Càrn Eige: Ross & Cromarty County Top
The descent towards Loch Affric
Also Known As: Càrn Èite (Scottish Gaelic)
Significance: Historic County Top for Ross and Cromarty, Pre-Historic County Top for Ross-shire
Member of: Munros, Marilyns
Parent Peak: Ben Nevis
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Aonach Mor (1,220 m)
Elevation: 1,183m
Date climbed: June 7th 2026
Coordinates: 57° 17' 16'' N, 5° 6' 55'' W
Route Start & Finish: River Affric Car Park, Beauly, IV4 7LY
Route Distance: 23.2 km (14.4 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 1,180m
Subsidiary tops on route: Mam Sodhail (1,179 m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
OS Trig Pillar: TP1949 - Carn Eige
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Glen Shiel & Kintail Forest Map | Shiel Bridge, Morvich, Killilan & Kinloch Hourn | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 414
Links: Wikipedia: (Ross and Cromarty / Càrn Eighe), Peakbagger, Hillbagging
Càrn Eige is the Historic County Top for Ross and Cromarty and the 4th highest of all of the UK County Tops. I bagged it in 2026 on our annual County Top weekend trip, along with the present-day County Tops of East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, Glasgow City and the Historic County Top of Argyll.
Walking Directions
The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.
This was the big walk of the weekend. Clocking in at around 25 km, it was scheduled for the Sunday, right after our epic climb up Bidean nam Bian. Unsurprisingly, we were all feeling quite tired. It had already been a long couple of days: I was dealing with some fresh blisters on my feet, and according to my Garmin watch, my Body Battery was running seriously low. To top it off, we woke up at the Glen Nevis Youth Hostel in Fort William to a lot of rain.
We set off on the two-hour drive towards Glen Affric. Along the way, a serious debate sparked up in the car. Given our state of fatigue, the miserable weather, and the fact that we were approaching another genuinely big, intimidating mountain, we were questioning if this was actually a good idea. I kept remembering a mountain rescue call-out from early in my trekking days, so I was understandably a bit nervous.
However, as we drove away from Fort William and closer to the start of the walk, the weather began to visibly improve. We decided we would at least give it a try. To keep things safe, we agreed to assess the conditions at the start line and committed to three clear options.
Plan A was to complete the full circular route as described in Jonny Muir's UK County Tops book, provided the weather held and we felt strong. Plan B was our fallback if the weather was merely okay and the final sections looked unappealing: we would bag the main summits and retrace our steps for an out-and-back route, avoiding the boggy sections described in the book. Finally, Plan C was our baseline: if the conditions turned dangerous, became too slippery, or the weather closed in, we would turn back immediately. It is always better to not attempt a climb and try again another year.
By the time we got close, we were quite hungry. We stopped off on the way at the Bog Cotton Café at a nearby caravan park in Cannich. It was exactly what we needed: a fantastic Scottish breakfast to build up some energy. Conveniently, there was a local store just around the corner that specialised in Australian pies, so I couldn't resist buying a kangaroo and ale pie to take up the mountain.
Taking an hour for breakfast was well worth it, and by the time we arrived at the River Affric car park, it was midday. Given the generous amount of daylight in June, this timing was perfectly fine. We quickly got our gear ready and started the hike.
The first six kilometres are straightforward. The track runs parallel to the north side of Loch Affric, offering a steady warm-up. At around the 5.5 km mark, you leave the main trail and start a slow, steady climb following a stream with a waterfall. The ground here was a little bit boggy, but the path remained well-defined in most places.
The final section of the ascent is the steepest, pushing you up onto the ridge line. Surprisingly for the time of year, there was still quite a lot of snow up there, but it wasn't dangerous to navigate. So far, so good: the weather was holding out, and we had decent visibility.
Once on the ridge, we turned right to tackle the first summit of the day: Mam Sodhail. Standing at 1,179 metres, it is only marginally lower than our main target, sitting just four metres shorter than Càrn Eige.
At the top of Mam Sodhail, it was a little bit windy and misty. However, the wind kept blowing the mist clear, rewarding us with brilliant views right down the valley.
Feeling good, we descended the other side and began the final ascent up to the summit of Càrn Eige. Reaching the top felt like a massive victory, and we were rewarded with the trig pillar marking the high point of historic Ross and Cromarty. We were thrilled: we had successfully avoided Plan C and safely made it to the top!
Despite the success, the weather was still a factor, and we made the sensible decision to execute Plan B rather than attempting the full circular route. The only real disadvantage of the out-and-back route is missing out on a couple of other Munros, but they weren't on our main bagging list anyway. Claiming Càrn Eige was our primary goal for the day, and we had well and truly ticked that box.
We retraced our steps back down over Mam Sodhail. As we descended, the weather improved significantly. We enjoyed a very pleasant, warm walk back down the valley with high visibility, following the trail back to Loch Affric and along the farm track to the car park.
That successfully concluded the trek. We returned to the car at around 4:00 PM in very high spirits, already looking forward to our next county tops adventure.
Points of Interest along or near to the Route
Glen Affric: A celebrated Highland landscape often regarded as one of Scotland’s most beautiful glens. Its ancient Scots pinewoods form one of the largest surviving fragments of the Caledonian Forest, protected today within the Glen Affric National Nature Reserve.
Mam Sodhail: A broad, imposing Munro commonly climbed alongside Càrn Eighe. Despite appearances, its Gaelic name means “hill of the barns,” reflecting traditional shieling associations rather than a saddle‑like shape.
Loch Affric: A striking freshwater loch set beneath the surrounding peaks. Its shores support rich Caledonian woodland and diverse wildlife, including golden eagles, otters, pine martens, and other species that embody the wild character of Glen Affric.
Bidean Nam Bian: Argyll County Top
Ascent of Bidean nam Bian
Also Known As: Bidean nam Beann, "peak of the mountains" (Scottish Gaelic)
Significance: Historic County Top for Argyll
Member of: Munros, Marilyns
Parent Peak: Ben Nevis
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Ben Nevis
Elevation: 1,149m or 1,150m depending on source.
Date climbed: June 6th 2026
Coordinates: 56° 38' 34'' N, 5° 1' 46'' W
Route Start & Finish: Three Sisters Viewpoint Parking, Ballachulish, PH49 4HX
Route Distance: 11.4 km (7.1 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 1,154 m
Subsidiary tops on route: Stob Coire Sgreamhach (1,072m), Stob Coire nan Lochan (1,116m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Bidean nam Bian Trail
OS Trig Pillar: N/A
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Glen Coe & Glen Etive Map | Ballaculish & Kinlochleven | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 384
Links: Wikipedia: (Argyll, Glen Coe, Bidean nam Bian), peakbagger, Hillbagging
Bidean nam Bian is the Historic County Top for the Argyll, and the 5th highest of all of the UK County Tops. I bagged it in 2026 on our annual County Top weekend trip, along with the present-day County Tops of East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, Glasgow City and the Historic County Top of Ross and Cromarty.
Walking Directions
The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.
I always knew this mountain would be the big one. For the past few years, Bidean nam Bian has been sitting on our radar as a major objective: we intentionally saved it for later because of its sheer scale, its slightly more remote location, and the daunting elevation profiles in the UK County Tops book. I fully expected a tough day out, and it certainly did not disappoint.
Our Saturday began after reuniting at the Glasgow Youth Hostel the night before, having successfully completed our parallel Friday adventures: Mark, Matt, and Joel on Goat Fell, and myself bagging the East and West Dunbartonshire and Glasgow high points.
Since it was Saturday morning, we naturally kicked things off with a 5k. Keep in mind that parkrun starts at 09:30 in Scotland, so after finishing up at Victoria Park, we hit the road for the nearly two-hour drive north to Glencoe.
We arrived at the Three Sisters car park around midday. Unsurprisingly, it was completely full, so we ended up parking on the grass verge just outside. It is worth noting that you cannot actually see Bidean nam Bian from the road: it sits hidden away behind the towering ridges of the Three Sisters.
From the road, we took a south-easterly route to pick up the trail. The first section was fairly gentle, offering a steady climb up through the valley. However, as we drew closer to the summits, the terrain changed dramatically. The path gave way to steep, slippery scree, making the ascent a proper adventure.
We eventually scrambled our way up to the ridge line. At this point, the main summit was roughly two kilometres away to the right, but Joel pointed out an opportunity. By taking a left turn towards the east, we could do an out-and-back detour to bag Stob Coire Sgreamhach. We weren't entirely sure at first, but we were making excellent time, and the misty weather wasn't too bad. Since it is a Munro, we simply couldn't pass up the opportunity.
After bagging the bonus peak, we retraced our steps and tackled the increasingly steep final push up Bidean nam Bian. There is no trig pillar at the top, but the true summit is very obvious. By the time we arrived, the drizzle had set in, and the mist made visibility incredibly poor.
This left us with a decision to make: did we retrace our steps, or push forward to complete the full circular route back to the car park? None of us fancied descending the tricky, slippery scree we had just climbed, so despite not knowing exactly what the onward path held, we committed to the circular route.
We followed the path in a north-easterly direction from the summit, quickly arriving at the next Munro: Stob Coire nan Lochan, which stands at an impressive 1,116 metres.
Continuing east from that subsidiary top, things got a bit more complicated. We hit a steep chimney section flanked by rocks, which proved quite tricky to navigate. By the time we reached the bottom of the chimney, we realised we had drifted roughly 100 to 200 metres west of the actual trail.
With no desire to climb back up the chimney, we carefully picked our way down the steep scree until we found ourselves standing on a ledge looking over a couple of lochans. Not wanting to risk a direct descent over the ledge, Joel did some excellent navigating. He found a route that required a short climb to look over the next ridge, which safely brought us back onto the correct path.
From there, the descent was much more straightforward. We followed a burn with a very pleasant waterfall all the way down to the road and back to the car.
All in all, it was a massive day out in the mountains. It was tough, slightly scary in places with the slippery scrambles, but incredibly rewarding. It absolutely lived up to its reputation. The main lesson learned for next time: keep a much closer eye on the GPS to spot when we wander off track!
Points of Interest along or near to the Route
The Three Sisters: The Three Sisters of Glencoe: Beinn Fhada, Gearr Aonach, and Aonach Dubh, form the striking northern ridges of the Bidean nam Bian massif. Their bedrock belongs to the ancient Glencoe volcanic complex, but their iconic shape is the work of ice, not fire. Repeated glaciations carved deep U‑ and V‑shaped valleys into the mountainside, leaving behind the steep buttresses and plunging gullies that dominate the skyline today.
Stob Coire nan Lochan: Rising to 1,115 metres, Stob Coire nan Lochan is one of the most beautiful subsidiary peaks of Bidean nam Bian. Its high corrie shelters a small lochan sculpted by glacial excavation — a perfect amphitheatre of cliffs, snow gullies, and dark water fed by meltwater and mountain runoff. Many walkers visit it en route to the main ridge, drawn by its dramatic, enclosed setting.
Hidden Valley (Coire Gabhail): Tucked behind a narrow, rocky gorge, Coire Gabhail, the Hidden or Lost Valley, is one of Glencoe’s most atmospheric places. Its Gaelic name, “the glen of the capture,” reflects its history: the MacDonalds of Glencoe used this secluded hanging valley to hide livestock, including cattle taken during clan raids. The concealed entrance and steep surrounding walls made it a natural refuge, invisible from the main glen below.
Geology of the Massif: Bidean nam Bian sits at the heart of the Glencoe caldera, one of the best-preserved examples of volcanic collapse in Britain. Around 410–400 million years ago, vast eruptions produced thick sheets of rhyolitic ignimbrite, collapse breccias, and later andesitic lavas. These volcanic layers form the backbone of the massif, but the rugged cliffs, corries, and ridges seen today owe their dramatic form to much later glacial erosion, which sculpted the landscape into its present grandeur.
Cathkin Braes: Glasgow City County Top
View over Glasgow from the OS Trig Pillar
Significance: Present-day County Top for Glasgow City
Historic County: Lanarkshire, of which Culter Fell is the Historic County Top
Member of: N/A
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Corse Hill
Elevation: 200m
Date climbed: June 5th 2026
Coordinates: 55° 47' 56'' N, 4° 12' 41'' W
Route Start & Finish: Cathkin Brae Bike Park Top Car Park, B759, Glasgow, G76 9EY
Route Distance: 2.3 km (1.42 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 31m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
OS Trig Pillar: None
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Glasgow Map | Paisley, Rutherglen & Kirkintilloch | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 342
Links: Wikipedia: (Glasgow / Cathkin Braes), Peakbagger, Hillbagging
Cathkin Braes is the Present-day County Top for Glasgow City. I bagged it in 2026 on our annual County Top weekend trip, along with the present-day County Tops of East and West Dunbartonshire and the Historic County Tops of Argyll and Ross and Cromarty.
