An overnight wild camp in the hills of Perthshire taking in four Corbetts, a Fiona and a Munro with a high camp above Loch Ericht

Date: 20 June 2026
Distance: 43.22km
Ascent: 2,571m
Time: 30.4hrs
Hills: Meall na Leitreach (Corbett, 777.1m), Creag a' Mhadaidh (Graham, 612m), Beinn Mholach (Corbett, 841.7m), Stob an Aonaich Mhoir (Corbett, 855m), Sgairneach Mhor (Munro, 991m), The Sow of Atholl [Meall an Dobharchain] (Corbett, 803m)
Weather: Initially cool and cloudy with a cold wind turning to sunshine and hot conditions
Route: View on OS Maps

It's been a minute since my last wild camp and after a fairly dismal run of weather through May and June I was determined to try and get out with the tent for a night in the hills over the solstice weekend. During the week the weather forecast had been changing day-to-day but it seemed like east and central might be best. The only potential issue was windy conditions lingering into the weekend. Originally I'd planned a two night walk across the western Cairngorms but Friday's weather was (accurately it turned out) for a total washout, so I abandoned this in favour of a single night taking in a cocktail of hills around Loch Garry and Loch Ericht to the west of the A9. On the map this is marked as the Talla Bheith Forest, though of course this is a forest of deer rather than one of trees.

With a relatively short drive I set out on Saturday morning at around 8am. It was a bright, promising morning, and most of the drive up the A9 to Dalnaspidal was under sunny skies. There was a bit more cloud around Pitlochry and Blair Atholl but things looked more promising as I dropped down to the small parking area next to the level crossing. A group of fishermen were sorting out their tackle and I without much faff I was off, crossing the railway and passing through a couple of gates around the edge of Dalnaspidal Lodge. The farmer and two young children, all on quad bikes, were herding what seemed like hundreds of sheep.

Once beyond the padocks and crossing the marshy flats of the Allt Duaidh it was obivous that there were plenty of Lapwings about, their peewit cries sounding out across the tussocky grasses and marsh.

I followed the track over the Allt and then passed through a gate on the left hand side which led to a grassy path that followed the eastern bank of a canal. At the end of this there were another couple of gates to negotiate and a couple of turns to finally pick up the track heading uphill and away from Dalnaspidal.

After some initial churned up sections the vehicle track turned quite pleasant, gaining height quickly along the course of the Allt nam Plaidean which drops quickly to Loch Garry. It seemed to take no time at all to crest the ridge, marked at the very top by a Golden Plover which took off ahead of me and accompanied my walk across the boggy plateau towards the first hill of the day.

I thought the vehicle track might just continue over the bealach but it followed the high ground and soon I was up on drier ground with short-cropped heather. There were occasional glimpses down to Loch Garry and across to the Dalnaspidal Munros which were bright with sunshine one minute and plunged into the darkness of passing clouds the next. Although rain threatened all around I seemed to miss it all.

The vehicle track bypasses the summit of Meall na Leitreach so I struck out on a fainter path to reach the small cairn marking the top. It was somewhat grey and windswept and perhaps not the most inspirational spot, but there were promising views south and west to the tree-lined Loch Rannoch and the mountains beyond Rannoch Moor itself.

It was only 11am but a snack break was welcomed, hunkered down as best I could to avoid the worst of the wind. From here I was heading almost due south. My initial plan had been to cut across the bottom end of Loch Garry to reach Duirnish Bothy and then head up the next Corbett of Beinn Mholach, however, a last minute walk report had alerted me to the fact that due south of Meall na Leitreach was a Fiona, Creag a' Mhadaidh[1]. In fact, there are two hills of the exact same height very close to each other.

All of the ground around here is difficult to read and would be a challenge to navigate in poor conditions. There are large swathes of peat hag, patches of bog and the occasional stream coursing through. I left the summit of Meall na Leitreach and was presented with this vista. It was going to be a tough 4-5km.

I stuck to the high ground above Loch Garry initially, but eventually cut back across to the grey waters of Loch Meall na Leitreach. From here there was some rocky ground before the land dropped in a long slope to an area of pools and peat hag.

The Allt na Cosaig cut through in a rocky channel that added a bit of drama before I saw a curlew call out and take off into the sky. The grassy bog ended at a rather isolated fence which was easily crossed but led into a short stretch of peat hag. Thankfully on the far side of this the ground rose again, the steep slopes of Creag a' Mhadaidh.

The ascent up to a balcony was short but steep, but after this it was a more gentle pull up to reach the summit marked by a small cairn. There were excellent views to Loch Errochty and the allt below the nearby Corbett of Beinn a' Chuallaich where I camped way back in September 2013.

