woodland and moorland past Loch a' Choire to a rocky summit. From the top, the views are expansive, stretching across the Tay Valley to the conical profile of Schiehallion.

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Did You Know?

• •The name originates from the Gaelic Beinn a' Bhreacaidh, meaning 'speckled mountain'. This is a reference to the white quartz and mica-schist rocks scattered across its slopes, which create a mottled appearance against the darker heather.
• •Following Queen Victoria’s visit to the area in 1842, Pitlochry became a fashionable Victorian resort. Ben Vrackie's accessibility from the town made it one of the earliest 'tourist' hills in Scotland, a popularity that has never waned.
• •The summit offers one of the best vantage points in Perthshire. To the north, you can clearly see the sprawling Beinn a' Ghlo massif, while the southern view looks down the length of the River Tay as it winds toward Perth and the Sidlaw Hills.
• •The hill is geologically diverse; while much of the region is dominated by granite, Ben Vrackie features significant outcrops of mica-schist and quartz. This specific chemistry supports rare alpine flora such as the yellow saxifrage and alpine gentian.
• •Loch a' Choire, sitting in the bowl beneath the summit at 440m, was dammed in the 19th century to provide a steady water supply for the nearby Blair Athol Distillery, which still operates in Pitlochry today.
• •While it may lack the prestige of being a Munro, the final 300-metre pull from the loch to the summit is remarkably steep; it is the kind of slope that makes you wonder if the path-builders were being paid by the vertical metre.