Burn o' Vat and the Culblean circuit

The walk starts from the Burn o' Vat visitor centre car park in the Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve. A short path leads upstream to the Vat, entered by stepping stones along the burn. Back at the bridge, pitched steps climb through the trees high above the burn to a junction beneath power lines, where a grassy track heads north through scattered pines and down to the road. The return crosses the road and follows paths through the birch woods by Loch Davan back to the visitor centre.

It is 6.6 km (4.1 miles) with 129 m (420 ft) of ascent; allow about 2 hours. The grade is Easy.

The Vat is a huge bowl scoured out of the rock by meltwater at the end of the last ice age, and for centuries was a hiding place for fugitives. The climb above it looks over the pinewoods, and the birch woods on the way back give glimpses of Loch Davan.

The stepping stones need care, and when the burn is high the entrance to the Vat can't be passed. The rest of the walk is on forest paths and tracks, with a short stretch beside the road.

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.