Bennachie: Oxen Craig and the Mither Tap from Back o' Bennachie

From Back o' Bennachie car park the path climbs through the forest onto the hill, passes the old quarry at Little Oxen Craig, where a sculpture stands, and reaches Oxen Craig (529 m), the highest summit of Bennachie. It crosses the moor to the Mither Tap (518 m), a granite top ringed by the ruined walls of a hillfort and reached by rock and large steps, then returns by a different path across the hill and down through the forest to the car park.

It is 9.3 km round with 484 m of ascent; allow about 3¾ hours. The grade is Moderate: a hill circuit on well-made paths, with long climbs and some rough, rocky ground.

The summits are exposed to the wind, the moor and the rock steps can be muddy and slippery, and in cloud the paths across the open hill are easy to lose.

Back o' Bennachie car park is charged by Forestry and Land Scotland: £2 for up to an hour, £2.50 for up to three hours and £3 for the day. Its toilets are open from 1 April to 31 October. Buses serve Oyne village, about 2.8 km from the car park, according to Forestry and Land Scotland. The nearest station, Insch, is about 4 km away.

Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.