Time on Feet

Route details

There is a large car park at the Glenfinnan viaduct and monument visitors centre if you plan to visit these too, but there is a charge, so if you get there early you’ll get a spot in one of the few small lay-bys in the village, just park respectfully and don’t block anyone.

The first 3 miles are on a fairly flat smooth tarmac road and you could just do this if you wanted a shorter or flatter run. It may be very busy up to the viaduct but when I walked these hills I hiked 6 hours and saw only 6 people past the viaduct, with near 600 waiting south of the viaduct when I returned, so it will soon be a quiet run!

Near Glenfinnan lodge you go past the Corryhully bothy/cottage and here the track becomes gravel rather than tarmac, so it will be less smooth from here. The gradient climbs and after around 4 miles keep an eye out for two tracks up into the hills. The first is the intended descent path, the second follows the ridge steeply and steadily up to the summit of Sgurr Thuilm, a sublime viewpoint that you will want to savour after a long, tough climb. The rolling and rocky ridge sprawls out in front of you and is straight forward to follow. There are several tops along the way but eventually you reach the summit of the second munro, with good views west to Skye, Rum, and Eigg.

Follow the route south on a plateau before dropping steeply. This first portion of the descent is steep and quite technical, perhaps the only portion too technical to run so take care. The gradient does lessen and the slopes become grassier, with quite a fast final descent contouring along the lower slopes back to the original track up from Glenfinnan.

Return the way you came and enjoy fantastic views, with the famous viaduct and the monument coming in to view with Loch Shiel behind. Make sure you finish before 3:30PM so you can visit Glenfinnan Coffee Company, it’s a brilliant coffee hut run by a few locals.