It had taken a couple of hours to travel the rough ground from the previous hill so a more extensive lunch break was welcomed here, despite the fact it was still quite cold and windy. The sun was still hidden behind cloud but I managed to find a bit of shelter behind rocks at the summit and enjoyed a relaxing break.

My route now turned in a westerly direction, heading across more undulating ground to the Corbett of Beinn Mholach. My diversion to the Fiona meant I now needed to go over or around the identically high Gualann Sheilach. Once I'd crossed the rocky plateau I got a good view down over the Allt na Duinish and spotted that there was quite a herd of cattle down towards the bothy. I decided it would be best to climb over the shoulder of Gualann Shielach, following the line of a deer fence put in place to protect a newer area of tree planting.

I dropped down to the Allt, crossing yet more boggy round and skirting a couple of satellite cows, separate from the majority of the herd, and then followed the vehicle track a short way north. This climbs up from Loch Rannoch. A few breaks were starting to appear in the clouds now and I enjoyed some warm sunshine on this brief walk down the road.

Just before the deer fence I left the track to climb up rough ground, gaining height along the northern slopes of Gualann Shielach. The deer fence levelled off after a short while and I was able to contour easily around to the Allt na Duinish, getting some good views back to Loch Garry and the earlier Corbett.

It was then case of dropping down to the allt itself where it finally started to feel a bit more like summer. The sun was trying to peek through the clouds and there were wild flowers dotting the river bank. I paused here to refresh my water bottle and sit for a few moments.

Beyond the allt there was another hefty climb up onto the northeastern nose of Beinn Mholach. This is quite a complex hill which reminded me quite a bit of Beinn Stacath from a couple of months ago. The steep initial pull brought me up onto a broad ridge where I eventually found a path coming up from the direction of the bothy. This made the going easier up to the subsidiary summit of Creag na Ghabhar.

From here there were views onto the summit of the Corbett itself, still some distance away. The skies remained stubbornly cloud as I gained height but the views were much improved as the earlier showers had now blown through and it looked more promising to the west.

There were more Golden Plover on this hill and their cries accompanied me as I crossed the complex ground to eventually thread my way up to the summit where there is a huge cairn and a trig point. The plateau areas had some bog but it was mostly ok going.

The cairn provided a substantial wind break and so I was able to sit down and relax with some more food whilst looking out over a wide expanse of hills and lochs covering much of the southern and central Highlands. Ben Alder itself now appeared relatively close although there was still plenty of rough ground separating me from my ultimate destination for the night.

From Beinn Mholach the plan was to pick my way westward as I best I could, sticking to high ground where possible and so reach the service road that links Rannoch Station with Coire Bhachdaidh Lodge (now Anglicised to Corrievarkie Lodge by the Ben Alder estate) and a hydro power station on the shores of Loch Ericht. From the road it was then just a further couple of km up onto the third Corbett of the day where I was planning to find a spot to camp.

The initial descent from Beinn Mholach was easy enough on grassy slopes with the hint of a path here and there. I was then able to contour around following boggy ground to the lonely summit of Beinn Bhoidheach.

After this was probably the worst stretch of bog and peat hag of the day. Multiple small streams and pools drain the hillside here and the hags were often a couple of metres high - hard to get down or up. One hag had formed such a ravine that I just had to take running jump and leap across.

I made slow but steady progress aided by the fact that the sun had finally come out and the day felt much warmer. It was tough going though and as I finally reached the road and the Allt Ghlas running between grassy flats, I was very tempted to stop right there and camp.

However, there was a convenient footbridge over the allt and this quickly led to the final steep but short climb of the day, up to Carn Dearg. This is another rocky and complex summit with multiple tops and a small lochan.

I had a quick scout around for camp spots but up high the wind was still quite gusty and I decided I needed something slightly more sheltered. On the lochan a lone guillemot was swimming back and forth before eventually taking off.

Beyond Carn Dearg I contoured around the head of a large coire dropping off towards the east and made for point 792, hoping to get a glimpse of Loch Ericht. I found this with a wonderful later evening view over the loch to the Ossian hills and the Ben Alder massif.

Feeling very worn out I dropped off point 792 slightly north and east and quickly found a more sheltered area where there was some dry ground just above a bog. The summit of the Corbett was still a good km away so I decided here would do and soon went about getting the tent up and gathering water from a nearby rivulet.

In the slight shelter of the hill and with the sun shining down it was very warm and pleasant in the tent and I passed a very chilled evening having a hot drink, plenty of food and reading or listening to podcasts. The skies had almost completed cleared and it looked like the sunset might be quite uneventful.

At around 9:30pm I went for a wander and got up to point 792 in time to watch the sun sink behind Ben Alder's summit. The lightshow wasn't all that spectacular and the persistent wind meant the wind chill was quite severe. I retired back to the tent to warm back up, glad of my down sleeping bag and an extra couple of layers. If it hadn't been still light at 11pm it wouldn't have felt much like the eve of midsummer!

