Number 164 of 282 by height · Southeastern Highlands
Ben Vorlich
Beinn Mhùrlaig
3,233 ft (985 m)
Facts
- Grid reference
- NN 629 189
- Latitude, longitude
- 56.34269, -4.21946
- Area
- Southeastern Highlands
The walk up
- Distance, one way
- 3.0 mi (4.8 km)
- Climb
- 2,772 ft (845 m)
- Estimated time up
- 2 h 20 min
- Start
- Car park near Ardvorlich Farm
Summit conditions
From Sunday 1 November, 17:07. Not live.
- Weather
- Clear sky
- Temperature
- 34°F (1°C)
- Wind chill
- 30°F (−1°C)
- Wind
- 4 mph (7 km/h) from the northwest
- Cloud cover
- 7%
- Rain or snow, next hour
- None
- Freezing level, rough estimate
- 3,839 ft (1,170 m)
- Sunrise, sunset
- 07:24, 16:36
The way up
From Car park near Ardvorlich Farm, follow the track south for 1.3 mi, climbing steadily from 320 ft to 1,150 ft. On the way you pass Loch Earn on your left and cross the Ardvorlich Burn. Then follow the path south for the last 1.5 mi to the summit, climbing very steeply from 1,150 ft to 3,250 ft. On the way you cross the Allt a' Choire Bhuidhe. The steepest part is between 1,850 ft and 2,800 ft, about 2.2 mi from the start. The summit is at 3,233 ft (985 m).
Written from the map, not from walking it. Paths on the ground can differ, so carry a map and compass.See it in 3D.
Getting there
By car
Car park near Ardvorlich Farm. Parking charge not known. This is where the walking route starts.
Driving directions to the Ben Vorlich car park56.38125,-4.21506
By train
Nearest station: Crianlarich, 15 mi (25 km) from the car park. Too far to walk in from.
By bus
Nearest bus stop on the map: Cameron Court, 2.8 mi (4.5 km) from the car park. Check the times first: many Highland buses run only a few times a day.
Near the start
- Campsite: Loch Earn South Shore B by the start
From OpenStreetMap. Places close or change hours, especially in winter, so check before you rely on one.
Public transport directionsBus and train times on Traveline Scotland
About Ben Vorlich
- In Gaelic
- Beinn Mhùrlaig
Ben Vorlich lies south of Loch Earn and Ardvorlich, in the ground bounded by Loch Earn to the north and Loch Lubnaig to the west, with Callander to the south. Its neighbour Stuc a' Chroin stands just 1.2 miles to the south, but otherwise the hill stands alone. The nearest higher Munro, Stob Binnein, is 12.3 miles off, and it rises 2,737 ft (834 m) above the col that links it to higher ground.
A trig point marks the summit, and a cairn about 125 m east-south-east is lower.
Through the year
Hours of daylight on Ben Vorlich in the middle of each month. The shorter the day, the earlier you need to start.
Stag stalking season, 1 July to 20 October. On many estates, walkers are asked to keep to set routes on stalking days: check the Scottish Outdoor Access Code site's Heading for the Scottish Hills service before you go.
Nearest Munros
| Munro | Height | Straight-line distance |
|---|---|---|
| Stuc a' Chroin | 3,192 ft (973 m) | 1.2 mi (1.9 km) |
| Ben Chonzie | 3,054 ft (931 m) | 12 mi (19 km) |
| Stob Binnein | 3,822 ft (1,165 m) | 12 mi (20 km) |
Common questions about Ben Vorlich
- How high is Ben Vorlich?
- Ben Vorlich is 3,233 ft (985 m), number 164 of the 282 Munros by height, in the Southeastern Highlands.
- How long does it take to climb Ben Vorlich?
- About 2 h 20 min up and 1 h back down by our route from Car park near Ardvorlich Farm, before stops: 3.0 mi (4.8 km) each way with 2,772 ft (845 m) of climbing. That is one of the quicker Munros to climb. Most people take longer than these estimates.
