Page Type Page Type: Mountain/Rock
Location Lat/Lon: 56.34371°N / 4.60988°W
Activities Activities: Hiking, Mountaineering, Scrambling, Skiing
Seasons Season: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Additional Information Elevation: 3264 ft / 995 m
Sign the Climber's Log

Overview

An Caisteal (pronunciation: aan kaistail) is located within the Crianlarich hills and is a fine peak that gives clear views of the surrounding peaks in the area. The translation of An Caisteal from Gaelic to English is 'The Castle' and when viewed from the the road in Glen Falloch it is clear to see why the gaels named it such.

The hill, as with most of the Crianlarich hills, stands well back from the A82 road. The peak can be approached from two differnt points; either from Derrydaroch farm via the ridge of Stob Glas or from just before Keilator farm via Sron Garbh and its ridge, Twistin Hill. The summit lies at the point where the two ridges join. The start of both routes is generally quite boggy, but once the ridges are reached the underfoot conditions dry out to give a splendid walk.

Sunrise in CrianlarichSunrise next to Sron Garbh


There are plenty of peaks within the Crianlarich hills range and seven Munros available for the munro bagger to claim. An Caisteal is generally done in conjunction with the Munro of Beinn a'Chroin (3084ft) that sits just a short distance away to the south-east.

An Caisteal can be completed in around 4 to 5 hours. If you intend to add Beinn a'Chroin to the day then it should take roughly an extra hours time.

Getting There

Inside a pothole!


CAR

From Edinburgh take the M9 to Stirling, then join the A85 road and follow all the way to Crianlarich.

From Glasgow take the A82 road, north bound, through Loch Lomond until reaching Glen Falloch just before Crianlarich.

From Perth follow the A9 south, then join the A85 for Crianlarich, just before Stirling.

There is a small amount of lay-by parking available in Glen Falloch.

Use the following link for a detailed route plan from/to your destination within the UK. AA Route Planner

RAIL

The nearest station for this peak is at Crianlarich. Train timetables from all of Scotland’s major stations are available here

BUS

Scottish Citylink buses, provides the majority of bus transportation between Scotland's major cities. Alight at Crianlarich for this peak.

Red Tape

There is no red tape in Scotland due to the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 which incorporated the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. This code, which commenced on the 9th of February 2005, has established statutory rights of access to land and inland water for outdoor recreation.

The Land Reform(Scotland) Act 2003
Scottish Outdoor Access Code

The area is densely populated with deer and as a result of this it is a popular place for deer stalking. This should be taken into consideration as it may have an effect on your route.

The stag stalking season runs from the 1st of July until the 20th of October. The deer hind season runs from the 21st of October until the 15th of February. The majority of estates however, have the peak times of their stalking activities between the months of August and October.

In order to enable hill walkers and climbers to plan routes that skirt around the main routes used for planned deer stalking activities, the following website provides detailed information and contact numbers; Hill Phones

Books and Maps

An Caisteal from Glen fallochAn Caisteal from Glen Falloch (Photo by: Daveyboy)


Books


The Southern Highlands by D J Bennet

The Munros (SMC Hillwalkers guide) edited by Donald Bennet & Rab Anderson

Ski Mountaineering in Scotland by Donald Bennet & Bill Wallace

Scottish Hill and Mountain Names by Peter Drummond

The Munros by Cameron McNeish

The Munro Almanac by Cameron McNeish

Maps


OS Explorer Map sheet: 364, Loch Lomond North

OS Landranger Map sheet : 50, Glen Orchy & Loch Etive

OS Landranger Map sheet : 56, Loch Lomond & Inverary

Harvey Superwalker Map - Crianlarich

Places to stay

There is quite a varied selection of accommodation available close to this peak, with the best places to base yourself being Crianlarich and Tyndrum.

Below is a small selection of places that might suit your needs;

Tyndrum Lodge Hotel

The Crianlarich Hotel

Strathfillan House

Ben More Lodge

Crianlarich Youth Hostel

Tyndrum wigwams

Beinglas Campsite

Mountain Conditions

An Caisteal is accessible all year round however, as you can get four seasons in one day in Scotland, care should be taken at all times.

Mountain weather forecast

Avalanche forecast

External Links

on the way to An CastealOn route to An Caisteal (Photo by: Visentin)



Visit Scotland

Discover Scotland

Undiscovered Scotland

Walk the Highlands

The Scottish Mountaineering Club

Munro Magic

Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland

Hill Phones

Deer Stalking Scotland

Buachaille.com

Children

Children

Children refers to the set of objects that logically fall under a given object. For example, the Aconcagua mountain page is a child of the 'Aconcagua Group' and the 'Seven Summits.' The Aconcagua mountain itself has many routes, photos, and trip reports as children.