Considering it was the first time camping in nearly two years I slept incredibly well, waking up a couple of times in the night and seeing that cloud had rolled in. My alarm went off early but looking out revealed a grey and misty world and no prospect of a solstice sunrise. I rolled over and slept through until about half eight!

Rousing myself I found a much sunnier morning with the tent warming up nicely. I had a coffee and some breakfast before lazying around and reading in the sunshine. it was very pleasant and I felt very far away from everything.

I eventually got sorted and packed up, setting off at around 10. I only had about a km of rough ground to cover to reach the summit of the Corbett, Stob an Aonaich Mhoir. I threaded my way past a small lochan where there were more Golden Plover, and then crossed some peat hags to firmer ground which I followed upwards to reach the summit cairn which enjoys spectacular views up and down Loch Ericht and over to Ben Alder.

It was a fine place to sit and enjoy the views and the sunshine, with the wind less chilly than the day before. I could see figures on Ben Alder and Beinn Bheoil.

This is a place to simply sit and savour the glorious views.

From Stob an Aonaich Mhoir I could see much of my planned route. I was hopefully that that boggy ground would be done once I got up on to the eastern ridge of the Munro Sahiarneach Mor, but there was plenty of bog covering the intervening ground.

The eastern slopes of Stob an Aonaich Mhoir were quite boggy in places but I was able to pick a way down occasionally steep ground. The descent was short and the service road soon appeared. Once I reached it I stopped to put on some sunscreen. The day was warming up nicely.

There was a short pull on the far side of the road to reach a boggy plateau between Loch Monaidh and the deep coire of Coire Bhachdaidh. It was hard to pick a best course so I just did my best to follow more solid ground and avoid the tallest peat hags. I got a glimpse down into coire and then aimed more or less straight for the top of Glas Mheall a' Chumhainn.

I reached this eventually and this offered panoramic views of almost my whole route with Beinn Mholach now to the south of me.

After a snack break I continued on, angling northeast to reach another beautiful allt tumbling down from the coire below Sgairneach Mor. I crossed this and stopped on the far bank to cool my feet off. Above me there was a steep pull towards Mam Ban and I could see the dark shape of deer on the skyline.

The climb was short but steep through deep heather and it was good to reach the broad ridge which led to the actual top of Mam Ban marked by a small cairn. There were grand views west to Ben Alder which was once more receding into the background of the central Highlands.

The Munro was now just a short distance away and I was able to follow a narrow path towards it. This eventually met the baggers route linking the Munros and I turned right to follow this up to the summit, a broad plateau marked by a cairn and trig point.

There were a pair of walkers eating lunch so I went past the trig and found a good perch above Coire Dhomhain with fine views across the Dalnaspidal hills.

After lunch I briefly visited the now deserted cairn before following the clear track eastward, descending along the side of the large coire. It was an easy going descent and gave me a chance to consider the final hill of the day - the diminutive looking Corbett of the Sow of Atholl.

Initially you think it is a fairly easy down and then up via a bealach, but actually it is quite a narrow and deep trench separating the hills. I followed a narrow path which contoured below the 758 spot height and brought me to a precipitous slope dropping into the gulch.

Luckily the track turned back on itself and dropped at a more reasonable angle to the head of the trench. From here it was possible to follow another narrow path that climbed up through a fire damaged area of heather to then climb up the slopes of the Sow of Atholl.

I found a path that hung fairly close to the drop and then started to contour around to the north which felt wrong so I struck upwards and soon came to the flat and featureless summit plateau. The cairn was reached and it came as a relief in the hot afternoon sunshine to think that all of the ascent was now done. I sat for a few moments watching clouds drift lazily over the hills. There were good distant views in all directions.

Descending off the Sow of Atholl and heading back to Dalnaspidal seemed fairly straightforward, mainly aiming for the first Corbett summit of the previous day beyond Loch Garry. However, this proved to be the final stretch of boggy ground and I had to pick my way carefully down slick grassy slopes before I spotted where a vehicle track ran down towards a more substantial estate road.

The road twisted and turned alongside the allt and soon enough I was down on the flats where I once again was accompanied by Lapwings. I think I breifly saw a couple of younger Lapwings with their parents but they lifted off and disappeared from view.

Back at the main river crossing there were people swimming in the channel and more birds to be spotted. As I came back towards Dalnaspidal Lodge a Redshank hopped onto a fencepost and started its bobbing and calling routine. It kept just ahead of me, flying between post and field until I reached the level crossing and the car where the temperature showed 24C. It certainly felt a different season to the day before!

For late afternoon on a Sunday it wasn't a bad drive home back down the A9 and it was nice to sit out in the garden with a beer and enjoy the hot sunshine that had finally established itself.

Footnotes