Bennachie Summit Walks
If you're feeling energetic, there are fairly strenuous walks up to the summits of Bennachie. To find out how to get here, see the information under each car park in Planning Your Visit.
There are interpretation panels at each car park showing the routes, which are all waymarked to allow you to get up and down safely.
All the waymarked posts in the area have grid references on the back of them to help you locate yourself if lost. The relevant OS map for the area is Landranger Series 38.
The hill tops at Bennachie
The hill itself has nine distinctive tops. Oxen Craig is the highest top at 528m. Mither Tap is the most prominent top and most popular with its two fort walls around the top (one pre-history and one pictish). The pages below describe the various summit walks:
- Mither Tap Heather Brig Trail
- Mither Tap Maiden Causeway Trail
- Mither Tap Quarry Trail
- Mither Tap Timeline Trail
- The Millstone Hill Trail
The Bennachie Map (PDF 874k) also shows the summit walks.
The Gordon Way
This challenging long distance route runs from Bennachie Centre to Suie in the west. Allow a day to complete the full trail.
Forest walks
For those wanting something a bit less energetic, why not take a peaceful walk through the forest on one of the waymarked trails. There are trails to suit all ages and abilities as you meander through conifer and broadleaf woodland. Look out for red squirrels racing up the trees...
The waymarked trails
The Bennachie Map (PDF 874k) also shows the waymarked walks.
Bennachie Visitor Centre
Pop into the Bennachie Centre and learn about the history of the area and the people who lived and worked on the hill. It is a great place too for children of all ages as there are lots of things to learn about and play with. Have a picnic while you are there at one of our picnic tables or at a seat along one of our trails.
Bennachie Centre opens:
From 1st April the Centre and toilets will be open 10.30am - 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday, closed on a Monday.
The Centre is managed by Aberdeenshire Council and the Bennachie Centre Trust. Contact the centre on 01467 681470 or email bennachie.warden@aberdeenshire.gov.uk
Address: Bennachie Centre, near Chapel of Garioch, Inverurie, Aberdeenshire, AB51 5HX.
Orienteering
If you are looking for something a bit different, why not try out our semi-permanent orienteering courses? A new set of courses is now available-
Maps of the easy, medium and hard orienteering courses (PDF 2Mb)
You can also pick up the free maps from the Bennachie Centre.
