Scotland
Craig Obney
403M
1323FT
About Craig Obney
Rising above the village of Birnam, this heather-topped Hump offers a quieter alternative to its popular neighbour, Birnam Hill. The terrain is rugged and quintessentially Highland fringe, providing rewarding views across the Tay valley towards the white facade of Dunkeld Cathedral and the distant, rolling line of the Sidlaw Hills.
Key Statistics
Rank
485th Highest in Region
Parent Range
Loch Lomond and the Trossachs
Prominence
?
125.8m
Nearest Town
Birnam
Geology
You are hiking across a foundation of ancient slate and hardened sandstone. These durable rocks were once soft mud and sand, transformed by heat and immense pressure.
Nearby Fells
Find It
OS Grid Reference
NO022382
Latitude
56.5256°N
Longitude
3.5914°W
Did You Know?
- •The name is a hybrid of the Gaelic 'Creag', meaning crag or rocky outcrop, and 'Obney', an ancient local estate name likely derived from Pictish or Old Gaelic roots referring to the surrounding territory.
- •A popular circular route approaches from Rohallion to the southeast, often linking the summit with Birnam Hill via a section of an old drove road used for centuries to move livestock toward southern markets.
- •The summit offers a clear perspective of the 'Gateway to the Highlands', where the River Tay carves through the narrow Pass of Birnam; on clear days, the distinct symmetrical cone of Schiehallion is visible to the northwest.
- •The southern slopes overlook the site of Rohallion Castle, a now-ruined 16th-century tower house that once served as a strategic lookout point for the entrance to the Tay valley.
- •While the nearby Birnam Wood famously marched to Dunsinane in Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Craig Obney has remained reliably stationary, much to the relief of local map-makers.