It had already been a successful hiking day, having conquered both Earl's Seat and Duncolm to successfully claim the high points of East and West Dunbartonshire. This was part of our broader weekend plan and a parallel adventure: while I was out ticking off these local summits, Mark, Matt, and Joel were over on the Isle of Arran to tackle Goat Fell.
With a couple of hours to spare before I needed to drop my hire car back at Glasgow Airport and reunite with the boys, I realised I had the perfect window for a quick detour. I have been saving Cathkin Braes for a few years, waiting for an opportunity to comfortably squeeze it into an itinerary. As the county top for Glasgow City, it is highly accessible and makes for a very straightforward, short walk.
Walking Directions
The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.
The drive over from Kilpatrick Braes was quick and easy. I pulled into the main Cathkin Braes car park located just off the B759 road. It is a good size, and being late on a Friday afternoon, it was full of people out enjoying a walk with their dogs.
From the car park, you pick up a path that runs close to and parallel with the B759 in a north-easterly direction. The route takes you through some vegetation, pointing you towards a very clear visual target: the large wind turbine. You simply keep heading towards it, eventually passing right through the turbine's car park and out the other side.
From the turbine, you follow a path heading in a slightly northerly direction to hunt down the exact coordinates of the high point. Unlike some of the more dramatic peaks, the true highest elevation here is beautifully unassuming. It is located on a path deep in the woods, with nothing marking the spot other than a distinct fork in the trail. I snapped a quick picture of the fork to officially document the achievement and pressed on.
Taking the north-easterly path from the fork, I headed out towards a clearing. This is where the walk really rewards you: it opens up onto the ridge line, offering a fantastic view stretching right over the city of Glasgow. Sitting just in front of a very large telegraph pole, you will find the trig pillar. It is sporting a little bit of graffiti these days, but it is otherwise in good condition and well looked after.
After taking in the city views, the return leg is incredibly simple. You just follow the path along the ridge in a south-westerly direction, re-enter the woods shortly afterwards, and follow the trail all the way back to where you started at the B759 car park. It was an excellent, short walk to cap off the day before heading to the airport.
Points of Interest along or near to the Route
Cathkin Braes Country Park: Sitting among the highest points in Glasgow at around 200 metres, Cathkin Braes offers sweeping views across the city towards the Campsie Fells and, on clear days, the distant Southern Highlands. The Braes are also tied to the story of Mary, Queen of Scots: tradition holds that she watched the 1568 Battle of Langside from a vantage point here, witnessing the defeat of her supporters and the effective end of her reign in Scotland.
Geological Significance: The Braes form part of Glasgow’s Carboniferous volcanic landscape, shaped over millions of years as lava flows and volcanic rocks were gradually eroded into the distinctive ridge line seen today. This varied terrain supports a rich mosaic of habitats, from acid grassland and heath to woodland edges and wetlands. It is an important refuge for wildlife, including kestrels, owls, and seasonal migratory birds, making it one of the city’s most ecologically valuable upland areas.
Duncolm: West Dunbartonshire County Top
Trig Pillar at the summit of Duncolm
Also Known As: Dùn Choluim (Scottish Gaelic)
Significance: Present-day County Top for West Dunbartonshire, highest point of the Kilpatrick Hills
Historic County: Dunbartonshire, of which Ben Vorlich is the Historic County Top
Member of: N/A
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Dumgoyne (427m)
Elevation: 401 m
Date climbed: June 5th 2026
Coordinates: 55° 57' 58'' N, 4° 27' 5'' W
Route Start & Finish: Kilpatrick Braes Car Park, 25 Mount Pleasant Drive, Old Kilpatrick, Glasgow, G60 5LT
Route Distance: 14.2 km (8.8 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 479m
Subsidiary tops on route: Little Duncolm, Middle Duncolm, The Slacks
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Clyde Coastal Path
OS Trig Pillar: TP2908 - Duncolm Hill and TP6428 - The Slacks
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Maps:
- Glasgow Map | Paisley, Rutherglen & Kirkintilloch | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 342
- Loch Lomond South Map | Dumbarton, Helensburgh, Drymen & Cove | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map OL38
Links: Wikipedia (West Dunbartonshire / Kilpatrick Hills / Duncolm), Peakbagger, Hillbagging
Duncolm is the Present-day County Top for West Dunbartonshire. I bagged it in 2026 on our annual County Top weekend trip, along with the present-day County Tops of East Dunbartonshire, Glasgow City and the Historic County Tops of Argyll and Ross and Cromarty.
After successfully tackling Earl's Seat to claim the high point of East Dunbartonshire, the next natural step was to complete the regional set by summiting Duncolm. This serves as the present-day county top of West Dunbartonshire and sits nicely in the nearby Kilpatrick Hills.
Walking Directions
The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.
Getting there involved a 30-minute drive back towards Glasgow. I parked in the Kilpatrick Braes car park, located just off the Great Western Road (the A82).
From the car park, the route begins by walking down onto Mount Pleasant Drive. You then take the underpass to safely cross under the A82 and follow a small road leading towards a local farm. At the farm entrance, take a right to join a path that steadily winds its way uphill in a north-westerly direction.
As you ascend, the scenery really starts to deliver. On your right-hand side, you are flanked by impressive cliff edges. Meanwhile, over on your left, the elevation offers a fantastic, sweeping view over the River Clyde and back towards the Erskine Bridge.
The path eventually curves around the side of the hills, shifting you into a north-easterly direction. After walking roughly 4.2 kilometres, you reach the pleasant shores of Loch Humphrey. It is a fantastic spot to take in the views: there is plenty of local wildlife, including a fair few ducks, and you can clearly spot Duncolm rising in the distance.
From the loch, the path continues along its south-eastern edge before curving steadily towards the north. Around the 5.7-kilometre mark, it is time to leave the established track and tackle a fairly steep grassy bank.
This ascent brings you to Little Duncolm, the first of three distinctly named peaks in the cluster. While there isn't a marker at the summit, the views are excellent. From there, it requires a careful descent down the northern side, crossing over a small stream before immediately beginning the climb up to Middle Duncolm.
After navigating Middle Duncolm, you descend its north-eastern side before continuing in a north-easterly direction to tackle the steep bank up to the main summit of Duncolm. You will know you have made it when you reach the Trig Pillar, which offers stunning 360-degree views of the surrounding area.
After enjoying the views from the Trig Pillar, it is time to retrace your steps back down. Thankfully, there is no need to re-ascend Middle and Little Duncolm: you can simply stay on the bypass path that skirts their north-westerly side, eventually rejoining the main track just south of Little Duncolm.
Continue back along the main path. At around the 10-kilometre mark of the trip, take a path on the left. This cuts across the hill towards a fence line enclosing a small wooded area. Follow the fence line as it heads east, then turn south for a slight descent before heading up to The Slacks, where you can successfully bag another trig pillar.
From The Slacks, pick up the path heading in a southerly direction. This provides a steady descent back down to the original route. Take a left to rejoin it, and from there, it is just a case of retracing your steps for the final 1.3 kilometres all the way back to the Kilpatrick Braes car park. It makes for a rewarding route and a very satisfying way to finish off the Dunbartonshire high points.
Points of Interest along or near to the Route
Kilpatrick Hills: These hills are of volcanic origin, formed during the Carboniferous period as part of the Clyde Plateau Volcanic Formation. Their mix of basaltic crags and broad plateau surfaces creates a distinctive upland landscape that contrasts sharply with the surrounding urban areas of West Dunbartonshire.
Erskine Bridge: Looking back over the River Clyde, the Erskine Bridge stands out as a major cable‑stayed box‑girder bridge, opened in 1971. It forms a key crossing linking the A898 to the A82 and sits just north of the M8 corridor. Its elegant profile provides a striking engineering landmark against the natural backdrop of the river.
Earl's Seat: East Dunbartonshire County Top
OS Trig Pillar at the top of Earl’s Seat at the border of East Dunbartonshire and Stirling
Significance: Present-day County Top for East Dunbartonshire
Historic County: Stirlingshire, of which Ben Lomond is the Historic County Top
Member of: Marilyns
Parent Range: Campsie Fells
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Binnean nan Gobhar
Elevation: 578m
Date climbed: June 5th 2026
Coordinates: 56°01′33″N 4°17′47″W
Route Start & Finish: Glengoyne Distillery, Dumgoyne, Killearn, Glasgow, G63 9LB
Route Distance: 10.3 km (6.4 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 628m
Subsidiary tops on route: Dumgoyne Hill (427m), Garloch Hill (524m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
OS Trig Pillar: TP2957 - Earls Seat
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Campsie Fells Map | Kilsyth, Strathblane & Fintry | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 348
Links: Wikipedia: (East Dunbartonshire / Campsie Fells / Earl’s Seat), Peakbagger, Hillbagging
Earl’s Seat is Present-day County Top for East Dunbartonshire. I bagged it in 2026 on our annual County Top weekend trip, along with the present-day County Tops of West Dunbartonshire, Glasgow City and the Historic County Tops of Argyll and Ross and Cromarty.
This year marked a significant milestone: the tenth anniversary of our annual boys' County Top trip. The adventure kicked off on a Friday, but this time around, we opted for parallel adventures. While Mark, Matt, and Joel headed over to the Isle of Arran to tackle Goat Fell to claim the highest point of that county, I decided on a different path. Having already summited Goat Fell a few years prior, I set my sights on bagging the high points of present-day East and West Dunbartonshire. Because they are fairly close together, they make for two great summits to link up in a single day. First up on the agenda: Earl's Seat.
Walking Directions
The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.
The starting point was an easy forty-minute drive from Glasgow Airport. I headed for the Glengoyne Distillery, which offers great parking. A quick note for anyone planning this route: the distillery car park is officially for customers only. Given it was a quiet day, I chanced it, but there is alternative parking nearby if you prefer to play it safe. From the distillery, the route begins by heading south down the main road for about 100m. After crossing over, you will find a gate leading into a field, and the path begins its slow, steady climb up the hill.
It isn't long before you are greeted by the imposing, steep figure of Dumgoyne Hill. At this stage, the path presents two choices: fork right to take the path straight over the top of Dumgoyne Hill, or keep left to skirt around the side and avoid the climb entirely.
Determined to bag Dumgoyne Hill as well, I took the right-hand path. It is a steep ascent up the southern side, but the effort is richly rewarded. While there isn't a traditional trig pillar at the summit, there is a large, pillar-sized stone and, more importantly, fantastic views stretching right across the valley.
Leaving Dumgoyne Hill, the path heads in a north-north-easterly direction down the opposite side of the hill. I will admit this section was a little daunting: the ground was damp, and the gradient was extremely steep. I don't typically tackle tricky hills on my own, but it wasn't particularly dangerous. With a bit of care, and an undignified slide down one short section, I made it to the bottom safely.
Continuing northeast, the route seamlessly joins back up with the main bypass path you would have taken had you skipped Dumgoyne Hill. From here, it becomes a steady, albeit slightly boggy, ascent towards a subsidiary top called Garloch Hill, marked by a few cairns. Pushing on towards Earl's Seat, the landscape opens up, and you can spot the Trig Pillar from quite a distance: a perfect visual target to aim for.
After taking in the summit of Earl's Seat, I decided against simply retracing my steps. Instead, I opted to turn the walk into a circular route. Heading north-west, the path leads towards Ballagan Tops before taking a westerly turn to rejoin the original ascent path just east of Garloch Hill.
From there, it was a straightforward walk retracing my steps back to the distillery. This time, however, I took the northerly path to comfortably bypass Dumgoyne Hill.
All in all, the route took about three hours: a highly enjoyable morning on the hills and a fantastic start to the weekend's county top bagging.
Points of Interest along or near to the Route
Glengoyne Distillery: Established in 1833, this distillery is unique for being located on the Highland Line, the geographical divide between the Highlands and Lowlands. Uniquely, the distillery sits in the Lowlands, while its maturation warehouses sit across the road in the Highlands.
The Campsie Fells: These are a range of volcanic hills formed during the Carboniferous period. They are composed largely of basalt, creating the dramatic crags and scree slopes visible from the surrounding valleys, including the steep face of Dumgoyne.
The Highland Boundary Fault: The route passes over a significant geological divide. This fault line runs across Scotland from Arran in the west to Stonehaven in the east, separating the flatter, sedimentary Lowlands from the rugged, metamorphic Highlands.
Dumgoyne: A striking volcanic plug that rises sharply from the edge of the Campsie Fells. It formed when magma solidified within an ancient volcanic vent, leaving behind the resistant core that now stands as a prominent landmark. Its steep, symmetrical profile has been further shaped by glacial erosion, but it is not a crag‑and‑tail formation; instead, it is simply the exposed remnant of a Carboniferous volcano.
