This circular route begins in the village of Birnam. After making their way under the A9 trunk road and railway bridge, most walkers choose the clockwise option, which features a longer but gentler ascent, followed by a steep descent back to the starting point.
Beautiful mixed woodland and stunning views make this walk one of Highland Perthshire’s highlights. There is an interactive map and guide on at this location on alltrails.com.
Tips:
Although quite short, this is very steep in places, and there can be quite a difference in conditions between the top and the bottom. So take care, especially when going downhill, and be prepared with proper equipment.
From the Birnam Arts Centre, go to the top of Station Road and take the path on the right besdie the A9 for about 50m. Turn left and head up under the road and rail bridges, following the footpath on the left. At the top, you have your first choice . Left is a longer, slightly less steep route to the top, right is the steep way. We're going left, which is more popular - the clockwise route.
Go on past the houses and onto a private track - after a few hundred yards, follow the sign to branch left onto the narrow path taking you through lovely woods following the line of the railway.
Follow this path until you come to a track which goes up the hill to a disused quarry - we're going left onto flat ground, before starting the climb up Birnam Hill at the sign post, pointing you right and up.
From here it's just up and up, unless you fancy a small detour to the Stair Bridge viewpoint.
You'll come to some steps set into the hill and you'll know you're getting close to the top - then you'll see the mighty impressive cairn that someone has built really quite recently. Pause to admire the views...
Then onward, and from here on its really is pretty much downhill - although very steep in places, so take care. Pause to admire the great view from the rock above Dunkeld and Birnam and take the obligatory picture.
At the foot of the hill, turn right back down the hill and back to where you made your original decision to go left and do the route clockwise. You could of course make a real day of it by turning left up Birnam Glen, following the path up past Balhomish and down to Rumbling Bridge, then down past the Hermitage and back to Birnam via Inver.
Suitable for anyone who is reasonably fit, including children - but make sure you have proper boots and warm / waterproof clothing as conditions can change quickly.
