Bridgend of Lintrathen, Angus
★★
Cat Law is one of the Cairngorm foothills, little visited by walkers and reached by a confusing web of minor roads from Alyth or Kirriemuir. Piecing together broad ridges and grassy tracks behind the summit creates a mostly easy-going circuit to lower Corwharn, delivering extensive (though perhaps not dramatic) views across Angus. Towards the end of the pretty – and pretty lengthy – return through the Glen Quharity, keep an eye out for (private) Balintore Castle on the hill above Balintore, recently restored to its former grandeur.
📷 Chronological photo guide
Start of the ascent to Cat Law 
Cat Law 
Burn of Dairy (background left) 
Cat Law summit 
Angus plains 
Descent north from Cat Law 
Glen Dye 
Cormaud 
Glack of Corraich 
View back to Cat Law from Tarapetmile 
Corwharn beyond Craigie Shiel 
Craigie Shiel 
Cairn near Corwharn summit, looking down Glen Uig 
Descent from Cairn Corse 
Cat Law from Long Drum 
Descent into Glen Quharity 
Glen Quharity 
Crossing the Burn of Dairy 
Road return near Balintore 
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish at Balintore Castle east gate, minor road 3 mi north of Bridgend of Lintrathen
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NO 296587
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 56.714093,-3.152045
❌ Bus to Balintore is so infrequent that it’s not usable for this walk
🚗 Limited verge parking near gatehouse or nearby to east – don’t block access
📝 Key info
▶ 18 km / 11 mi | ▲ 740 m | ⌛ 5.5-6.5 hr
Features: △ Cat Law (671 m, “Torbett”); △ Corwharn (611 m, sub-2000′ Marilyn); 🏰 Balintore Castle (private)
⬤ Tough | Good hill tracks, although rougher around Tarapetmile, followed by a steep descent to the Meikle Burn and re-ascent to Cairn Corse. Tarmac for return down Glen Quharity.
Download file for GPS➡️ Anticlockwise circuit with extension to Corwharn: start – Knowehead of Auldallan – Cat Law – Cormaud – Hill of Glendye – Tarapetmile – Cairn Corse – Corwharn – return to Cairn Corse – Long Drum – Glen Quharity – Balintore – start
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Dozens of red deer eyeing us up from above as we climbed Corwharn. Horses & cows in adjacent fields, sheep, grouse, pheasants, a buzzard, a grey heron, rabbits, chickens.
Weather: Sunny start, then layers of high cloud increasing after lunch. -3°C at start, mid morning; probably not surpassing freezing point anywhere on the route. Many old, hard snow patches in hollows.
November 2024
