Ben Rinnes

About Ben Rinnes

Rising prominently above Speyside, this isolated Corbett offers a straightforward ascent via a well-maintained path. Its distinctive granite tors, known as scurrans, provide a rugged character that contrasts with the surrounding rolling moorland. The summit rewards walkers with a vast panoramic view stretching from the Moray Firth to the high Cairngorms.

Key Statistics

Find It

Did You Know?

• •The name is derived from the Scottish Gaelic Beinn Ruaidhneis, which translates as the ‘mountain of the red headland’. This likely refers to the reddish hue of the granite and the hill’s protruding shape as it overlooks the lower Spey valley.
• •From the summit, the vista is remarkably expansive due to the hill's isolation. On a clear day, walkers can see across the Moray Firth to the hills of Caithness, and south towards the great granite massifs of the Cairngorms, including Ben Macdui and Braeriach.
• •The main route up from the Glenvachey car park has been extensively restored by the 'Friends of Ben Rinnes' volunteer group. Their work was essential to prevent the fragile peat and heather from being eroded by the hill’s popularity with hikers.
• •The summit area is defined by 'scurrans'—large, weather-beaten granite tors. While the Scurran of Moray marks the highest point, the Scurran of Lochterlandoch sits a short distance to the west, offering some of the most dramatic rock formations on the mountain.
• •Given its proximity to Dufftown, the self-proclaimed 'Whisky Capital of the World', this is one of the few hills where the local air occasionally carries a faint promise of malt, and the descent is often timed to match the opening hours of the nearby distillery shops.