Sidlaw Hills, Angus
★★★
Bedecked by a transmitter mast and with a track winding all the way to the summit, Lundie Craigs makes for a satisfying Sidlaw Hills stomp. The direct route is extremely straightforward, but make it a circuit by approaching from the hill’s sunnier, much more dramatic southern side, where a wall of crags overlook a lonely bealach grazed by Highland cows. From the top there are grand views in all directions, encompassing the Cairngorms to the north, Craigowl Hill and the rest of the Sidlaws to the east and west, and Fife and the Lomond Hills across the Tay to the south. The car park gets full on busy days: arrive fairly early, as we’re not sure the local farmer would approve of the overflow onto the adjacent field.
Chronological photo guide
Tullybaccart Farm near the start 
Woodland tracks 
View over Strathmore 
Great spotted woodpecker 
Ledcrieff Loch 
Approach to Lundie Craigs 
Highland cows 
View east along the Sidlaws range 
Long Loch 
Summit approach 
View over Angus farmland to the Firth of Tay from near the summit 
Lundie Craigs summit 
View north into the Cairngorms 
Descent track 
Descent track
Location
O.S. Grid Reference: NO 264360
GPS coordinates: 56.510205,-3.198164
Bus to start
Car park (gets full)
Key info
8 km / 5 mi | ▲ 140 m |
2.5 hr
Features: △ Lundie Craigs (353 m)
⬤ Moderate | Approach and all of return on good tracks with gentle gradient. Rest of ascent on clear, grassy paths with just a few wet sections and one steep part.
Anticlockwise lollipop circuit: start – track junction at Ledcrieff Loch outflow – Westerkeith Hill – Lundie Craigs – track through Lundiecra Wood – return to track junction at Ledcrieff Loch – start by outward route
On our last visit
Wildlife: Great spotted woodpecker feasting on pine cone seeds, buzzard, Highland cows and sheep.
Weather: Blue skies overhead but with a few centimetres of fresh, powder snow on the ground. A couple of degrees below freezing, light winds.
February 2019
