Stùc a' Chroin ( gd, Stùc a' Chrodhain, '

cloven hoof A cloven hoof, cleft hoof, divided hoof or split hoof is a hoof split into two toes. This is found on members of the mammalian order Artiodactyla. Examples of mammals that possess this type of hoof are cattle, deer, pigs, antelopes, gazelles, go ...

peak') (also translated as 'hill of the little sheepfold' or 'peak of danger') is a mountain in the Breadalbane region of the southern

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland Sco ...

. It is a

Munro A Munro () is defined as a mountain in Scotland with a height over , and which is on the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) official list of Munros; there is no explicit topographical prominence requirement. The best known Munro is Ben Nevis ...

, with a height of . It lies a short distance south of Ben Vorlich and east of

Strathyre Strathyre (; from gd, Srath Eadhair) is a district and settlement in the Stirling local government district of Scotland. It forms the south-eastern part of the parish of Balquhidder and was, prior to the 1973 reorganisation of local government, ...

. The boundary between the

council areas For local government purposes, Scotland is divided into 32 areas designated as "council areas" ( gd, comhairlean), which are all governed by single-tier authorities designated as "councils". They have the option under the Local Government (Ga ...

Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross ( sco, Pairth an Kinross; gd, Peairt agus Ceann Rois) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and a Lieutenancy Area. It borders onto the Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Fife, Highland and S ...

and

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

passes through the summit of the peak, and the town of

Callander Callander (; gd, Calasraid) is a small town in the council area of Stirling, Scotland, situated on the River Teith. The town is located in the historic county of Perthshire and is a popular tourist stop to and from the Highlands. The town ser ...

lies to the south. Stùc a' Chroin is most often climbed together with Ben Vorlich from Ardvorlich on Loch Earnside to the north. The normal routes of ascent is over the summit of Ben Vorlich and down its south west ridge to the Bealach an Dubh Choirein. From this

bealach A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both human and animal migrati ...

a series of rough paths cut very steeply up the right side of the prominent buttress, involving scrambling, to the summit of Stùc a' Chroin. Returning from the bealach, Ben Vorlich can be skirted utilising a faint, boggy path traversing the grassy slopes on its north west, eventually re-joining the initial ascent path. An alternative is from Ardchullarie on Loch Lubnaig up the forest path to the head of Glen Ample and over Beinn Each, a Corbett. The linking ridge is very rough and rocky. On return, the open west slopes of Beinn Each can be descended, encountering the remarkable eggbox terrain of a large rock slope failure (see Lochearnhead, Glen Ample)Jarman D (2007): Glen Ample. In Mass Movements in Great Britain (ed. RG Cooper), Geological Conservation Review Series 33, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Peterborough, pp. 82-91. A longer, unfrequented route of ascent to Stùc a' Chroin from Arivurichardich ascends the mountain's south east ridge.

References

* The Munros, SMC Hillwalkers Guide: Donald Bennett et al.: Munros Marilyns of Scotland Mountains and hills of the Southern Highlands Mountains and hills of Perth and Kinross Mountains and hills of Stirling (council area) {{Highland-geo-stub