Walk: Raise a glass for Brandy

Angus | Angus Glens | Full day walk | ★★★★

[Loch Brandy]

Most visitors to Glen Clova make a beeline for the head of the glen on a trip to see Corrie Fee. But Loch Brandy above the east side of the valley is equally beautiful; here, majestic crags frame a stunning loch, a stiff but shortish climb from the Glen Clova Hotel. Ascend the flanks on either side of the coire and the plateau revealed above is a different world: often boggy and pathless, but with mountain hares scampering in all directions and a remote feel. Ben Tirran is the underwhelming high point (vertically speaking), but it sits above Loch Wharral, a slightly less dramatic clone of Loch Brandy. Returning to the busy hotel for food or drink afterwards can come as a bit of an atmosphere shock on a summer weekend.

[The Glen Clova Hotel at the end of the circuit is a handy option for a post-walk drink]

📌 Walk: Raise a glass for Brandy ★★★★
Start / finish at car park on B955 just west of Glen Clova Hotel, G.R.: NO 327731 ///parks.cascaded.political

▶ 15 km / 9 mi | ▲ 750 m | ⌚ Full day | ⬤ Tough
Summits: The Goet / Ben Tirran (896 m, Corbett) | Features: Loch Brandy; Loch Wharral
Terrain: Good path to Loch Brandy, steep in parts. Rougher path up Broom Shank then pathless on the wet plateau. Faint paths and tracks for descent tend to improve before road return. As an alternative to much of the road walking at the end, it's possible to use paths marked on the 1:25000 OS maps, but they're intermittent and involve some pushing through undergrowth.

Route & map

Car park - Loch Brandy - Green Hill via Broom Shank (or the slightly longer, steeper Snub) - The Goet - Loch Wharral outflow - top of Adielinn Plantation - B955 at G.R.: NO 353715 - start via B955


Route credit: Walkhighlands

On our visit

Wildlife: Whooper swans on Loch Brandy; mountain hares and toads higher up.
Weather: Dry and often sunny although clouding over a little on the plateau. A few snow patches higher up with a cool wind.

[Loch Brandy from above]

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