All The Scottish parkruns
There are currently 86 parkrun events in Scotland of which I have completed 8. The first was Pollok parkrun which started on December 6th 2008 and the newest is West Bay, Dunoon which started on August 8th 2026. The name for having completed all parkrun events in Scotland is ALLba
Only one 5k parkrun event has been permanently cancelled in Scotland. Inverness parkrun was held from September 2011 to March 14th 2020 and was replaced by Torvean parkrun
Numbers exclude 2k Junior parkruns and any events that are not open to the general public such as prisons or armed forces facilities.
The Central Belt:
Scottish parkruns by County
If you are looking through the list of Scottish parkruns below, you’ll notice that I have included both the Historic County and the present-day Council Area for each event. The Historic Counties are the traditional geographical divisions of Scotland. These boundaries were established centuries ago, some tracing their origins back to the Middle Ages, and they were formally used for local administration from the late 19th century right up until 1975. Today, these boundaries remain static, offering a fascinating glimpse into the map history and traditional cartography of the landscape we are running through.
The present-day Council Areas are Scotland’s modern administrative units. The current system of 32 single‑tier councils came into effect on 1 April 1996, replacing the two‑tier structure of regions and districts that had existed since 1975. These councils handle local services such as waste collection, education, and planning.
Lanarkshire is the Historic County with the most 5k parkrun events with 9.
Highland is the Council Area with the most 5k parkrun events with 9.
All of the Scottish parkrun events …
Below are each of the Scottish 5k parkrun events in alphabetical order. A few things to note:
The interactive maps below take you to the approximate location for the course, typically the centre of the park. See the course instructions in the parkrun page for each event for specific directions to the start.
Course maps and elevation profiles show the route at the time that I ran it and may have changed since then. See the Course page in the event’s page on parkrun.org.uk for the current course outline. Note that course outlines are from Garmin data during a specific run and may vary from the officially measured distance.
Please contact me if you spot an event that doesn’t have a course map and elevation profile and you would like to donate one from your own run. I’m also interested in maps and elevation profiles for courses that have changed or where there’s a regular alternative route (e.g. Horsham). I’ll need a GPX file from your run plus the date. I’ll include a credit for you and will donate £1 to parkrun.
Aberdeen
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Aberdeenshire
Council Area: Aberdeen City
Inaugural: October 8th 2011
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Ae Forest
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Dumfriesshire
Council Area: Dumfries and Galloway
Inaugural: July 25th 2026
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Agnew
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Wigtownshire
Council Area: Dumfries and Galloway
Inaugural: December 14th 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Alness
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Ross-shire / Ross and Cromarty
Council Area: Highland
Inaugural: August 26th 2017
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Anagach Woods
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Morayshire
Council Area: Highland
Inaugural: August 23rd 2025
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Auldcathie District
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: West Lothian
Council Area: West Lothian
Inaugural: January 7th 2023
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Aviemore
I completed this event on: June 14th 2025 with a finish time of: 25:43
Other routes touched (walk): Speyside Way
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 7
Historic County: Inverness-shire
Council Area: Highland
Inaugural: May 6th 2017
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Ayr
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Ayrshire
Council Area: South Ayrshire
Inaugural: September 20th 2014
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Beecraigs Country Park
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: West Lothian
Council Area: West Lothian
Inaugural: December 27th 2025
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Belladrum
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Inverness-shire
Council Area: Highland
Inaugural: January 24th 2026
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Bo’ness Foreshore
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: West Lothian
Council Area: Falkirk
Inaugural: October 4th 2025
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Bressay
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Shetland
Council Area: Shetland Islands
Inaugural: January 20th 2018
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Broughty Ferry Esplanade
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Angus
Council Area: Dundee City
Inaugural: June 27th 2026
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Camperdown
I completed this event on: September 28th 2024 with a finish time of: 27:05
Other routes touched: None
Historic County: Angus
Council Area: Dundee City
Inaugural: May 19th 2012
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Carlingwark Loch
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Kirkcudbrightshire
Council Area: Dumfries and Galloway
Inaugural: October 21st 2023
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Castle Woods
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Aberdeenshire
Council Area: Aberdeenshire
Inaugural: May 17th 2025
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Crathes Castle
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Aberdeenshire
Council Area: Aberdeenshire
Inaugural: February 9th 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Crichton
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Dumfriesshire
Council Area: Dumfries and Galloway
Inaugural: January 6th 2018
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Crinan Canal, Lochgilphead
I have not yet completed this event
Original name: Crinan Canal. They had a sink hole on the original route, were cancelled for a bit and then restarted on a different part of the canal (15 minute drive from original start line) with amended name.
Historic County: Argyllshire
Council Area: Argyll and Bute
Inaugural: August 31st 2024
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Cuningar Loop
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Lanarkshire
Council Area: South Lanarkshire
Inaugural: March 8th 2025
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Dean Castle Country Park
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Ayrshire
Council Area: East Ayrshire
Inaugural: August 31st 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Drumchapel
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Dunbartonshire
Council Area: Glasgow City
Inaugural: June 4th 2016
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Drumlarig Castle
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Dumfriesshire
Council Area: Dumfries and Galloway
Inaugural: May 9th 2026
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Drumpellier Country
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Lanarkshire
Council Area: North Lanarkshire
Inaugural: July 27th 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Dunfermline
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Fife
Council Area: Fife
Inaugural: July 4th 2015
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Edinburgh
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Midlothian
Council Area: City of Edinburgh
Inaugural: October 17th 2009
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Eglinton
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Ayrshire
Council Area: North Ayrshire
Inaugural: March 16th 2013
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Elder Park
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Lanarkshire
Council Area: Glasgow City
Inaugural: June 11th 2022
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Elgin
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Morayshire
Council Area: Moray
Inaugural: March 5th 2016
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Ellon
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Aberdeenshire
Council Area: Aberdeenshire
Inaugural: October 17th 2015
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Erskine Waterfront
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Renfrewshire
Council Area: Renfrewshire
Inaugural: November 19th 2022
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Falkirk
I completed this event on: August 10th 2024 with a finish time of: 28:08
Other routes touched (walk): John Muir Way
Other routes touched (cycle): HArRTT
Historic County: Stirlingshire
Council Area: Falkirk
Inaugural: July 16th 2011
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Faskally Forest
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Perthshire
Council Area: Perth and Kinross
Inaugural: March 7th 2020
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
FeldyRoo Fitness Trail
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Perthshire
Council Area: Perth and Kinross
Inaugural: April 12th 2025
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Forfar Loch
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Angus
Council Area: Angus
Inaugural: February 12th 2022
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Fort William
I completed this event on: August 17th 2024 with a finish time of: 28:02
Other routes touched: None
Historic County: Inverness-shire
Council Area: Highland
Inaugural: April 7th 2018
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Ganavan Sands
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Argyllshire
Council Area: Argyll and Bute
Inaugural: August 20th 2016
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Girvan Prom
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Ayrshire
Council Area: South Ayrshire
Inaugural: July 28th 2018
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Greenock
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Renfrewshire
Council Area: Inverclyde
Inaugural: May 17th 2014
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Hay Lodge
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Peeblesshire
Council Area: Scottish Borders
Inaugural: November 3rd 2018
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Hazlehead
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Aberdeenshire
Council Area: Aberdeen City
Inaugural: August 16th 2014
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Holyrood
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Midlothian
Council Area: City of Edinburgh
Inaugural: July 16th 2022
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Inverness
This parkrun event has been permanently cancelled. I did not complete this event before it was closed.
Historic County: Inverness-shire
Council Area: Highland
Inaugural: September 3rd 2011. Final event: #432 on March 14th 2020
Reason for cancellation: Original venue became unavailable
Replaced by: Torvean
Links: Event Home Page
Kirkcaldy
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Fife
Council Area: Fife
Inaugural: February 14th 2015
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Kirkwall
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Orkney
Council Area: Orkney Islands
Inaugural: April 21st 2018
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Lady Mary’s Walk
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Perthshire
Council Area: Perth and Kinross
Inaugural: April 18th 2026
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Lanark Moor
I completed this event on: September 25th 2025 with a finish time of: 27:27
Other routes touched: None
Historic County: Lanarkshire
Council Area: South Lanarkshire
Inaugural: August 11th 2018
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Largs Prom
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Ayrshire
Council Area: North Ayrshire
Inaugural: May 28th 2022
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Levengrove
I completed this event on: September 9th 2023 with a finish time of: 26:09
Other routes touched (walk): The Shore Circular Path
Historic County: Dunbartonshire
Council Area: West Dunbartonshire
Inaugural: December 7th 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Lews Castle
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Ross-shire
Council Area: Outer Hebrides
Inaugural: January 11th 2020
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Linwood
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Renfrewshire
Council Area: Renfrewshire
Inaugural: July 9th 2016
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Livingston
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: West Lothian
Council Area: West Lothian
Inaugural: January 9th 2016
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Loch Leven
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Kinross-shire
Council Area: Perth and Kinross
Inaugural: August 11th 2018
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Lochend Woods
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: East Lothian
Council Area: East Lothian
Inaugural: March 23rd 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Lochore Meadows
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Fife
Council Area: Fife
Inaugural: May 19th 2018
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Meadowmill
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: East Lothian
Council Area: East Lothian
Inaugural: February 9th 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Montrose
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Angus
Council Area: Angus
Inaugural: July 8th 2017
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Mount Stuart
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Buteshire
Council Area: Argyll and Bute
Inaugural: September 7th 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Nairn Links
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Nairnshire
Council Area: Highland
Inaugural: March 29th 2025
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Oriam
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Midlothian
Council Area: City of Edinburgh
Inaugural: November 2nd 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Palacerigg Country
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Dunbartonshire
Council Area: North Lanarkshire
Inaugural: August 27th 2022
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Perth
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Perthshire
Council Area: Perth and Kinross
Inaugural: November 30th 2013
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Plean
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Stirlingshire
Council Area: Stirling
Inaugural: November 18th 2017
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Polkemmet Country
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: West Lothian
Council Area: West Lothian
Inaugural: May 25th 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Pollok, Glasgow
I have not yet completed this event
Original name: Glasgow. Due to the growth of parkrun and the addition of three other events within the city, it was renamed to Pollok to reflect its specific location in Pollok Country Park.
Historic County: Lanarkshire
Council Area: Glasgow City
Inaugural: December 6th 2008
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Portobello, Edinburgh
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Midlothian
Council Area: City of Edinburgh
Inaugural: April 18th 2015
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Queen’s, Glasgow
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Lanarkshire
Council Area: Glasgow City
Inaugural: February 25th 2012
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Riverside Park, Glenrothes
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Fife
Council Area: Fife
Inaugural: June 14th 2024
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Ruchill
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Lanarkshire
Council Area: Glasgow City
Inaugural: April 15th 2017
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Skinadin
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Inverness-shire
Council Area: Highland
Inaugural: August 10th 2024
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Springburn
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Lanarkshire
Council Area: Glasgow City
Inaugural: May 10th 2014
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
St Andrews
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Fife
Council Area: Fife
Inaugural: April 21st 2012
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Stonehaven
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Kincardineshire
Council Area: Aberdeenshire
Inaugural: September 10th 2016
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Strathclyde
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Lanarkshire
Council Area: North Lanarkshire
Inaugural: April 10th 2010
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Thurso
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Caithness
Council Area: Highland
Inaugural: April 14th 2018
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Tollcross
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Lanarkshire
Council Area: Glasgow City
Inaugural: May 18th 2013
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Torvean
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Inverness-shire
Council Area: Highland
Inaugural: September 4th 2021
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Troon
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Ayrshire
Council Area: South Ayrshire
Inaugural: December 2nd 2017
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
University of Stirling
I completed this event on: September 24th 2022 with a finish time of: 24:20
Other routes touched (walk): Henry Milne Walk
Historic County: Stirlingshire
Council Area: Stirling
Inaugural: October 12th 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Ury Riverside
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Aberdeenshire
Council Area: Aberdeenshire
Inaugural: November 2nd 2019
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Victoria
I completed this event on: June 6th 2026 with a finish time of: 28:40
Other routes touched: None
Historic County: Lanarkshire
Council Area: Glasgow City
Inaugural: October 12th 2013
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Vogrie
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Midlothian
Council Area: Midlothian
Inaugural: March 11th 2017
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Wallaceneuk
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Roxburghshire
Council Area: Scottish Borders
Inaugural: January 18th 2020
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
West Bay, Dunoon
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Argyllshire
Council Area: Argyll and Bute
Inaugural: August 8th 2026
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
West Links
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Angus
Council Area: Angus
Inaugural: January 15th 2022
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Whitekirk Hill
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: East Lothian
Council Area: East Lothian
Inaugural: September 16th 2023
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Wilton Lodge Park
I have not yet completed this event
Historic County: Roxburghshire
Council Area: Scottish Borders
Inaugural: April 11th 2026
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
More parkrun posts
parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.
