The best walks and hikes around Mount Blair

A long way from anywhere.

2 or 3 river crossings. Your potentially getting wet. There is a high level bypass which is not a great cycle and boggy, stagnant and rocky in parts.

Nice short jaunt up Ben Gulabin. Easy parking at the lay-by at the start of the hike. Easy Landrover track to follow and then easy route to the summit. Large flat plateau at the summit but with little shelter.

A relatively easy Corbett to climb. From the road it is a straight forward track and a steady climb. The views from the top are great, looking onto some of the neighbouring Munros.

Glenshee Kirk stands on the site of a late Neolithic or early Bronze Age standing stone, still visible behind the church. A simple parish church, it reflects the austere style of remote Scottish churches and remains an active place of worship, with a popular Christmas service. The name "Glenshee" derives from the Gaelic shith (fairies), and legend tells that fairies thwarted its original construction at Runavey, forcing builders to relocate. The standing stone would have once been visible from Diarmuid’s Tomb stone circle.

The Spittal of Glenshee takes its name from the Old Scots word "spittal," meaning a hospital or resting place. Historically, it served as a shelter for travelers crossing the Cairngorms, especially drovers moving cattle and goods across the Highlands. It was an important stop for pilgrims and traders, providing respite from the harsh mountain terrain. Located at the head of Glenshee valley, the area was historically inhabited by the Clan Farquharson and other Highland clans, and served as a key point linking northern and southern Scotland. Over time, the settlement grew from a simple refuge into a more established community, reflecting the broader heritage of the Scottish Highlands and their role in connecting different regions.

Alexander Duff, born in Moulin in 1806, was educated in the Kirkmichael Session House before attending Perth Grammar School and St. Andrews University, where he studied theology. He became the Church of Scotland's first missionary to India, playing a crucial role in modernizing India's education system and helping establish the University of Calcutta. In his honor, the Duff Memorial Free Church was built in 1890 by L & J G Falconer, though it now stands disused and in disrepair.

In 1715, the Earl of Mar raised the Jacobite standard at Kirkmichael to rally support for the exiled Stuart King James, the Old Pretender, in an attempt to restore the Catholic Stuart dynasty after its overthrow in 1688-89. Mar’s army of over 7,000 men advanced into Perth but faced a smaller, well-led government force under the Duke of Argyll. The Battle of Sheriffmuir on 13 November ended inconclusively, while English Jacobites suffered defeat at Preston. With dwindling support, James Francis arrived too late to salvage the rebellion, and by February 1716, he and Mar had fled to France. The uprising collapsed, leading to imprisonment, transportation, or execution for many captured Jacobites.