Comrie Hills Loop

The route

This loop starts in the village of Comrie, where Glen Lednock and Glen Artney meet at the southern edge of the Highlands. From the School Road car park you follow the well-made Glen Lednock circular up through mixed woodland, the River Lednock dropping away to your side. The running is fast and forgiving here, mostly forest track and firm path, gaining height steadily rather than steeply across the 16.8km.

The viewpoint

The high point of the day is Dun Mor, where the granite obelisk of the Melville Monument stands above the trees. At around 350m it is the top of the route, and the reward is a wide view over Strathearn and out to the bigger hills to the north. From here the loop curves back down through the glen, with the option to drop in at the Deil's Cauldron, where the Lednock has carved a high cascading waterfall into a tight rock gorge. Take care on the viewing platforms when the rock is wet.

Why it works

For a route with so little serious climbing, this packs in a lot: ancient woodland, a proper summit obelisk, a waterfall gorge and easy village access at both ends. It is an ideal steady run when the high tops are in cloud, or a relaxed long run on tired legs. Note that Comrie sits just outside the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park boundary, so this is Highland Perthshire rather than the park proper.

Underfoot and seasons

The surfaces stay runnable in most conditions, though the forest tracks hold water and churn after heavy rain. Comrie is famous as Scotland's earthquake capital, sitting astride the Highland Boundary Fault, and the route traces that very edge between lowland and Highland. Autumn brings the best colour through the glen, while clear winter days give the sharpest views north from the monument over the snow-dusted Perthshire hills.