Featured and popular parkrun posts:
Permanently Cancelled UK parkrun events
While there are new parkrun events starting on most weeks, occasionally events are permanently cancelled. The most common reason is due to landowners withdrawing permission, either due to safety or capacity concerns.
There are currently 37 permanently cancelled 5k parkrun events in the UK that were publicly accessible. There’s also 22 permanently cancelled 2k junior parkrun events that have been permanently cancelled. A further 18 events on closed facilities (e.g. prisons), plus one overseas military base, are also permanently cancelled. There’s a few exceptions which are not included in these numbers and the details on this page.
Events that have changed their name but kept the same core team and continued the event numbers are not counted here. See my parkrun Name Changers blog post for these. Examples are Bakewell parkrun which became Monsall Trail and Darley Abbey which became Markeaton.
Morden Hall, Greater London was held as a one-off on June 6th 2009 as part of the Wandle Valley Festival. Following the event, the National Trust grounds were deemed unsuitable for a permanent weekly 5k, likely due to concerns about the impact of regular footfall on the delicate nature of the park or congestion on the paths.
Middlesbrough Stewart, North-East England held 3 events on Wednesday nights.
There were 4 bespoke parkrun events that were held in 2011/2012. These were: Bramhall Park (6th Sep 2011), Harrogate (7th Jan 2012), Highbury Fields (26th July 2012), Oldham (16th Sep 2012).
The first UK parkrun event to be permanently cancelled was Little Stoke which ended on May 7th 2016. The most recent is Frogmary Green Farm which closed on September 26th 2026.
Ipswich was the event that had the most event numbers before closing at 574. Wythall closed after only 1 event.
Many of these events retain a strong community who would love to see them return, either at the same venue or nearby. I’ll update this page if any return. Note that although Brighouse has been closed since February 24th 2024 I’ve received a lot of feedback that there are plans to restart it. I’ve not included it in the listings but I’ll add it in if it doesn’t come back.
Let me know if you have any corrections or additional information to add to this page either by commenting below or via my Contact page. I’m also looking to add photos of the cancelled events, especially the parkrun event name banner. I’ll donate £1 to parkrun for every correction, additional fact or photo used.
Red crosses indicate permanently cancelled public parkrun events. Orange crosses indicate permanently cancelled parkrun events on closed facilities.
Aston Hall
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: West Midlands
Historic County: Warwickshire
Ceremonial County: West Midlands
Inaugural: October 14th 2023. Final event: #34 on August 24th 2024
Reason for cancellation: Due a lack of core team. The local football club foundation had invested heavily into the event and made commitments in the process which were then never fully fulfilled. Unfortunately, there is no nearby running club and the local community also didn’t embrace the arrival of parkrun. This meant despite lots of effort by the ambassadors and local other parkruns no core team was ever built and most runners each week were tourists being no regular volunteer base could be established.
Links: Event Home Page
Photos by: Lucas Farls, Paul France, Roderick Hoffman, Amy Louis, Anna McManus, Chris Reeler, Carlo Di Terlizzi, Jo Yarnall, Charlotte Small, Tony Hardy
Bodelwyddan Castle
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: Wales
Historic County: Flintshire
Preserved County: Clwyd
Principal Area: Denbighshire
Inaugural: August 18th 2018. Final event: #35 on June 29th 2019
Reason for cancellation: Closure of the castle and grounds to the public.
Replaced by: Nova Prestatyn (maybe not officially but many of the core team moved there)
Links: Event Home Page, Wikipedia
Photos by: Graham Holland
Caldicot
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: Wales
Historic County: Monmouthshire
Preserved County: Gwent
Principal Area: Monmouthshire
Inaugural: July 29th 2017. Final event: #7 on October 14th 2017
Reason for cancellation: Suspended due to railway works. From a source: “It was an out and back using a RUPP ‘road used as public path’, this was a narrow tarmac track that ran parallel with the railway that was not commonly used by the locals. However, within a few weeks of parkrun starting, some residents decided they needed to drive there cars down the track between 9 and 10 o’clock.”
Replaced by: Rogiet
Links: Event Home Page
Photo by: Tony Hardy
Castle Howard
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: Yorkshire and the Humber
Historic County: Yorkshire
Ceremonial County: North Yorkshire
Inaugural: September 14th 2019. Final event: #23 on March 7th 2020
Reason for cancellation: The owners (the Howard Family) felt the parkrun got in the way of their daily operation & opening hours. Also - dissolution of the core volunteer team.
Links: Event Home Page
Photos by: Matt Johnson, Michael Ingham, Victoria Knight-Phillips, Siân Siân, Heather Thomas
Catterick
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: Yorkshire and the Humber.
Historic County: Yorkshire
Ceremonial County: North Yorkshire
Inaugural: June 17th 2017. Final event: #135 on March 14th 2020
Reason for cancellation: Catterick racecourse management decided they could no longer host it, citing reasons like public liability risks, potential disturbance to the on-site fishing club, and plans for their own redevelopment.
Replaced by: Thorp Perrow
Links: Event Home Page
Photo by: Gail Jazmik, Katherine Richards
Churchfields Farm
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: West Midlands
Historic County: Worcestershire
Ceremonial County: Worcestershire
Inaugural: December 29th 2018. Final event: #41 on October 19th 2019
Reason for cancellation: Churchfields farm business model changed after Covid with an increase in weddings and other events which bought them more money than parkrun. The increase in numbers that this bought meant they could no longer accommodate parkrun. In addition in winter prior to the pandemic the underfoot conditions with it being on a working farm meant it had not run for much of it either
Links: Event Home Page
Photos by: Carlo Di Terlizzi, Andy Southall, Linda Wheeler
Cuerden Valley
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: North West England
Historic County: Lancashire
Ceremonial County: Lancashire
Inaugural: August 10th 2013. Final event: #329 on March 14th 2020
Reason for cancellation: Due to financial struggles and a belief by the Cuerden Valley Trust that parkrun, a national organization, should contribute financially to the park's upkeep.
Replaced by: many of the core team moved to Worden
Links: Event Home Page
Photo by: Gail Jazmik
Dallas Burston Polo Club
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: West Midlands.
Historic County: Warwickshire
Ceremonial County: Warwickshire
Inaugural: October 16th 2021. Final event: #83 on November 25th 2023
Reason for cancellation: Due to ongoing land improvements and development at the estate, which made the parkrun route unusable and unsustainable.
Links: Event Home Page
Photos by: Carlo Di Terlizzi, Lynda Skerratt, Linda Wheeler, Rhiannon Williams, Julia Zimmek, Charlotte Small, Richard Lewis
Ellenbrook Fields
I completed this event on: June 17th 2017 with a finish time of: 25:52
Region: East of England
Historic County: Hertfordshire
Ceremonial County: Hertfordshire
This event was also part of Chilterns parkrun
Inaugural: May 21st 2016. Final Event: #203 on March 14th 2020
Reason for cancellation: Event organisers could not secure the necessary permission from the landowners to continue hosting the event after the COVID-19 pause.
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
Photos by: Roderick Hoffman, Claudia Selina, Maria Wcks
The final stetch of Ellenbrook fields course used the old De Havilland (1930's to 1990's) concrete runway.
Epworth Equestrian
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: Yorkshire and the Humber
Historic County: Lincolnshire
Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire
Inaugural: July 29th 2023. Final event: #59 on October 12th 2024
Reason for cancellation: Due to low café usage.
Replaced by: Vermuyden Way
Links: Event Home Page
Photos by: Joanna Bailey, Jason Clift-Jones, Paul France, Amanda M-h, Lou Mann, Siân Siân, Alexander J. Thomas, Claire Wilke, Jo Yarnall, Gail Bramall, Mary Eagers
Fritton Lake
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: East of England
Historic County: Norfolk
Ceremonial County: Norfolk
Inaugural: May 5th 2012. Final event: #356 on March 30th 2019
Reason for cancellation: Due to the venue's new management who implemented charges for event use, which clashed with parkrun's free, volunteer-led model, leading to disagreements over costs, event scale, and health/safety responsibilities.
Links: Event Home Page
Photo by: Lorna Salmon
Frogmary Green Farm
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: South West England
Historic County: Somerset
Ceremonial County: Somerset
Inaugural: March 22nd 2022. Final event: #228 on September 26th 2026
Reason for cancellation: “Unfortunately it has been decided that the Parkrun can no longer take place at Frogmary Farm...we have a responsibility as a business to carefully consider the health and safety risks associated with the increasing volume of runners, as well as the impact this has on the other businesses operating on site.” (posted on the event’s news page on September 20th 2026)
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Photos by: Frogmary Green Farm Facebook page, Vanessa Armond
Gainsborough
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: East Midlands
Historic County: Lincolnshire
Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire
Inaugural: May 30th 2015. Final event: #242 on March 14th 2020
Reason for cancellation: Didn’t restart after Covid as some of the land had planning permission for housing, which went ahead.
Replaced by: Thonock Lane Farm
Links: Event Home Page
Photo by: Simon Blacknell
Gibside
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: North East England.
Historic County: County Durham.
Ceremonial County: Tyne and Wear
Inaugural: February 22nd 2014. Final event: #280 on March 14th 2020
Reason for cancellation: Due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and changes on the Gibside estate (National Trust property) making the original course unviable.
Replaced by: Chopwell Wood
Links: Event Home Page
Photo by: Siân Siân, Kathy Brown, Graham Holland
Hanbury Hall
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: West Midlands
County: Worcestershire
Ceremonial County: Worcestershire
Inaugural: July 2nd 2016. Final event: #26 on December 31st 2016
Reason for cancellation: Its paths and terrain weren't suitable for the large numbers of runners, with concerns about safety on muddy, uneven ground, especially as it wasn't a public park.
Links: Event Home Page
Hatfield Forest
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: East of England.
Historic County: Essex
Ceremonial County: Essex
Inaugural: March 21st 2015. Final event: #131 on September 23rd 2017
Reason for cancellation: The venue couldn't sustain the growing event, mainly due to a lack of all-weather parking, leading to difficult conditions in winter and limited space.
Replaced by: Castle Park
Links: Event Home Page
Photo by: Roderick Hoffman
Heartwood Forest
I completed this event on: January 20th 2018 with a finish time of: 28:00
Region: East of England
Historic County: Hertfordshire
Ceremonial County: Hertfordshire
Inaugural: July 29th 2017. Final event: #47 on October 6th 2018
Reason for cancellation: Due to challenges with sustainability, traffic, and potential negative impacts on the growing woodland.
Replaced by: Jersey Farm
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
Photos by: Roderick Hoffman, Lara Pocock, Lynn Tarrant, Jo Brooks
Henstridge Airfield
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: South West England
Historic County: Somerset
Ceremonial County: Somerset
Inaugural: September 8th 2018. Final Event: #167 on September 2nd 2023
Reason for cancellation: The Event Directors decided they no longer wanted to run it, and without their specific site knowledge for ensuring safety, the Landlord required the event to stop, as no one else with the necessary skills stepped up to take over.
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Photos by: Jane Bell, Kay Boorman, Steve Callow, Hayley Southgate, Julia Zimmek
Inverness
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: Scotland.
Historic County: Inverness-shire
Council Area: Highland
Inaugural: September 3rd 2011. Final event: #432 on March 14th 2020
Reason for cancellation: Original venue became unavailable
Replaced by: Torvean
Links: Event Home Page
Photos by: Gareth Llewellyn, Paul Watt, Lynsey Miles
Ipswich
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: East of England
Historic County: Suffolk
Ceremonial County: Suffolk
Inaugural: September 8th 2012. Final event: #574 on January 18th 2025.
Reason for cancellation: Severe weather and overuse (high footfall) damaging Chantry Park, leading to a need to rest the venue and explore route changes, with organisers working with the council for a return, which eventually happened at a new location, Christchurch Park.
Replaced by: Christchurch Park which was previously the winter course for Ipswich.
Links: Event Home Page
Photos by: Fiona Earl, Roderick Hoffman, Dominique Sellors, Robert Sprurgeon, Hailey Swailes, Paul Watt
Knockbracken Reservoir
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: Northern Ireland
Historic County: County Down
Inaugural: February 29th 2020. Final event: #189 on June 28th 2025
Reason for cancellation: Organisers couldn't reach a compromise with the landowner, Let's Go Hydro, regarding the use of their private grounds.
Replaced by: Belvoir Forest
Photos by: Michael Conway, Linda Harley Gillespie, Jocasta Williams
Little Stoke
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: South West England.
