← Rannoch Marathon·Day trip

Queen's View and Killiecrankie: A Level Day After Rannoch

A short drive east along Loch Tummel to a famous viewpoint and a level National Trust for Scotland visitor centre, with no hill to climb and a seated lunch on the way back.

DurationDay trip
TransitCar or prebooked taxi along the Tummel road, about 30 minutes from Kinloch Rannoch
DepartsKinloch Rannoch

After the Rannoch Marathon: Queen's View and Killiecrankie

The Route: Kinloch Rannoch → Tummel Bridge → Queen's View → Killiecrankie → Kinloch Rannoch Logistics: Car or prebooked taxi, with no public transport that works for a same-day return. The route follows the Tummel corridor east and returns the same way. Marathon Month: October Duration: Day trip

Kinloch Rannoch ──(30 mins by road)──> Queen's View, Loch Tummel
                                              │
                                    (15 mins by road)
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Kinloch Rannoch <──(about 50 mins)── Killiecrankie visitor centre

The Rannoch Marathon finishes on a Sunday in October at Weller Poley Park in Kinloch Rannoch. By Monday morning the village has gone back to its usual speed, which is slow, and the sensible thing to do with stiff legs is sit in a car and let someone else's scenery arrive through the windscreen.

October in Highland Perthshire means short days. Daylight runs out shortly after 18:00 early in the month and earlier as it goes on, so start by mid-morning and be heading back by mid-afternoon. In a typical October the birch and larch on the loch slopes are turning, though the timing shifts from year to year and the weather is just as likely to be grey, wet and windy. Pack the waterproof you carried round the course.

There is no bus that gets you out and back in a day. Highland Travel runs prebooked taxis and minibuses in the area, and a car from your accommodation is the other option. Allow around 30 minutes from Kinloch Rannoch to the viewpoint. Book the taxi's return leg at the same time as the outward one, since a rural pickup is not something to improvise.

Queen's View

The viewpoint looks down the length of Loch Tummel, and it is a short stop, not an expedition. The operator lists a café and visitor centre open 10:00 to 15:00 daily, with parking at £3. The walk from the car park to the viewing point is brief, but the gradient is not published, so ask at the visitor centre which path is gentlest before you commit your quadriceps to it. Expect a few minutes of walking, not an hour.

Linger over a coffee, since the café closes at 15:00 and the light is better before lunch anyway.

Killiecrankie

Twenty minutes or so further on, the Pass of Killiecrankie is where a Jacobite army under Viscount Dundee beat a government force in July 1689, and Dundee was killed at the moment of victory. The National Trust for Scotland visitor centre has a level approach, a café and toilets. The descent into the pass itself is steep, stepped and uneven, which makes it a poor idea for the day after a marathon. Stay at the centre, read the displays, and save the gorge for another trip. The Trust's parking charges are shown inconsistently on its own pages, so check the current figure before you go.

Lunch and the road back

The Inn at Loch Tummel, in Strathtummel, lists weekend lunch with last seating at 14:00 and dinner from 17:00. It closes on some weekdays, and Monday is a weekday, so ring ahead before building the day around it. If it is shut, the café at Queen's View is the fallback until 15:00.

The drive back to Kinloch Rannoch takes about 50 minutes from Killiecrankie. Aim to be on the road by 15:30, while there is still light on the Tummel road.