Geo-Trips :: Ben Rinnes
Ben Rinnes
A walk from Dufftown, Tue, 22 Feb 2011 by Anne Burgess
Finding myself in Glen Rinnes on a beautiful morning, I decided to take a walk up Ben Rinnes, a Corbett from which, on a clear day, you can see seven counties (Caithness, Sutherland, Ross and Cromarty, Inverness-shire, Nairnshire, Moray, Banffshire, Aberdeenshire). It's not a difficult walk, because the path is in very good condition, but it's the first time I have ever reached the summit of a mountain in sunshine. Normally it clouds over and leaves me cowering behind a boulder in pea soup to shelter from horizontal rain.
Click the blue circles to see a photograph taken from that spot and read further information about the location. The blue lines indicate the direction of view. There is also a slideshow of this trip. ( )
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Church Street
When I drove into Dufftown this morning I was a little surprised to see that the... more
A Little Red Fergie
One of the iconic tractors in a rather sorry state, lying abandoned in the woods... more
Balliemore
This is all that remains of the house and buildings at Balliemore. Note the... more
The View from Balliemore
The foreground is all in this square, but the view is dominated by Ben Rinnes (840... more
Balliemore
The gable and two stubs of wall are all that is left of Balliemore. In the... more
Looking towards Convalleys
The foreground, including the bend of the minor road, is all in this square, but... more
Glack Harnes
In the narrow glen is a small car park for walkers taking the path up Ben Rinnes.... more
The First Cairn
This is the first of only two cairns on the Ben Rinnes path. It marks one of the... more
Round Hill
The Ben Rinnes path traverses two minor summits. Round Hill (411 metres) is the... more
Struggling Pine
This Scots Pine is evidently struggling with the harsh conditions on Round Hill.... more
Bog Pools and Lonely Pine
The heather here is riddled with inconspicuous boggy pools lying in wait to trap... more
Pool on Round Hill
The snow-covered summit of Ben Rinnes is reflected in the icy surface of a series... more
Pool by the Path
This is the largest of the pools on the top of Round Hill. The view is across Glen... more
Gate on Ben Rinnes Path
This is the only gate on the path, designed to deter vehicles only. The... more
Stile by the Gate
This is a neat solution to allowing pedestrians through while keeping vehicles and... more
Rock of Ages ....
.... cleft for me? This boulder by the path has apparently broken in two, the... more
Roy's Hill and the Convals
Looking down from the path up Roy's Hill towards Meikle Conval on the right and... more
Looking down Roy's Hill
This is the continuation of [[[2280354]]] to the right, looking down the slope of... more
Pile of Stones
This pile of stones is sufficiently remarkable to be named on the 1:25,000 map. It... more
Second Cairn
This is the second of two cairns alongside the Ben Rinnes path. It is close to,... more
Black Banks
Snow lies in hollows carved out of the peat cover by the effects of wind and... more
Ben Rinnes Path
The path is very well made and maintained. This section is one of several where... more
Where's the Path?
Three walkers descending from the summit were having some problems finding the... more
Path near the Summit
Near the summit the path is partly filled in with snow, making it slippery in... more
Summit in View
A solo walker makes his way down from the summit, which can be seen on the skyline.
Near the Summit
The solo walker in [[[2280417]]] turns to wave on his way down the path.
Scurran of Lochterlandoch
This is the central and highest tor on Ben Rinnes, one of several in the immediate... more
Summit of Ben Rinnes
Unusually, the trig point is not on the highest point, from which this shot was... more
Summit of Ben Rinnes
This is from the highest point, looking down through a wilderness of shattered... more
Natural Ice Sculpture
The face of the highest tor on Ben Rinnes has been decorated by snow, wind and... more
Ben Rinnes Triangulation Pillar
Looking from the trig point towards the Scurran of Morinsh.
Ben Rinnes Summit
Looking past the triangulation pillar to the summit plateau of Ben Rinnes.
Scurran of Lochterlandoch
Some of the weathered granite which forms tors on the summit of Ben Rinnes. Two... more
Scurran of Lochterlandoch
Looking down from the highest tor to a smaller and lower one in the same area as... more
Enjoying the View
On top of the triangulation pillar is a view indicator. These holidaymakers are... more
Scurran of Morinsh
The Scurran of Morinsh is another tor on the western edge of the summit plateau of... more
Scurran of Well
The size of this tor cum cliff is not apparent from the maps. The Rowantree Burn... more
Whose Tracks?
These tracks went straight up the snow field towards the summit. I think they may... more
Looking towards Roy's Hill
The path traverses the modest Roy's Hill (535 metres). All of the foreground is in... more
Ben Rinnes Path
A rocky section on the west slope of Roy's Hill. The path forms a prominent... more
Cairn on Roy's Hill
The cairn is situated a little below the summit of Roy's Hill, and is one of only... more
Struggling Spruce
It's a little surprising to see two non-native conifers, in the shape of two which... more
Pile of Stones
This pile of stones is sufficiently remarkable to be named on the 1:25,000 map. It... more
Natural Ice Sculpture
A close-up view at some of the complicated patterns carved by wind and weather in... more
All images © Anne Burgess and available under a Creative Commons licence .