Historic County: Gloucestershire
Ceremonial County: Gloucestershire
Inaugural: November 3rd 2012. Final event: #173 on May 7th 2016
Reason for cancellation: Stoke Gifford Parish Council demanded charges (initially £1 per runner, then for park maintenance), which parkrun organisers, said contradicted the event's free, volunteer-led ethos and would set a dangerous precedent, leading organisers to withdraw the event on safety and principle grounds.
Replaced by: Many of the Little Stoke core team went to Eastville, Three Brooks, Pomphrey Hill and Chipping Sodbury
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Photos by: Louise Duggan, Roderick Hoffman, Claire Wilkie, Tony Hardy, Michelle Peacey
Llanelli Coast
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: Wales
Historic County: Carmarthenshire
Preserved County: Dyfed
Principal Area: Carmarthenshire
Inaugural: November 19th 2016. Final event: #161 on March 7th 2020
Reason for cancellation: Not due to a single event, but rather its operations shifted to become the nearby Sandy Water parkrun, though the original site faced issues like flooding and changing conditions over time.
Replaced by: Sandy Water
Photo by: Gareth Tucker, Jane Pritchard
Links: Event Home Page
Markshall
This parkrun event has been permanently cancelled. I did not complete this event before it was closed.
Original name: Markshall Estate. Shortened to simplify the event name and align with parkrun HQ's naming guidelines.
Historic County: Essex
Ceremonial County: Essex
Inaugural: November 13th 2021. Final event: #229 on August 22nd 2026
Reason for cancellation: “The continued growth has resulted in increased pressures being put on Markshall’s infrastructure, facilities and personnel, resulting in recent parkrun events being temporarily cancelled. Representatives from both parkrun and Markshall have worked hard to resolve these issues but unfortunately, they could not be resolved satisfactorily.” (posted on the event’s news page on September 30th 2026)
Photos by: Len Marten, Dilly Ruffer, Jo Brooks, Rachel Hill, Clare Mitchell, Alison Bullyment
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
Mountbatten School
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: South East England.
Historic County: Hampshire
Ceremonial County: Hampshire
Inaugural: March 2nd 2019. Final event: #46 on March 14th 2020
Reason for cancellation: The company who ran the Mountbatten School Site removed permission.
Replaced by: Ganger Farm
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Photo by: Roderick Hoffman, Catherine Brook, Lynn Tarrant, Helen Rees, Michael Coleman
Mulbarton
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: East of England
Historic County: Norfolk
Ceremonial County: Norfolk
Inaugural: March 16th 2013. Final event: #322 on February 8th 2020
Reason for cancellation: The core team couldn't secure necessary landowner permissions and found no viable permanent alternative location.
Links: Event Home Page
Photo By: Amanda M-h (notparkrun during “the pause”)
New Earswick
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: Yorkshire and The Humber
Historic County: Yorkshire
Ceremonial County: North Yorkshire
Inaugural: April 21st 2018. Final event: #241 on August 30th 2025
Reason for cancellation: Due to unresolved capacity issues and conflicts with other activities at the New Earswick Sports & Social Club, the venue's home, leading to unsafe overlaps, parking complaints, and inability to find a workable solution
Links: Event Home Page
Photos by: Joanna Bailey, Clare Griffiths, Amanda M-h, Hah Nah, Siân Siân, Claire Wilkie
Skegness Boating Lake
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: East Midlands
Historic County: Lincolnshire
Ceremonial County: Lincolnshire
Inaugural: December 28th 2019. Final event: #12 on March 14th 2020
Reason for cancellation: During covid the main carpark entrance for Skegness was moved, it now goes across the course path whereas previously it didn’t.
Links: Event Home Page
Photo By: Ali Sheppard
Storeys Field
I completed this event on: July 15th 2023 with a finish time of: 27:07
Region: East of England.
Historic County: Cambridgeshire
Ceremonial County: Cambridgeshire
Inaugural: July 31st 2021. Final event: #206 on August 30th 2025
Reason for cancellation: A new road was built directly through its course in the Eddington development, making the route unsafe and unviable.
Replaced by: Brook Leys
Links: Event Home Page, Course page
Photos by: Jess Furber, Sarah Kimberley, Paul Miles, Terry Robert Spurgeon
Storthes Hall
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: Yorkshire and the Humber.
Historic County: Yorkshire
Ceremonial County: West Yorkshire
Inaugural: January 19th 2019. Final event: #50 on March 14th 2020
Reason for cancellation: The Storthes Hall Student Village, its host venue, closed down due to business challenges.
Links: Event Home Page
Photo by: Viki Bee Clarke, Gail Jazmik, Finbar Morley
Stranmillis College
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: Northern Ireland.
Historic County: County Antrim
Inaugural: February 2nd 2019. Final event: #54 on March 14th 2020
Reason for cancellation: Due to increasing conflicts with the college's sporting activities, particularly football, meaning the event couldn't safely run when pitches were in use from late summer to mid-February, leading to a mutual decision to stop the weekly run
Photos by: Linda Harley Gillespie
Tees Barrage
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: North East England.
Historic County: County Durham
Ceremonial County: County Durham
Inaugural: June 23rd 2012. Final event: #378 on March 14th 2020
Reason for cancellation: Reportedly due to a runner tripping and injuring themselves then making a claim against the water authority who are the landowners. The landowners decided not to continue with permission to allow the event.
Replaced by: “Sure some of the core team set up Wynyard Woodlands as its replacement”
Links: Event Home Page
Photo by: Siân Siân, Amy Flemming, Gail Robinson, Angela Cox
Tring
I completed this event on: November 22nd 2014 with a finish time of: 27:01
Region: East of England
Historic County: Hertfordshire
Ceremonial County: Hertfordshire
This event was also part of Chilterns parkrun
Inaugural: November 1st 2014. Final Event: #293 on March 14th 2020
Reason for cancellation: The Woodland Trust, which manages Tring Park, withdrew permission for the event for reasons that both the Landowners, local community and parkrun UK rejected.
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
Photo by: Ken Douglas, Roderick Hoffman, David McKillop, Claudia Selina, Kathy Brown, Becky Willoughby
Victoria Dock
I completed this event on: April 28th 2018 with a finish time of: 24:23
Region: Greater London
Historic County: Essex
Greater London Borough: Newham.
Inaugural: March 17th 2018. Final Event: #272 on December 20th 2025
Reason for cancellation: Per the Victoria Dock parkrun Facebook page: “Victoria Dock has always relied entirely on volunteers. Sadly, despite our best efforts, we’ve reached a point where we no longer have enough volunteers to continue the event sustainably. This has been the deciding factor in our decision to close.”
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page, blog7t write-up
Photos By: Victoria Dock parkrun Facebook Page, Richard Gower
Wolford Wood
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: West Midlands.
Historic County: Warwickshire
Ceremonial County: Warwickshire
Inaugural: February 11th 2023. Final event: #60 on November 16th 2024
Reason for cancellation: Wolford Wood was a SSSI and badly affected by the weather so couldn’t run for much of the time and the landowners decided to end their support.
Replaced by: Fire Service College. Wolford Wool was started when Fire Service College became unavailable so was technically a replacement event itself.
Links: Event Home Page
Photos by: Jane Bell, Cheryl Currant, Mike Lewis, Paul Miles, Rhiannon Williams, Jennifer Smith, Tony Hardy
Wythall
I did not complete this event before it was closed
Region: West Midlands
County: Worcestershire
Ceremonial County: Worcestershire
Inaugural: September 16th 2017. Final event: #1 on September 16th 2017
Reason for cancellation: “Wythall Park Community Association have voted against allowing parkrun to continue at their venue, as it "would suffer disproportionate damage".”
Links: Event Home Page
Yeovil Montacute
I completed this event on: September 15th 2018 with a finish time of: 25:41
Region: South West England
Historic County: Somerset
Ceremonial County: Somerset
Inaugural: September 7th 2013. Final Event: #295 on March 14th 2020
Reason for cancellation: Per the core team: “as the core team put it "Unfortunately we are a victim of our own success - the increasing numbers of people attending prior to the pandemic were having an increasing impact on the Trust’s ability to care for the Grade I listed parkland"
Links: Event Home Page, Course Page
Photos by: Gail Benghiat, Kelly Croft, Yvonne Faulkner-Grant, Roderick Hoffman, Sue Freegard, Richard Gower
Permanently Cancelled junior parkrun events
Barking and Dagenham juniors
Region: Greater London. Borough: Barking and Dagenham
Inaugural: 13 April 2014. Final event: #379 on 21 May 2023
Replaced by: Barking junior parkrun
Links: Event Home Page
Bold Forest juniors
Region: North West England. County: Merseyside
Inaugural: 13 August 2017. Final event: #119 on 15 March 2020
Links: Event Home Page
Brentwood juniors
Region: East of England. County: Essex
Inaugural: 30 October 2016. Final event: #166 on 09 January 2022
Replaced by: Hutton Recreation Ground junior parkrun
Links: Event Home Page
Brighouse juniors
Region: Yorkshire and the Humber. County: West Yorkshire
Inaugural: 24 December 2017. Final event: #218 on 25 February 2024
Replaced by: Harold Park junior parkrun
Links: Event Home Page
Castle Park juniors
Region: North West England. County: Cheshire
Notes: This event closed before starting. There were no actual events held for the public.
Craigswood juniors
Region: Scotland. County: Lothian
Inaugural: 03 March 2019. Final event: #54 on 15 March 2020
Links: Event Home Page
Daventry juniors
Region: East Midlands. County: Northamptonshire
Inaugural: 19 June 2016. Final event: #210 on 24 April 2022
Links: Event Home Page
Dixton juniors
Region: Wales. County: Gwent
Inaugural: 08 December 2019. Final event: #210 on 24 August 2025
Replaced by: Chippenham Playing Fields junior parkrun
Links: Event Home Page
Dover juniors
Region: South East England. County: Kent
Inaugural: 16 October 2016. Final event: #155 on 15 March 2020
Links: Event Home Page
Lakes juniors
Region: South East England. County: Buckinghamshire
Inaugural: 17 February 2019. Final event: #53 on 15 March 2020
Links: Event Home Page
Llanelli Coast juniors
Region: Wales. County: Dyfed
Inaugural: 30 July 2017. Final event: #97 on 26 January 2020
Replaced by: Peoples Park junior parkrun
Links: Event Home Page
Melton Mowbray juniors
Region: East Midlands. County: Leicestershire
Inaugural: 29 October 2017. Final event: #185 on 21 August 2022
Replaced by: Play Close Park junior parkrun
Links: Event Home Page
Northwich juniors
Region: North West England. County: Cheshire
Inaugural: 27 March 2016. Final event: #191 on 15 March 2020
Links: Event Home Page
Nostell juniors
Region: Yorkshire and the Humber. County: West Yorkshire
Inaugural: 26 June 2016. Final event: #94 on 03 June 2018
Replaced by: Pontefract junior parkrun
Links: Event Home Page
Park Wood juniors
Region: South East England. County: Kent
Inaugural: 15 January 2017. Final event: #264 on 14 January 2024
Replaced by: Mote Park junior parkrun
Links: Event Home Page
Peel Park juniors
Region: North West England. County: Greater Manchester
Inaugural: 12 May 2019. Final event: #39 on 15 March 2020
Links: Event Home Page
Poole juniors
Region: South West England. County: Dorset
Inaugural: 03 January 2016. Final event: #139 on 02 December 2018
Links: Event Home Page
Reculver juniors
Region: South East England. County: Kent
Inaugural: 11 February 201. Final event: #101 on 15 March 2020
Replaced by: Herne Bay Memorial Park junior parkrun
Links: Event Home Page
Shelley juniors
Region: Yorkshire and the Humber. County: West Yorkshire
Inaugural: 10 June 2018. Final event: #151 on 15 October 2023
Links: Event Home Page
Strathmartine juniors
Region: Scotland. County: Tayside
Inaugural: 05 February 2017. Final event: #156 on 08 March 2020
Replaced by: Baxter Park junior parkrun
Links: Event Home Page
West Smethwick juniors
Region: West Midlands. County: Staffordshire
Inaugural: 15 March 2020. Final event: #1 on 15 March 2020
Links: Event Home Page
Whiteley juniors
Region: South East England. County: Hampshire
Inaugural: 14 October 2018. Final event: #68 on 15 March 2020
Links: Event Home Page
Permanently Cancelled parkruns on closed facilities
Altcourse
Historic County: Lancashire. Ceremonial County: Merseyside
Inaugural: November 16th 2019. Final event: #15 on March 14th 2020
Links: Event Home Page
Appleton Thorn
Region: North West England. County: Cheshire
Inaugural: November 30th 2019. Final event: #39 on December 13th 2025
Links: Event Home Page
Bear Brook
Region: South East England. County: Buckinghamshire
Inaugural: January 11th 2020. Final event: #9 on March 14th 2020
Links: Event Home Page
Camp Bastion
Region: Overseas Military Bases. Country: Afghanistan
Inaugural: September 3rd 2011. Final event: #111 on January 11th 2014
Links: Event Home Page, Wikipedia
Clougha Pike
Region: North West England. County: Lancashire
Inaugural: November 16th 2024. Final event: #37 on August 16th 2025
Links: Event Home Page
Cromhall
Region: South West England. County: Gloucestershire
Inaugural: January 19th 2019. Final event: #134 on March 30th 2024
Links: Event Home Page
East Sutton Park
Region: South East England. County: Kent
Inaugural: March 12th 2022. Final event: #9 on August 13th 2022
Links: Event Home Page
Elmley
Region: South East England. County: Kent
Inaugural: April 16th 2022. Final event: #42 on March 4th 2023
Links: Event Home Page
Fort Road
Region: South East England. County: Kent
Inaugural: May 18th 2024. Final event: #30 on February 15th 2025
Links: Event Home Page
Freckleton Road
Region: North West England. County: Lancashire
Inaugural: November 26th 2022. Final event: #71 on November 9th 2024
Links: Event Home Page
Grove
Region: South West England. County: Dorset
Inaugural: January 25th 2020. Final event: #8 on March 14th 2020
Links: Event Home Page
Hollesley Bay
Region: East of England. County: Suffolk
Inaugural: June 29th 2019. Final event: #36 on June 25th 2022
Links: Event Home Page
Onley
Region: East Midlands. County: Warwickshire
Inaugural: July 1st 2023. Final event: #25 on March 23rd 2024
Links: Event Home Page
Portrack
Region: North East England. County: County Durham
Inaugural: August 20th 2022. Final event: #104 on December 28th 2024
Links: Event Home Page
Prescoed
Region: Wales. County: Monmouthshire / Gwent
Inaugural: November 13th 2021. Final event: #11 on March 26th 2022
Links: Event Home Page
Sands Lane
Region: Yorkshire and the Humber. County: East Riding of Yorkshire
Inaugural: February 22nd 2020. Final event: #50 on July 15th 2023
Links: Event Home Page
Swinfen
Region: West Midlands. County: Staffordshire
Inaugural: May 11th 2019. Final event: #48 on March 14th 2020
Links: Event Home Page
Wayland
Region: East of England. County: Norfolk
Inaugural: April 14th 2018. Final event: #93 on March 14th 2020
Links: Event Home Page
Contributors
The great people of the parkrun Tourism community who provided input to this page. Photo credits are listed above in the relevant event section.
