Cutting deep into the vast plateau of The Mounth, Glen Clova is well known for its impressive corrie scenery. The summits above may be broad and rounded rather than classically craggy, but these heathery heights give an amazing feeling of open space. The Goet, aka Ben Tirran, is the highest - just - of a series of tops that roll along the northeast rim of the glen. Taking in several breezy summits and the scenic corries of Loch Brandy and Loch Wharral, this is a nice easy day with wide-ranging views.
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metres / Distance
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Detailed description
1
NO3268073052 Go through the Glen Clova hotel car park and head uphill on a footpath past some holiday cabins. The trail climbs through a small wood, then continues uphill across open ground to reach a path junction in the corrie by Loch Brandy - a surprisingly big lochan. Bear left for the steep, eroded climb up the prominent headland of The Snub. Once on top, have a look on the right where a series of deep crevasse-like holes show where the corrie cliffs are gradually subsiding towards Loch Brandy.
2
NO3357775725 From the cairn on The Snub head roughly northwest to pick up a feint quad bike track which leads over open ground around the rim of the Corrie of Clova. Cross a small burn, and where the track fizzles out just follow your nose onto Boustie Ley (there are some great names around here). This is a fairly inconsequential top, but worth the detour since the mountain views are arguably better than from the day's Corbett. Over Glen Clova are the craggy corries of Driesh and Mayar, while to the northwest across a rolling moorland sea is a nice angle on Lochnagar.
3
NO3197475937 Return to The Snub, then continue around the rim of the Loch Brandy corrie; the route is well trodden and obvious at first. Climbing towards Green Hill it's worth staying close to the cliff edge for the best views - but in poor visibility don't trend too far right or you might end up heading down Broom Shank by mistake. A quad bike track leads on over the plateau, and where it splits (not strikingly obvious on the ground) stay left to avoid an unplanned descent of Brae of the Rags. Soon join a fence line, and follow this across boggy ground, over spot height 857m and then across the broad top of White Hill. Beyond this cross the fence and pass just right of a tiny lochan (Stony Loch) to make the long easy climb onto The Goet. This Corbett is often called Ben Tirran, though according to the OS that name applies only to a lower shoulder of the hill.
4
NO3733374607 From the summit trig point and stone walled wind break go roughly south-southwest onto Ben Tirran. Here cut hard left to descend quite steeply, heading first towards the outflow of Loch Wharral to pick up a little walker's path. This soon trends left to join a horrible new bulldozed track some way below the loch - just one of many hundreds being built under the planning radar by sporting estates who style themselves the land's custodians with no apparent sense of shame or irony. A look at the map might now suggest a sneaky corner-cut around the back of Rough Craig and down what's marked as a zigzagging path down the Burn of North Inchdowrie; however on the ground this is way more effort than it's worth. Instead continue down the landrover track, then at a junction go right and descend just west of the Adielinn Plantation to meet the road in Glen Clova.
5
NO3530371489 A half-hour stroll along the road brings you back to the Glen Clova Hotel.
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Difficulty: ModerateDistance: 11.51 miles (18.52 km)
Total ascent: 861m
Steepest Gradient: 34% (1 in 3)
Time: 5 hours (Walking)
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Additional Information
Start/Finish:Public car park just beyond the Glen Clova Hotel, NO326730
Nearest town:
Kirriemuir
Terrain:
Hill paths, quad bike tracks and a bulldozed estate track that really oughtn't be there. Some boggy ground up on the tops, but not as bad as you might fear. In poor visibility careful navigation is needed on the featureless summit plateaux.
Seasonal variations:
A good route for the limited daylight hours of winter, though navigation could prove tricky in a white-out. In wet weather it can get fairly boggy up on the plateau.
Weather and Hill Conditions: mwis: Cairngorms & Monadhliath – Met Office: East Highlands
Public transport:
Infrequent buses from Kirriemuir to Clova
Guidebooks:
The Corbetts & Other Scottish Hills, SMC
Maps:
OS Explorer 388 (1:25,000), OS Landranger 44 (1:50,000) Directory Listings:
Find more Listings near this route Tourist info:
Kirriemuir (01575 575 479); Crathie (01339 742 414); Ballater (013397 55306)
Further Routes
by Dan Bailey UKH
tony
10 Oct, 2013
That would make quite a nice run.
Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com
10 Oct, 2013
Yes, very runnable. I'd have thought (I'm off running at present so I walked it)
tony
10 Oct, 2013
Yes, I should have said it would make a nice when my leg starts working again. Next year ...