Sow of Atholl from Dalnaspidal

The Sow of Atholl from Dalnaspidal is a 4.25-mile out-and-back to a 799 m summit above Drumochter Pass. Allow 2.5 to 3 hours and about 393 m of ascent. You follow gravel and grassy tracks beside two burns, then climb open heather to a small summit cairn. It is a shorter, standalone hillwalk, separate from the longer West Drumochter Munros circuit.

Start from the parking area before the railway level crossing near Dalnaspidal Lodge. Cross the line, go through the next gate marked for public footpath, and follow the track to the sluice bridge over Allt Dubhaig. Cross it, continue to the bridge over Allt Coire Luidhearnaidh, then turn right before that bridge onto the bank track. This gently climbing track follows the burn for about a kilometre.

The track fades before the summit. Turn right onto steep, open heather and keep going uphill; there is no built path across this slope, and any tread is faint. The ground can be boggy, so the last part takes more care than the short distance suggests. A faint line trends west higher up, but it is not the summit route.

The slope eases onto a broad plateau with a small cairn. Walk a little northeast of it for the best view toward Drumochter Pass; steep ground drops away on that side. Return by the same route. This is open hill country, so keep a map and compass handy if cloud comes down.

The Sow is also called Meall an Dobharchain, with a spelling variant appearing in hill references. One interpretation translates the Gaelic name as “hill of the watercress.” The neighboring An Torc is known as the Boar of Badenoch, which gives the two summits a fitting pair of names.

Dogs can accompany walkers under Scotland’s responsible access rules; keep them under proper control around livestock and wildlife. There is no public transport to the start.