Tan Ratty Blot, Richard Borrowdale, Kevin Botto, Cheryl Booker, Catherine Brook, Liz, Burkey, Shane Chapman, Jason V. Clift-Jones, Joanne Collins, Cheryl Currant, Ken Douglas, Nicola Douglas, John Flannery, Nicola Francis, Martin Gebbett, Linda Harley Gillespie, Roderick Hoffman, Neil Holloway, Olly Hughes, Matt Johnson, Chris Lillywhite, Anton Mirafsari, Anna McManus, Finbarr Morley, Rob Ogelsby, Charlie Pearce, Ian Penson, Jonathan Webb, Becky Weaver-Clarke, Jocasta Williams, Yvonne Faulkner-Grant, Gareth Tucker, Gail Bramall, Jennifer Smith, Catherine Brook, Maria Wcks, Lynn Tarrant, Mary Eagers, Lynsey Miles, Kathy Brown, Amy Flemming, Charlotte Small, Gail Robinson, Helen Rees, Graham Holland, Jane Pritchard, Callum Burrell, Tony Hardy, Becky Willoughby, Jo Brooks, Simon Blacknell, Michelle Peacey, Michael Coleman, Angela Cox, Kevin Arnold
More parkrun posts
parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.
Featured and popular parkrun posts:
Trig Pillar Extremes
If you’ve searched for or stumbled across this page then you probably already know what an OS Trig Pillar is. If you don’t then this article from the Ordnance Survey is a good place to start.
Over 6,000 Trig Pillars were erected across the country from 1936 to 1962. The first known person to have visited all of them was Rob Woodall who completed his 14-year personal quest in April 2016. At the time of writing this I’ve also been visiting Trig Pillars for over 14 years but so far I’ve bagged less than 5%. While I don’t have the need to bag them all, I’d be happy with an “interesting 10%”. These would include all of the pillars on the UK County Tops and, as it’s close to home, all of South East England. After a geeky pub conversation somewhere in Scotland after a County Top climb, I also took an interest in the extremes: the oldest, the newest, the furthest north, east, south and west. This post shows the results of my research so far into what are those extreme Trig Pillars.
Let me know if you have any corrections to the information on this page or any suggestions for other extreme Trig Pillars. I’ll donate £1 to one of the outdoor causes that I support for any edit made.
Trig Pillar Compass Club
The spreadsheet below shows the same Trig Pillars as in the map above. Note that those highlighted in yellow are ones that I’m less confident in. Comment below if you can confirm or correct any of these.
Other Extremes
First Trig Pillar installed: TP0256 - Cold Ashby, Northamptonshire. Installed on April 18th 1936. See article
Last Trig Pillar installed: TP6459 - Thorny Gale, Cumbria. Installed on 4th June 1962.
Highest Trig Pillar: TP1289 - Ben Nevis, Scotland. 1,344m elevation. See blog post.
Lowest Trig Pillar: TP4449 - Little Ouse, Norfolk. -1m elevation.
Most Remote: TP6131 - St Kilda. 35miles north west of North Uist in the Western Isles.
Longest time missing (England): TP4355 - Langstone - 78 years. Destroyed August 1945 by erosion & refound in shingle more or less intact Aug 2023.
Longest time missing (Wales): TP7409 - Crug Yr Afan - 70 years. Destroyed in June 1937 and its remains were rediscovered in November 2006.
Longest time missing (Scotland): TP5490 - Polloktown - 43 years.
Most travelled from original location: TP3015 - Eastwood moved from Rayleigh Essex to Diss in Norfolk.
Thanks to Mark Brace and Ross Lockley for their contributions to this page.
Ben MacDui: Aberdeenshire & Banffshire County Top
Ascent to Macdui with Loch Morlich in the background
Also Known As: Beinn Macduibh
Significance: Historic County Top for Aberdeenshire & Banffshire
Member of: UK County Tops, Scotland County/Unitary Authority High Points, Marilyns, Munros
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Ben Nevis
Elevation: 1,309m
Date climbed: June 13th 2025
Coordinates: 57° 4' 14'' N, 3° 40' 9'' W
Route Start & Finish: Cairngorm Mountain Upper Cas Car Park, Aviemore, PH22 1RB
Route Distance: 17.4 km (10.8 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 1.027m
Subsidiary tops on route: Ben Macdui - North Top (1,295m), Cairn Lochan (1,215m), Stob Coire an t-Sneachda (1,176m), Cairn Gorm - Fiacaill a' Choire Chois (1,141m), Cairn Gorm (1,244m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Cairn Gorm Trail, Miadan Path
OS Trig Pillar: TP1286 - Ben Macdhui
Pubs / Cafes on route: Cairngorm Cafe at Cairngorm Mountain Base Station and at Ptarmigan Station
Map: Cairn Gorm & Aviemore: Sheet 403 (OS Explorer Map)
Links: Wikipedia: (Aberdeenshire / Banffshire / Ben Macdui), Peakbagger
Ben Macdui is the Historic County Top for both Banffshire and Aberdeenshire and the 2nd highest of all of the UK County Tops. We bagged it in 2025 on our annual County Top weekend trip, along with the Historic County Tops of Nairnshire and Morayshire.
This was The Big One of our annual Scottish County Tops trips so far. Having worked our way through the southern Scottish summits it was now time to take on the 2nd highest summit in the UK. It was also the reason why we changed our trips from the end of September to mid-June. The Cairngorm plateau can be glorious in fine weather but dangerous in poor visibility. Moving to June would give us a highler chance of good weather and more hours of light to complete the trip. There’s several ways that you can approach Ben MacDui but we opted for a route that took in several other nearby peaks plus a trip on the Cairngorm Funicular.
Starting from the car park at the Cairngorm Mountain ski centre cross over the end of the ski runs to take the Cairn Gorm Trail in a south-westerly direction. After 4 km you’ll reach a split in the path where you’ll leave the Cairn Gorm Trail to keep on the Miadan Path heading south. You’ll reach the Trig Pillar at the summit of Ben Macdui after 8.5 km from the start.
At the summit we were grateful that we’d chosen to do the trip in June and that we had swapped from a rainy Saturday to a bright, dry Sunday. The views across the National Park were spectacular and made up for many cloudy ascents of UK high points in the past.
On a day of poor visibility the obvious route back would be to return the same way to the Base Station. As we had great weather and it was still early in the day we kept to our best-case plan and took the interesting route back, bagging more summits on the way. First up was Ben Macdui North-Top. This is just 700m from Ben Macdui summit and only 16m lower in elevation. From here you can decend carefully taking a north-westerly curve down the slope to rejoin the Miadan Path. Soon you’ll reach a split in the path where you’ll take the right-hand path heading north. At the 12 km mark leave the path to take a bearing up the slope to rejoin the Cairn Gorm Trail at the summit of Cairn Lochan.
After Cairn Lochan continue along the Cairn Gorm Trail in a north-easterly direction to the summit of Stob Coire an t-Sneachda then continue towards Cairn Gorm Mountain. Along the way you can take a minor diversion off the Trail to bag Fiacaill a' Choire Chois. After bagging Cairn Gorm, the 6th highest Munro, descend in a northerly direction to the Ptarmigan Station to visit the cafe, exhibition and the Funicular.
If you’re planning to take the Funicular check first that it’s running and don’t leave it too late in the day. We arrived an hour before the last train and were able to get onto one around 30 minutes after we arrived. If you miss the train or it’s not running you can also walk down via the Cairn Gorm Trail. Also note that you can only descend via the Funicular if you’ve been hiking as they don’t allow anyone out onto the hills if you’re using the train to ascend.
Carn a'Ghille Chearr: Morayshire County Top
After the rain: descent of Carn a'Ghille Chearr
Significance: Historic County Top for Morayshire (formerly Elginshire)
Member of: UK County Tops, Scotland County/Unitary Authority High Points, Marilyns
Parent Peak:
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Creagan a' Chaise
Elevation: 710m
Date climbed: June 13th 2025
Coordinates: 57° 21' 4'' N, 3° 25' 53'' W
Route Start & Finish: Car park at Ballcorach off the B9136
Route Distance: 11.6 km (7.2 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 497m
Subsidiary tops on route: Carn Eachie (705m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
OS Trig Pillar: TP2604 - Cromdale
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: OS Explorer OL61 Grantown-on-Spey & Hills of Cromdale
Links: Wikipedia: (Morayshire), Peakbagger
Carn a'Ghille Chearr is the Historic County Top for Morayshire and the 33rd highest of all of the UK County Tops. We bagged it in 2025 on our annual County Top weekend trip, along with the Historic County Tops of Nairnshire, Aberdeenshire and Banffshire.
In our original plan we were going to do Ben Macdui on the Saturday of our weekend away but, on checking the weather, we moved it to the dryer Sunday and went for the shorter, easier walk of Carn a'Ghille Chearr instead. It turned out to be a good choice, but did mean that we hardly got any views. In Jonny Muir’s UK County Tops book he describes it as “a miserable trudge through sopping bog over grassy tussocks” on a miserable day. We had a miserable day and Jonny was 100% correct.
The start of the route is a small free car park at Ballcorach off the B9136. Before you start take a few minutes to walk down to the banks of the River Avon for a nice view of the river and the bridge that you will have just driven across. To start the walk, first head north keeping to the western side of the river. After ~200m take the footpath on the left heading towards the mountain.
The route is straightforward with just one path leading up to the Trig Pillar at the summit. The path is well defined for most of the way but loses itself in the bog near the point where is curves towards Carn Eachie. We were in drizzly cloud by then so we relied on the GPS to keep us on track. We had read that there’s remains of a crashed plane between Carn Eachie and the summit but we couldn’t find anything despite a bit of hunting. Maybe it would have been obvious on a clear day.
On the return to strayed off route a bit, taking a more direct route to the start, cutting off the big curve that we came up on.
Càrn Glas-choire: Nairnshire County Top
Summit of Càrn Glas-choire
Significance: Historic County Top for Nairnshire
Member of: UK County Tops, Scotland County/Unitary Authority High Points, Marilyns, Grahams
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Geal-charn Mor
Elevation: 659m
Date climbed: June 13th 2025
Coordinates: 57° 20' 22'' N, 3° 50' 36'' W
Route Start & Finish: Parking spot 200m south of farm track to Aucherteang Cottage on the B9007.
