Blairgowrie Walks - GLAS MAOL AND CREAG LEACACH

Scottish

Towns

Glas Moal & Creag Leacach

Length: 7 miles
Height climbed: 1400ft./420m
Grade: A
Parking: Cairnwell car park
Toilet facilities: Cairnwell car park

Glas Maol and Cairnwell are two of the easiest Munroes to climb in Perthshire, offering a fine opportunity to sample the beauties of the mountain tops without undergoing the usual lengthy trek to do so. This means that the sensitive ecology of these peaks are under more threat than the other less accessible climbs. You are asked particularly not to disturb the sensitive flora and fauna of the area any more than is necessary. Both Glas Maol and Creag Leacach fall within the Caenlochan National Nature Reserve.

To reach this walk, follow the A93 for 24 miles north from Blairgowrie - through Glenshee and Gleann Beag - intil you reach the car park at the Cairnwell Ski Centre.
Starting from the car park, the path is vague at first and very steep in places, but the first checkpoint is easily found - the peak of Meall Odhar (3025ft/922m) at the end of the north western ridge of Glas Maol, jutting out above the ski slopes.

From here the path drops to cross a narrow col between two deep corries, before rising steeply once again to reach the broad rounded summit of Glas Maol (3504ft/1068m), from where the views of the surrounding mountains are superb. Look also for the remains of three old fences which meet just short of the top. These are the boundary markers of the old counties of Aberdeenshire, Perthshire and Angus.

To continue the route, walk south-west, following the narrow, scree-coated ridge of Creag Leacach (3238ft/987m) to its peak. From here there are three options for the return route to the car park: firstly, you could return by the route you came; secondly, you could continue to the most southery point on the ridge and carefully descend across the scree on the north-west slope, heading towards Meall Gorm (2490ft/759m) and from there return to the road - however, this route involves a walk of 1.5 miles along the A93 which you may wish to avoid. Thirdly, you could return along the ridge of Creag Leacach until you reached the cairn (one mile from the peak) and from there skirt around the edge of Glas Maol - rejoining the path followed on the ascent at Meall Odhar.