Walking Britain

Aberdeenshire Walk
Bennachie - Oxen Craig and Mither Tap

County/Area - Aberdeenshire

Author - Lou Johnson

Length - 6.0 miles / 9.8 km Ascent - 1600 feet / 485 metres

Time - 4 hours 40 minutes Grade - moderate

Maps

Ordnance Survey Explorer 421	Sheet Map	1:25k	BUY
Anquet OS Explorer 421	Digital Map	1:25k	BUY
Ordnance Survey Landranger 38	Sheet Map	1:50k	BUY
Anquet OS Landranger 38	Digital Map	1:50k	BUY

Walk Route Description

Photo from the walk - Bennachie - Oxen Craig and Mither Tap

Click image to see photo description.

This fine walk to the west of Inverurie offers some fine views and excellent walking. The start of the route is the Back o' Bennachie car park and picnic area (grid ref. NJ661245) where charges apply. The start is reached down a minor road running south from the B9002 just west of Bogend. The route should be saved for fine weather as good visibility provides much wider views across the surrounding countryside and hills.

After parking follow the path south following the signs for the Mither Tap Quarry Trail. The path climbs beside Gillree Burn through forest to reach open hillside. Continue uphill to Little Oxen Craig, the first of four summits visited during the walk before continuing south to Oxen Craig (grid ref. NJ663226), which also the highest point on the walk.

From here descend east and continue across moorland before turning southeast to the rocky summit of Mither Tap with its hilltop fort dating back over 2000 years. To start the return route, continue through the gateway to the fort and head north for just under half a mile to a junction (grid ref. NJ681230). Here bear left and continue in a westerly direction, to reach in a further half a mile the final summit of the walk, Craigshannoch.

Leave this minor top in a south-westerly direction towards Oxen Craig. The path contours around Gill Well, turning northwest to re-join the outward route on the approach to Little Oxen Craig. From here retrace your steps down to the start following signs for Back o' Bennachie.

Other walks nearby

Walk 1771	Ladder Hills from Chapeltown, Glenlivet	mod/hard	9.5 miles
Walk 1777	Carn Daimh from Glenlivet	moderate	8.5 miles
Walk 3108	Creag Choinnich circular from Braemar	easy/mod	4.0 miles
Walk 2706	Morrone (Morven) from Braemar	moderate	7.4 miles
Walk 1864	Glen Quoich & Glen Lui (near Braemar)	moderate	10.0 miles

Recommended Books & eBooks

Navigation

This pocket handbook to navigation will help you master the necessary map and compass skills for mountain walking. Chapters include map scales, symbols and contours, grid references, map reading, bearings, route planning and night and bad-weather navigation, as well as navigating with a GPS.
More information

The National Trails

This inspirational guidebook looks at each of the UK's 19 National Trails, with information that allows ease of comparison and contrast, inspiring you to find out more and to take up a long-distance challenge. Some Trails are short and easy, others much longer, many have strong themes - they may follow a coastline, or traverse ranges of hills.
More information