Route Distance: 13.1 km (8.1 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 385m
Subsidiary tops on route: None
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
OS Trig Pillar: TP1956 - Carn Glas Choire
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Lochindorb, Grantown-on-Spey & Carrbridge Map | Caingorms National Park | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map OL60
Links: Wikipedia: (Nairnshire), Peakbagger
Càrn Glas-choire is the Historic County Top for Nairnshire and the 40th highest of all of the UK County Tops. We bagged it in 2025 on our annual County Top weekend trip, along with the Historic County Tops of Morayshire, Banffshire and Aberdeenshire.
We picked Càrn Glas-choire as the first of our weekend walks as it’s roughly 45 minutes from Inverness airport and on the way to Aviemore where we were staying. There’s not many options for parking but fortunately it’s not a popular mountain so it wasn’t a problem. We found a parking spot next to a gate a few minutes walk to the south of the route.
First find the track off the B9007 with the sign to Auchterteang Cottage and follow it in a north-easterly direction through the farm. The path soon crosses over Duthill Burn and continues to meander up the mountain to the trig point at the summit. It’s a well maintained path and navigation is simple. The only time that we needed to rely on our GPS was to check the return route down from the cloudy top.
We returned by the same route, completing the whole trek in just over 3 hours. After returning to the car we headed for a whisky at Glenlivet Distillery, a 10 minute drive away. It was a nice warm-up for the weekend but I don’t think this one will stand out in our memories of the full set of County Tops.
parkrun County Completion Names
parkrun Completion names are unofficial titles for having completed all of the parkrun events in a county. “LonDone” is one of the most popular and there’s frequent discussions on others in the various parkun social media groups. Below are the ones that I’ve noted over the years. For most I’ve forgotten or don’t know the original source so please comment below to claim credit. Also comment below if you have any other county completion names to fill the gaps. I’ll donate £1 to parkrun for any name added to the main list.
County names in bold link to a completion page showing the parkrun events for that county. I do one of these pages once I’ve completed at least 3 events in that county. If you would like to speed up the process, Buy Me a Coffee and I’ll create a new page for your chosen county and dedicate it to you.
English Counties
Shows both Historic and Ceremonial Counties. Ceremonial counties with a distinct name to the Historic County are indicated with a *. Where a county has been sub-divided (e.g. Sussex into East and West), I’ve shown the combined name.
Bedfordshire: Made the Beds
Berkshire: Complete Berk or Total Berk
Bristol: Brist-all
Buckinghamshire: Buck'ed Up
Cambridgeshire: Camb-which or Cambridge Don(e)
Cheshire: The Cheshire Set
County Durham: [not known - comment below if you have one]
Cumberland: [not known - comment below if you have one]
Cumbria*: Done-bria
Derbyshire: [not known - comment below if you have one]
Devon: Dev-done
Dorset: The Dor Set
Essex: PIED. Parkruns in Essex Done
Gloucestershire: Glos’d Over
Greater London*: LonDone
Greater Manchester*: Greater Ran-Chester
Hampshire: Champshire
Herefordshire: [not known - comment below if you have one]
Hertfordshire: King/Queen of Herts
Huntingdonshire: Huntingdone
Kent: Total Kent, Gar-Done of England
Lancashire: Rankashire
Leicestershire: Flaw-Leics
Lincolnshire: No Missing Lincs
Merseyside*: Mersey-Beat
Middlesex: [not known - comment below if you have one]
Norfolk: Norfolkers Left. That’s All Folks (for both Norfolk and Suffolk)
Northamptonshire: Northamp-done-shire
Northumberland: North-done-berland
Nottinghamshire: Get Nott’ed, Notting-done
Oxfordshire: Oxford Don(e)
Rutland: Rutland-ed
Shropshire: [not known - comment below if you have one]
Somerset: The Somer-Set
Staffordshire: Fully Staffed
Suffolk: PISD: Parkruns in Suffolk Done. That’s All Folks (for both Norfolk and Suffolk)
Surrey: SurreyALList
Sussex: Sussexful
Tyne and Wear*: Full Tyne
Warwickshire: [not known - comment below if you have one]
West Midlands*: West Didlands
Westmorland: [not known - comment below if you have one]
Wiltshire: Complete Bustard
Worcestershire: [not known - comment below if you have one]
Yorkshire: Yorkshire Pud-done
Others:
All-inside-the- M25: LonDone+ or Orbit-All
South East England: WHISK-E-BOB (thanks to Haley Southgate for the suggestion)
East Anglia: East Ranglia
Northern Irish Counties
Historic Counties:
Antrim: [not known - comment below if you have one]
Armagh: [not known - comment below if you have one]
Down: [not known - comment below if you have one]
Fermanagh: [not known - comment below if you have one]
Londonderry: [not known - comment below if you have one]
Tyrone: [not known - comment below if you have one]
Other:
All of Northern Ireland: Northern Entireland
Scottish Counties
Historic Counties
Aberdeenshire
Angus
Argyll
Ayrshire
Banffshire
Berwickshire
Bute
Caithness
Clackmannanshire
Dumfriesshire
Dunbartonshire
East Lothian
FifeInverness-shire
Kincardineshire
Kinross-shire
Kirkcudbrightshire
Lanarkshire
Midlothian
Moray
Nairnshire
Orkney
Peeblesshire
Perthshire
Renfrewshire
Ross and Cromarty
Roxburghshire
Selkirkshire
Stirlingshire
Sutherland
West Lothian
Wigtownshire
Zetland (Shetland)
Other:
All of Scotland: ALLba
Welsh Counties
Historic Counties:
Monmouthshire
Glamorganshire
Carmarthenshire
Pembrokeshire
Cardiganshire
Brecknockshire
Radnorshire
Montgomeryshire
Denbighshire
Flintshire
Merionethshire
Caernarfonshire
Anglesey
Preserved Counties:
South Glamorgan
Mid Glamorgan
West Glamorgan
Dyfed
Powys
Gwynedd
Clwyd
Other:
All of Wales: Plugged the Leek
More parkrun posts
parkruns are free, weekly, community 5k events all around the world. I started in December 2012 and have been obsessive about it ever since. See my parkrun Collection page for details.
Featured and popular parkrun posts:
Brimmond Hill: Aberdeen High Point
Approaching the summit of Brimmond Hill from the car park.
Significance: High Point for the City of Aberdeen Council Area
Member of: Scotland County/Unitary Authority High Points, Marilyns
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Cairn-mon-earn
Historic County: Aberdeenshire (of which Ben Macdui is the County Top)
Elevation: 266m
Date climbed: September 30th 2024
Coordinates: 57° 10' 23'' N, 2° 14' 22'' W
Route Start & Finish: Brimmond Hill Car Park, Aberdeen, AB15 8RQ
Route Distance: 2.6 km (1.6 mile)
Route Elevation change: +/- 100m
Subsidiary tops on route: None
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Brimmond Hill Circular
OS Trig Pillar: TP0666 - Brimmond
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Aberdeen & Banchory Map | Deeside Way | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 406
Links: Wikipedia: (Aberdeen / Brimmond Hill), Peakbagger
Brimmond Hill is the highest point in the present-day Council Area of Aberdeen within the Historic County of Aberdeenshire. We bagged this one in 2024 on the final day of our annual County Top trip having also visited the high point of Dundee City and the Historic County Tops of Angus and Kincardineshire.
This one can be bagged in a short out and back walk from the Brimmond Hill car park off the Borrowstone Road. It’s a 1.3 km walk the top which is marked by a Trig Pillar, a radio transmitter and a flag pole. It was a little misty when we were there but we still had a good view across to Aberdeen City, the airport and the surrounding hills.
We returned to the car-park via the same route but there’s also a circular option which returns via a path to the south adding around 500m to the total trip.
Mount Battock: Kincardineshire County Top
Path split on the circular route. Mount Battock in the distance
Significance: Historic County Top for Kincardineshire
Member of: UK County Tops, Scotland County/Unitary Authority High Points, Marilyns
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Mount Keen
Elevation: 778m
Date climbed: September 29th 2024
Coordinates: 56° 56' 57'' N, 2° 44' 31'' W
Route Start & Finish: Small parking space near Millden Lodge, Glen Esk
Route Distance: 15 km (9.3 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 637m
Subsidiary tops on route: Wester Cairn
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
OS Trig Pillar: TP0677 - Mount Battock
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Glen Esk and Glen Tanar (OS Explorer Map Series): No. 395
Links: Wikipedia: (Kincardineshire / Mount Battock), Peakbagger
Mount Battock is the Historic County Top for Kincardineshire and the 27th highest of all of the UK County Tops. We bagged it in 2024 on our annual County Top weekend trip, along with the Historic County Top of Angus and the Council Area High Points of Dundee and Aberdeen.
The start of the route is from a small parking area in Millden just off the minor road that tracks the northern edge of the River North Esk. From here take the lane that heads north from the parking spot, past the old water mill to a path junction at Muir Cottage. Take the right hand path to follow the track that follows the left-hand side of the Burn of Turrett. At the 2km mark you’ll reach another path junction which marks the start of the main circular section of this walk. Take the left hand path to the Trig Pillar and stone shelter at the summit of Mount Battock.
To descend cross over the fence to the south of the summit, using the ladder stile. There’s a path here in places but it’s often hard to track as it passes through very boggy ground. Just keep close to the fence on your left for around 800m until you reach a well-defined track. Follow the track in a south / south westerly direction until it meets the Burn of Turrett. Cross over the burn and you’ll reach the path junction where you previously took a left to start the circular section. From here take a left to retrace the first 2 km of the route back to the start.
Kincardine Kirkyard
One of the highlights of this year's County Top bagging trip was finding the remains of the lost County Town of Kincardine. This was originally a Scottish Burgh that developed around Kincardine Castle. By 1600, the burgh was in decline, and the county town moved to Stonehaven where it is now.
Our hunt for the lost town of Kincardine began on the way to Aberdeen after our Mount Battock walk. We stopped for a drink in Fettercairn and discovered a plaque in the main square detailing the town's history. The last sentence on the plaque reads: "All that remains of the old County Burgh today is the tiny Kirkyard of St Catherine's Chapel with a solitary tombstone dated 1786"
The site of Kincardine Castle is easy to find with a 5 minute drive to the east of Fettercairn along the B966. Take a left off the B966 to find Castleton Kincardine Farm (AB30 1EX). Turning left into the farm drive you can see the foundations of the old castle on your right. Slightly further down the farm track you'll see a clump of trees in the middle of a field. This is the remains of the old kirkyard.
We parked at the side of the lane and crossed the field to the kirkyard. In late September the field had been ploughed but be careful not to damage crops at other times of the year and, if possible, ask permission from the landowner. The tombstone and remains of the old wall are easy to find in the centre of the trees with not too much foliage to get through.
Links: Fettercairn, Kincardine
Glas Maol: Angus County Top
Walking from Glas Maol towards Creag Leacach
Significance: Historic County Top for Angus
Member of: UK County Tops, Scotland County/Unitary Authority High Points, Munros, Marilyns
Parent Peak: Lochnagar
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Carn a' Coire Boidheach
Elevation: 1,068m
Date climbed: September 28th 2024
Coordinates: 56° 52' 23'' N, 3° 22' 6'' W
Route Start & Finish: Small parking area on A93 Old Military Road, ~3km north of Glenshee Ski Centre
Route Distance: 19.3 km (12 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 808m
Subsidiary tops on route: Carn an Tuirc, Cairn of Claise, Creag Leacach
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): The Monega Pass
OS Trig Pillar: TP3372 - Glas Maol
Pubs / Cafes on route: Cafe at Glenshee Ski Centre
Map: Glen Shee & Braemar Map | The Cairnwell & Glas Maol | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map OL52
Links: Wikipedia: (Angus / Glas Maol), Peakbagger, Glenshee Ski Centre
Glas Maol is the Historic County Top for Angus and the 7th highest of all of the UK County Tops. We bagged it in 2024 on our annual County Top weekend trip, along with the Historic County Top of Kincardineshire and the Council Area High Points of Dundee and Aberdeen.
The quickest way to conquer Glas Maol is an out-and-back from the large car park at Glenshee Ski Centre. I always prefer an interesting circular over an out-and-back so we opted for the 4-Munro circuit that I found on the Walk Highlands site. For this we started at a small parking spot around 3 km north of the Ski Centre. If that parking spot is full then park at the Ski Centre and walk to the northern parking at the start of the walk rather than at the end.