- Where do you park for Ben Vorlich?
- Our route starts at Car park near Ardvorlich Farm.
- Can you climb Ben Vorlich without a car?
- The nearest railway station is Crianlarich, 15 mi (25 km) from the start, and the nearest bus stop on the map is Cameron Court, 2.8 mi (4.5 km) from the start. Highland trains and buses are few, so check times on Traveline Scotland before you go.
- Is Ben Vorlich a hard Munro?
- By time and climbing, it is one of the quicker Munros to climb, with 2,772 ft (845 m) of ascent over 3.0 mi (4.8 km). Like every Munro it reaches over 3,000 ft, where the weather can be far worse than at the car park, so take a map and compass and check the mountain forecast.
- When is the best time to climb Ben Vorlich?
- Daylight runs from about 18 hours in mid June to 7 hours in mid December, so summer gives the most time. From 1 July to 20 October it is the stag stalking season, when some estates ask walkers to keep to set routes. In winter, snow and ice turn most Munros into mountaineering terrain.
A guide only. Mountain conditions change fast: carry a map and compass and know how to use them, and read the mountain forecast for the Southeastern Highlands before you go.
Questions
Where can I get a proper mountain forecast?
Read the Mountain Weather Information Service forecast for the Southeastern Highlands, written by forecasters for walkers and climbers. In winter, also read the Scottish Avalanche Information Service report for the area.
Where does the summit weather come from?
From MET Norway's forecast model, fetched for every Munro once an hour at the summit's own height. It is computer output for one point, not a forecast written for mountains, so treat it as a guide. The past hours are what the forecast said at the time. Wind chill, the freezing level and sunrise and sunset are worked out by this site from those figures; the freezing level assumes temperature drops steadily with height, so it can be well out when cold air sits in the glens.
How was this route drawn?
It follows footpaths and tracks mapped on OpenStreetMap, from a public car park to the summit, with heights from Copernicus elevation data. The start and the line were chosen by hand from the usual way up. A line on a map is not a description of the ground.
- Path geometry: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), Overpass API extract fetched 2026-10-24T16:44:32.910Z, 15 OSM ways routed with Dijkstra (shortest distance; trunk/primary/secondary roads penalised so they are used only where no path exists).
- Elevation: Copernicus DEM GLO-90 via the Open-Meteo Elevation API, sampled every 50 m, smoothed with a 5-sample rolling median; ascent/descent summed with a 5 m hysteresis band; the 90 m DEM also rounds off summits, so maxElevM can sit below the surveyed height.
- Summit position: Database of British and Irish Hills v18 (CC BY 4.0).
Built 2026-10-24.
How is the time up worked out?
With Naismith's rule, the standard hill-walking estimate: an hour for every 3.1 miles (5 km), plus an hour for every 1,969 ft (600 m) of climbing, with no stops. For this route that gives about 2 h 20 min, one way. It ignores rough ground, weather, stops and the walk back down, so most people take longer.
Where do the car parks and bus stops come from?
From OpenStreetMap. Distances are straight lines, not the way you would walk or drive. A bus stop on the map says nothing about how often a bus calls: many Highland buses run a few times a day, some only on school days or by booking, so check Traveline Scotland first. The map cannot tell whether a car park is on a public road, so a remote one may only be reachable on foot or by train.
Where do the Gaelic names and stories come from?
From the hill's article on English Wikipedia and its Wikidata entry, put into a few words of our own. Meanings and pronunciations are only given where the article states them; many Gaelic hill names are old and their meaning is uncertain. Read the full article.
Where do the height and grid reference come from?
From the Database of British and Irish Hills, the surveyed list most baggers use. Ben Vorlich is hill 17 there.
Sources: Database of British and Irish Hills (CC BY 4.0), OpenStreetMap (ODbL), MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata, Copernicus elevation data, Sentinel-2 cloudless imagery by EOX. All credits and licences.