If the Cuillin is where Munro bagging becomes mountaineering, Perthshire is where it begins. The county's hills are the broad, grassy, rounded giants of the southern Highlands — high, genuinely satisfying mountains, but generally without the rock and exposure of the west. Accessible from the central belt and forgiving for those still building experience, Perthshire is the natural training ground for a Munro round.
The character of the region
Perthshire's Munros share a family likeness: long, grassy slopes, sweeping ridges, and summits that give enormous views across the heart of Scotland without demanding a head for heights. The walking is steep and the days can be long, but the ground is mostly straightforward, which makes the region ideal for honing fitness and navigation before tackling harder hills. It is also among the driest and most settled parts of the Highlands, sitting in the rain shadow of the western mountains.
The Ben Lawers range
The jewel of Perthshire is the Ben Lawers range above Loch Tay — a high chain that includes several Munros climbed together on one of the great ridge days of the southern Highlands. Ben Lawers itself is the tenth-highest mountain in Britain, and the surrounding tops, including Meall Greigh and Meall Corranaich, let strong walkers bag a handful of summits in a single big outing. Meall nan Tarmachan nearby adds a slightly more characterful ridge for variety.
Schiehallion: the perfect cone
No hill captures Perthshire better than Schiehallion, the "fairy hill of the Caledonians". Standing alone, its symmetrical quartzite cone is visible for miles and instantly recognisable, and its place in scientific history — it was used in a famous 18th-century experiment to estimate the mass of the Earth — gives it a story few hills can match. The well-built path makes it one of the most popular Munros in the region and a superb choice for a shorter day or a first solo summit.
Ben Vorlich, Stuc a' Chroin and the southern edge
On the region's southern fringe, above Loch Earn, Ben Vorlich and its rugged neighbour Stuc a' Chroin make a fine pair, the latter offering an optional scramble for those wanting a little more challenge. Further east, the quiet, rounded Ben Chonzie is famously gentle — a hill often recommended as a confidence-builder, and a good one for a poor-weather day when the rockier hills are best avoided.
Why start here
Perthshire rewards the new bagger and the seasoned one alike. For beginners it offers high, real mountains with a wide safety margin; for those deeper into a round it offers efficient multi-Munro days close to home. Either way, it is some of the most accessible Munro country in Scotland — many of these hills make ideal weekends from Glasgow or Edinburgh. Track your way through the region in the Munros app, which shows exactly how many of the Perthshire peaks you have left and stores offline maps and routes for every one.
Related guides
- Best Munros for beginners — several of them in Perthshire
- Munro bagging in the Southern Highlands — the neighbouring region
- Perthshire Munros — the full list
Munros in this article
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