From the northern parking spot take the footpath that ascends to Carn an Tuirc in an east/north-easterly direction on the northern side of a small stream. After 1.2km you’ll cross over the stream, continuing to ascend. You’ll reach the summit of the first of the day’s Munros after 2.9km.
Continue along the path, now curving to the south-east, for another 2.6 km to reach the summit of Cairn of Claise. This is the second Munro of the day and, at 1.064m, just 4 metres lower than Glas Maol. Continue along the path, now heading south-west. The route descends slightly then ascends, crossing over the Monega Pass, to the summit of Glas Maol. The high point is marked by a Trig Pillar and a stone shelter large enough for 4 people.
After the Glas Maol summit, continue heading south-west, descending for 1km to the 10 km point in the walk. Here you’ll reach a path junction marked by a large cairn. This is a good point to make a decision to either take a short out-and-back to the 4th Munro, or return straight down to the road. We expected bad weather but, as it turned out, we had a bright, albeit cold, day with good visibility so we decided to bag the 4th Munro.
To reach Creag Leacach continue south for 1.5 km following the ridge line towards the steep ascent to the summit. The path gets very close to a steep drop on the left hand side just ahead of the climb so be extra careful in low visibility. After the summit, retrace your steps back to the large cairn, then continue descending in a north-westerly direction towards the ski-slopes. As you get closer to the slopes, continue along the path as it curves to the west and descend back to A93 Old Military Road at the large Glenshee Ski Centre car park. Take a right onto the road and follow the grass verge back to the starting point.
There’s a cafe at the Ski Centre that’s a great place to stop at the end to celebrate completing the route. Don’t rely on it if you’re out late in the day though. Our excitement to stop there quickly vanished when we arrived there 5 minutes after closing time.
While some of the County Top walks are starting to blur together in our memories, Glas Maol will likely be one that will stand out as a real classic route. The great visibility that we had that day certainly helped but the chance to bag 4 Munros in 1 walk was a big factor too.
Gallow Hill: Dundee City High Point
Water Tower at the top of Gallow Hill
Significance: High Point for the Dundee City Council Area
Member of: Scotland County/Unitary Authority High Points
Parent Peak: King's Seat
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Craigowl Hill
Historic County: Angus (of which Glas Maol is the Historic County Top)
Elevation: 175m
Date climbed: September 27th 2024
Coordinates: 56° 29' 41'' N, 3° 2' 5'' W
Route Start & Finish: Clatto Country Park Visitor Centre, 83 Clatto Country Park, Dundee, DD3 9SE
Route Distance: 1.2 km (>1 mile)
Route Elevation change: +/- 20m
Subsidiary tops on route: None
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
OS Trig Pillar: N/A. Nearest is TP6425 - The Roundie
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Dundee & Sidlaw Hills Map | River Tay | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 380
Links: Wikipedia: (City of Dundee), Peakbagger
Gallow Hill is the highest point in the present-day Council Area of Dundee City within the Historic County of Angus. We were in town for the day as a part of our annual Scottish County Top weekend. As a warm-up for bagging Glas Maol, the Angus Historic County Top, on the following day we visited Gallow Hill plus a couple of Trig Pillars in the area.
The summit of Gallow Hill is a short out-and-back from either of the car parks at Clatto Country Park or the Templeton Woods Ranger Station. From either start point walk to the large concrete water tower at the top of the hill. The actual high point isn’t marked so we walked round a few possible contenders. The coordinates from Peakbagger take you to a bend in a path to the south of the tower. This seems unlikely to be the place as it’s not the highest ground and it’s not on a boundary. The water tower base is also unlikely as it’s man-made but we walked a full circuit of the outer fence anyway. Most likely seemed to be a small knoll on the east of the tower. Whichever point was the highest, we felt satisfied that we’d bagged it and returned back to the car.
There’s no Trig Pillar at the high point but The Roundie, nearby at 159m elevation is worth a visit. We also visited Dundee Law earlier in the day. This is 1m lower than Gallow Hill, but a more satisfying visit as it has a Trig Pillar and a great view over the city and the Tay Estuary.
Walking the Quaraing Loop & Trig Pillar, Skye
Start & Finish: The Quiraing Car Park, Unnamed Road, Portree, Sartle, Staffin, Portree, IV51 9LB
Distance: 6.5 km (4 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 288m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Skye – Trotternish and the Storr Map | Uig | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 408
Links: Isle of Skye, Trotternish NSA, The Quaraing
Following our previous day’s out-and-back walk to the Old Man of Storr, we returned to the north of Skye for the Quaraing Loop. Similar to the Old Man, the Quaraing is a popular walking spot with stunning rock features. There’s a large car park nearby that can get very busy in the summer and at weekends.
Also like the Old Man, most visitors do an out-and-back to the see the Prison and the Needle. It’s well worth doing the full 6.5km loop though as there’s a lot more to see further on. The start of the trail is already at 250m elevation so the first 2km, heading anti-clockwise, is a gentle ascent. The main trail takes you through the middle of the Prison and the Needle before turning a corner. After the corner there’s a flat(ish) kilometre through a valley heading north-west towards Fir Bhreugach. Although it was tempting to check out views from the mountains to the north, we kept to the Quaraing Loop.
The return half starts with a steep ascent up the side of Meall na Suiramach. We had a very clear day and the views from our frequent rest-and-take-a-breath stops were outstanding. For here you can see the whole northern side of Skye and across the sea to other islands. The highest point of the Loop doesn’t quite get you to the Trig Pillar at the summit of Meall na Suiramach. I needed to bag it I so took a small diversion from the main trail to the Trig, returning a bit further along the trail to rejoin Timea who opted for a 10 minute rest over bagging a Trig Pillar.
Most of the final stage of the walk is a steady descent down toward the car park with a steeper section at the end. When were there in Summer 2024, the path on the final section was closed for repair so we had to find a steep alternative with a lot of hanging onto foliage to keep slipping. The new stone path looked impressive though.
The Old Man of Storr might be the most impressive rock formation but, for me, this was the most enjoyable walk and the best part of our short stay on Skye.
Walking to the Old Man of Storr, Skye
The Old Man of Storr and Needle Rock
Start & Finish: Old Man of Storr Car Park, Skye, IV51 9HX
Distance: 5.1 km (3.2 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 300m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Skye Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Pubs / Cafes on route: Cafe at the car park
Map: Skye – Trotternish and the Storr Map | Uig | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 408
Links: Isle of Skye, Trotternish NSA, The Storr
We had just 2 days on the Isle of Skye on a short Scottish Roadtrip. Given how far away Skye is from home we decided to bag the easy “must-see”s on this trip and save larger adventures for later. The Old Man of Storr is definitely a must-see so we drove straight there from our previous night’s accommodation at Spean Bridge. Storr’s must-see status made parking predictably tricky, even for a large parking area. Once parked we picked up the tourist trail towards the main view point just over 2.2 km from the car park.
It’s easy to see why this is so popular. The rock formations are spectacular, especially on a clear day like we had. our original plan was to continue past the view point and take an anti-clockwise circular route that takes in the summit of The Storr mountain. As The Storr is also the high point of the Trotternish National Scenic Area, it would have been another great box-tick. The wind had picked up and it was getting late in the day so we decided to skip the circuit and return back to the car instead.
Rather than go straight back on the same route we took a small diversion to the right of Needle Rock that takes you right up close to The Old Man. I recommend checking this out as it’s quieter than the main route and I managed to get some of the best photos of the day from the base of The Old Man. On the final descent we took another diversion on the longer, less steep route to the car park.
Points of Interest along or near to the Route
The Old Man of Storr: A large pinnacle of basalt created by post‑glacial landslip, formed where thick Palaeogene lava flows overlie softer Jurassic rocks. The pinnacle is a resistant fragment left standing after the largest continuous landslide system in Britain reshaped the Trotternish escarpment.
The Storr: The highest point of the Trotternish Ridge at 719 metres, formed from thick Palaeogene basalt lava flows overlying Jurassic rocks. Its dramatic cliffs and pinnacles result from major post‑glacial landslides, and the summit offers extensive views across the Sound of Raasay to the Torridon mountains.
Trotternish National Scenic Area (NSA): This area is recognised for its unique landslip geology. The landscape here is a result of millions of years of volcanic activity and subsequent erosion, creating a dramatic, shifting terrain that is unlike any other part of Scotland.
Skye Trail: The Old Man of Storr is a key segment of this long-distance route. The trail traverses the length of the Isle of Skye, offering walkers some of the most rugged and remote scenery in the United Kingdom.
Walking The Caledonian Canal from Corpach to Neptune's Steps
The Corpach Shipwreck
Start & Finish: Banavie Locks Car Park, Banavie, Fort William, PH33 7PL
Distance: 5.4 km (3.4 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 30m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Great Glen Way
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 78
Pubs / Cafes on route: Cafe at The Moorings Hotel at the start and finish. An Cafaidh Mara Corpach (3.5 km in)
Map: Ben Nevis & Fort William Map | The Mamores & the Grey Corries, Kinlochleven & Spean Bridge | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 392
Links: Fort William, Banavie, Banavie Station, Caledonian Canal, Neptune’s Staircase, Great Glen Way, Corpach, Corpach Shipwreck
This is a short walk at the southern end of the Caledonian Canal. The canal runs for approximately 60 miles, connecting the west coast of Scotland at Loch Linnhe to the north-eastern coast at Inverness. We were staying in Fort William for a couple of days and wanted to see Neptunes’s Staircase so we turned it into an interesting short circular walk. Neptune’s Staircase is the longest staircase lock in Britain, lifting boats 20 metres through eight locks.
Starting from the Banavie Locks Car Park take a left onto the canal towpath to ascend Neptunes Staircase in a north-easterly direction. Cross over the top lock and take a right to follow the towpath in a south-westerly direction, following the Great Glen Way. Carefully cross over the A830 and continue along the towpath / Great Glen Way to the final lock at Corpach.
Near the end of the canal you’ll see the Corpach Shipwreck across a football field to your left. The ship has been beached there since 2011 and has become a local landmark. If the weather and tides are fine it’s worth a quick diversion from the towpath to check it out.
The canal and towpath finish at Loch Linnhe in the small town of Corpach. Cross over the final lock to the northern side. We stopped at the small cafe in the marina for food and an escape from the heavy rain that suddenly came through.
From Corpach Marina keep on the northern side of the canal heading in a north-easterly direction to return to Banavie Locks.
Walking The Forth and Clyde Canal from The Falkirk Wheel to The Kelpies
Approaching The Kelpies on the Forth and Clyde Canal
Start: The Falkirk Wheel Visitors’ Centre, Lime Road, Falkirk, FK1 4RS
Finish: Kelpies Parking, Grangemouth, FK3 8YE
Distance: 8.7 km (5.4 miles)
Elevation change: +42m / - 85m. Net 43m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): John Muir Way
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 754
Pubs / Cafes on route: Cafes at the start and end. The Canal Inn (3.2km in)
Map: Falkirk, Cumbernauld & Livingston Map | Linlithgow, Bathgate & Kilsyth | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 349
Links: Falkirk, Forth and Clyde Canal, Falkirk Wheel, The Kelpies
This is a short canal walk linking 2 major attractions in the Falkirk area: the Falkirk Wheel and The Kelpies. It’s a point-to-point walk along a section of the Forth and Clyde canal. We parked at the Kelpies and got a taxi to the Falkirk Wheel where we started the walk. We used Bruce Taxis, a local company that was recommended by the Kelpies Visitor Centre.
The Falkirk Wheel is a remarkable feat of engineering that connects the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. This iconic structure, resembling a giant Ferris wheel, is the world's first and only rotating boat lift. It allows boats to travel between the two canals, overcoming the significant height difference between them. We stayed there for about an hour to see a couple of rotations of the wheel and walk around the whole site.
From the Falkirk Wheel Visitor Centre we walked south along the John Muir Way ascending to the higher level of the canal. We continued south through the tunnel to meet the main section of the Union Canal. A longer walk would have taken us along the Union to the south of Falkirk and Calendar Park, but for this trip, we turned around and headed back to the Visitor Centre. From here we did a full circuit of the Falkirk Wheel Basin to pick up the Forth and Clyde Canal on the northern side.
Take a right onto the Forth and Clyde, heading in and easterly direction. Navigation from here is easy as there’s no diversions along the towpath until you get to The Kelpies. Along the way you’ll pass the recently re-opened Rosebank Distillery with several metal sculptures on the towpath.
Approaching the final few km, you’ll get a good view of the Kelpies from a distance. The Kelpies are iconic steel horse sculptures standing at 30 meters tall. They are the largest horse sculptures in the world. Inspired by the mythological water horses of Scottish folklore, the Kelpies symbolize the industrial heritage of the region, once a centre of coal mining and canal transport.
The Falkirk Wheel
The Kelpies
