Meall nan Tarmachan and the Tarmachan Ridge

On the A827, around 6km east of Killin and above Loch Tay, a narrow road heads northwards, signposted for Bridge of Balgie and the Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve. The road is unsuitable for caravans and other large vehicles and is not gritted in winter.

Twisting steeply uphill, it reaches the Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve car park - one option for starting the route - parking charges apply (£4 as of 2026).

A further 500m beyond the National Nature Reserve car park, beside a bridge and below the Lochan na Lairige Dam, a rough roadside parking area provides a better starting point (there is no charge to park).

From the rough parking area, follow the estate track south-westwards through a gate. After around 500m, a small cairn beside a burn marks the point where the track is left. This is also where the path from the main Ben Lawers car park joins.

An obvious and fairly well-constructed path crosses the burn and climbs at a gentle gradient. Passing through heather at first, the route soon continues uphill through mainly grassy terrain.

Beyond a gate in a deer-fence, the path gradually turns northwards , before pulling away from the fence-line and climbing onto Meall nan Tarmachan's southern Munro Top .

The path continues northwards before descending briefly. Turning west, a stile is crossed and a little loss of height then leads across boggy ground . Above, a steep section with constructed stone steps is climbed.

After around 50m of ascent, the gradient eases and the path traverses grassy ground beneath crags under Meall nan Tarmachan's summit before curving back for the final climb to approach the summit from the north.

The summit is marked by a substantial cairn standing on gravelly ground. Views are extensive, particularly over Meall Garbh and southwards towards Ben More and the Crianlarich hills.

For walkers interested only in reaching the Munro summit, the route can simply be retraced from here. With around 650m of ascent over 7km and a well-defined path throughout, this route ranks Meall nan Tarmachan among the easiest Munros.

Leaving the summit behind, the obvious path follows the crest southwards. As height is lost, the route curves south-west aiming for the smaller of two lochans on the bealach between Meall nan Tarmachan and Meall Garbh.

Turning around the lochan, the path then climbs Meall Garbh's north-eastern shoulder. On the approach to the summit, a pair of iron posts mark the top of an escape route descending southwards from a hollow on the ridge.

The main path continues, twisting westwards for the final short climb onto Meall Garbh's interesting and narrow rocky summit .

Continuing onwards, the route follows the crest of Meall Garbh's western shoulder, initially losing only a little height before reaching the steepest section of the ridge where the path splits. Although the route ahead forms the crux of the ridge, the descent is straightforward, involving a little easy clambering (classed as a Grade 1 rock scramble). The path to the right avoids the rockier ground - useful if ground on the scramble is wet and slippy ! Both options rejoin below.

Thereafter, the ridge broadens and becomes grass-covered once more. The path remains obvious as it crosses Beinn nan Eachan before descending to the bealach below Creag na Caillich.

A final straightforward climb leads to the summit of Creag na Caillich , from where views are impressive. Meall Ghaordaidh stands prominently to the west, while to the east the eroded line of the path along the Tarmachan Ridge can be seen stretching back towards Meall nan Tarmachan.

My preferred route is to retrace steps to the bealach between Creag na Caillich and Beinn nan Eachan, from where a descent is made south-eastwards over generally grassy and undulating terrain.

Although there is little in the way of a path, the ground is generally straightforward and a line can be picked downhill towards a disused quarry below. From here a track is picked up and followed south-eastwards and downhill.

An alternative is to continue southwards from Creag na Caillich's summit from where the path descends the mountain's southern shoulder. Reaching the head of steep and rocky ground, the path then turns west before lower down swinging back. Becoming fainter and landing on safer ground below, the path continues eastwards to meet with a track beside a small hydro dam .

The two return routes join further along , from where the track gradually contours around the southern slopes of Meall Garbh and Meall nan Tarmachan before leading back to the starting point.

Last held in 2019, the Meall nan Tarmachan Hill Race was a short but demanding event, with the leading runners completing the course in under an hour.

The race started by the bridge at the roadside parking area and initially followed the main route described above over Meall nan Tarmachan's South Top and to Meall nan Tarmachan's summit . From there, competitors continued southwards towards Meall Garbh.

The race did not visit Meall Garbh's summit. Instead, after passing the small lochan and the pair of iron posts below the hill, runners were directed southwards onto a path descending Meall Garbh's southern shoulder. The path gradually became fainter amongst grass and rushes before eventually disappearing altogether.

The route was then marked by flags leading downhill to a checkpoint at the gate on the track below.

From the checkpoint, the track was followed back to the bridge and the finish.