Walk: Views to amaze on Knockfarrel Ridge

📌 Strathpeffer, Highland
★★★

Knock Farril is Strathpeffer‘s local hill, cutting the town off from the adjacent Black Isle region. This circuit explores most of the ridge, with an almost imperceptible ascent via the delightful Touchstone Maze: a complicated stone labyrinth aligned with solstices, festivals and Scotland’s geology all in mind. The east end of the ridge is crowned with a vitrified hill fort and superlative views of the Cromarty Firth, but the west end is the true summit. Views are obscured by trees from the latter, but find the correct descent path and vegetation thins briefly to allow a vista up Strathconon towards the Northwest Highlands. The return route is in abrupt contrast to the straightforward preceding terrain, with a steep and narrow path threading through dense forestry back to the start.

📷 Chronological photo guide

🌍 Location

📌 Start / finish at Blackmuir Wood, off A834 0.5 mi southwest of Strathpeffer village centre

🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NH 479574

🛰️ GPS coordinates: 57.580079,-4.545834

🚌 Bus stops nearby on A834

🚗 Car park

📝 Key info

▶ 7 km / 4 mi | ▲ 260 m | ⌛ 2-2.5 hr

Features: ⛰️ Touchstone Maze; △ Knock Farril (218 m) & fort; △ Cnoc Mòr (269 m, sub-2000′ Marilyn)

⬤ Moderate | Wide paths / tracks to Knock Farril with gentle ascents, becoming much narrower and steeper on Cnoc Mòr and for descent back to start.

➡️ Clockwise circuit: start – Touchstone Maze – Knock Farril – Cnoc Mòr – Fir Lodge – start

Download file for GPS

🥾 On our last visit

Wildlife: A couple of red squirrels on Cnoc Mòr, red kites and a shrew on ascent to the ridge. We saw a pine marten near the base of the hill on a separate occasion.

Weather: Sunny intervals, breezy with temperature in mid teens.

July 2020