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Autumn Walks in Crieff & Strathearn
October in Strathearn. The bracken on the higher ground has gone rust-red, the leaves are turning across the Strath, and the sun sits lower in the sky creating beautiful autumnal light with its long shadows. It's a good time to be outside. Here are eight walks worth knowing about - don't forget your camera!
Easy
Lady Mary’s Walk, Crieff
Out-and-back or 9km circular with Laggan Hill
The one everyone mentions, and for good reason. Flat woodland path along the River Earn, starts at MacRosty Park, suitable for all abilities. In autumn the trees along the river do their thing and it genuinely earns the fuss people make about it.
The Knock, Crieff
3.5km circular | 1-1.5 hours | Start: The Knock car park, north of town
A wooded hill right above Crieff. The paths are clear, the climb is steady, and the view from the top - spectacular - Strathearn laid out below you, Ben Chonzie to the northwest on a clear day - is one of those things locals take for granted and visitors can’t believe. Back in town in under two hours. No excuse not to.
Laggan Hill circular, Crieff
9km combined with Lady Mary’s Walk | 2-2.5 hours
Take Lady Mary’s Walk and keep going. The route climbs Laggan Hill, looks out over Torlum Hill and Strathearn, comes back down through woodland, and at the summit takes a small detour to somewhere called the Puddock Pond. Puddock is Scots for frog. Someone named a pond on top of a hill after a frog and we think that’s worth a visit.
Half day
Dundurn, St Fillans
4.7km | 1.5-2.5 hours
St Fillans is 12 miles west of Crieff at the eastern end of Loch Earn. The walk up Dundurn is steep in places and rocky underfoot, but the hill is the site of a Pictish hillfort that appears in the Annals of Ulster - besieged in 683 AD, site of a king’s death in 889 AD. Views over Loch Earn from the top. Fifteen hundred years of history underfoot. Worth the drive.
The Deil’s Cauldron & Melville Monument, Comrie
7.5km | 2-3 hours
Comrie is 6 miles west of Crieff and this is one of its better walks. Through woodland to the Deil’s Cauldron - a gorge and waterfall on the Water of Lednock - then up to the Melville Monument with views over the glen. Woodland on the way up, open sky at the top. Get a coffee in Comrie afterwards. The village will not disappoint.
River Earn, Crieff to Muthill
9.75km one way | 2-3 hours
Quieter than the other routes on this list. Follows the River Earn south from Crieff to Muthill through farmland and open countryside. Wide skies, good light, very few people. You’ll need two cars or someone to collect you - it’s a linear route, not a circular. Worth the logistics.
Full day
Ben Chonzie, via Invergeldie
12.5km | 4-5 hours | 931m | Start: Invergeldie, north of Comrie
The local Munro. A steady ascent rather than a dramatic one - Ben Chonzie won’t scare you, but it will make you work. The plateau at the top is broad and feels properly remote despite being less than an hour from Crieff. The Gaelic name translates roughly as “mossy mountain.” It does. The mountain has a large population of mountain hares. In late autumn their coats are mid-change - brown going to white. If you move quietly you’ll see them. Start at Invergeldie, just north of Comrie on the Glen Lednock road.
Ben Vorlich, Loch Earn
14.5km | 6-7 hours | Start: South Loch Earn Road
Ben Vorlich sits above Loch Earn and you can see the whole route from the car park. Whether that’s encouraging or not depends on how you’re feeling. The ascent is one of the more straightforward Munros and is often recommended for first-timers. About three-quarters of the way up there’s a heart-shaped stone in the path - it’s become a thing, people stop there, it’s a decent excuse to catch your breath.
Its neighbour Stuc a’ Chroin is harder and can be done the same day if you have the legs. Most people who say they’ll do both do both. Most people who say they’ll see how they feel do not.
Practical things
Autumn weather in Perthshire moves fast. Layers and waterproofs on anything above the treeline, proper boots on the Munros, and don’t rely on phone signal above 500m.
Full route information and GPX downloads at walkhighlands.co.uk
Places to stay in Crieff at https://www.experiencecrieff.co.uk/places-to-stay-crieff
Places to eat in Crieff at https://www.experiencecrieff.co.uk/places-to-eat-crieff
