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Cruachan - the hill with the hole

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Our view

"Looking along Loch Awe from Cruachan Reservoir, Britain's biggest energy storage system."

Walk directions

The uphill path starts past the railway station, but first walk along the road (towards Oban) to a tarred lane opposite the entrance to the power station proper (not the visitor centre, slightly further to the west). This gives a view under the railway viaduct to some of the lower waterfalls. Return and take the uphill path from the corner of the parking pull-off, signed for the station and Ben Cruachan. It passes under the railway by a low arch, then continues uphill in steep zigzags through birch, rowan and oak. There are various points to stop and admire Loch Awe, which disappears glittering in the distance. White speckled stones in the path are Cruachan granite. The path continues on steeply to the top of the wood.

Here a high ladder stile crosses a deer fence. (The generously sized dog flap beside it may be the easier way for people as well!) With the stream on your left, continue uphill on the small path to a track below the Cruachan dam. Turn left, across the 275kV Bridge, and up to the base of the dam, which measures 1,030ft (314m) wide and 150ft (46m) high. Because it's tucked back into the corrie, it can't be seen from below, but it is clearly visible from the top of Dun na Cuaiche, 12 miles (19.3km) away. The hollows between the 13 huge buttresses send back a fine echo. Steps on the left lead up below the base of the dam, then iron steps take you on to the dam's top.

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Location

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Steep rugged paths, 2 ladder stiles

Landscape - Wooded slopes and high corrie

Dog friendliness - Good, but steep metal ladder onto the dam top will need to be bypassed

Parking - Two pull-ins on north side of A85, below railway station. Also lay-by 0.5 miles (800m) west. Not visitor centre car park

Toilets en route - Cruachan Visitor Centre

Walks in Argyll & Bute Dog-friendly walks in Argyll & Bute

About the walk

The Cruachan Reservoir collects rainfall from a fairly small catchment, 9 square miles (23sq km) bounded by the rocky ridge of Ben Cruachan. Even with Cruachan's 116in (2,945mm) of rain a year, only 4 megawatts of power are generated, not enough to supply Oban, to the west. The big battery But... Cruachan is more than just a rather small power station. It's a rechargeable storage system for electrical energy, a very big electric battery. The demand for electric power varies from day to day, and even from minute to minute. There's the surge at the advertising break during your favourite soap, as a million kettles get switched on at once. Coal and oil power stations can be stoked up or cooled off, but only quite gradually. Nuclear stations run at the same rate day and night. And the greenest energy sources, wind and wave generators, give power according to the weather. So there has to be a way of taking electricity out of the National Grid when there's too much, and putting it back when it's most needed. Cruachan power Fortunately, an electric generator running backwards becomes a motor, and a turbine turns into a pump. At 'white-meter' (off-peak) times of day, water is pumped from Loch Awe up to Cruachan Reservoir, 1,000ft (305m) above. And at 7:15 on a weekday evening, it flows back down again. The stored energy in the battery of your car is sufficient to keep it running for about half a minute, but that's enough to start it in the morning and run the CD player when the engine's off. Full to the brim, Cruachan Reservoir, with the capacity of about half a billion car batteries, in theory holds enough potential energy to supply the UK's peak demand for 10 minutes. In fact the water can't be drawn down that fast, but at full flow Cruachan can supply 400 megawatts, enough for most of Glasgow. Time your arrival for 7:15pm, and you could see the reservoir sinking at an inch (2.5cm) per minute. The same amount of water will be flowing out into Loch Awe, just beside the visitor centre. The whole process – pumping up and then retrieving the potential energy – is not much more than 50 per cent efficient. The waste heat ends up in Loch Awe, where it benefits the fish farm opposite the visitor centre. The secret source The Cruachan powerhouse makes a fairly small impact on the outer world. Around 12 miles (19.3km) of pipes bring water into the reservoir, and the outgoing or incoming electricity loops across the hill on high pylons. The 1,030ft (314m) dam is only visible once you reach the corrie; the power station itself is actually buried deep in the heart of the mountain.

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About the area

This is a county that’s all about awe-inspiring landscapes and unique island cultures. Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney put the area on the map when he wrote Mull of Kintyre, recorded in 1977 with the local pipe band backing his group.

Route details

Difficulty:

Hard

Gradient:

Challenging

Distance:

2.5 miles (4kms)

Ascent:

1200ft (366m)

If you like this walk, you can try more routes in the area.

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Cruachan - the hill with the hole

Recommended by

Our view

"Looking along Loch Awe from Cruachan Reservoir, Britain's biggest energy storage system."

Walk details

Difficulty:

Hard

Gradient:

Challenging

Distance:

2.5 miles (4kms)

Ascent:

1200ft (366m)

Walk directions

1 of 4

2 of 4

From here you can look across the reservoir and up to a skyline that's slightly jagged at the back left corner, where Ben Cruachan's ridge sharpens to a rocky edge. In the other direction, your tough ascent is rewarded by a long view across Lorn. Turn right to the dam end, where a track leads down right to a junction, then right for 50yds (46m).

3 of 4

The former path to the right (west) of the Falls of Cruachan has been closed off at the bottom, where it crossed the railway. Just before the 275kV Bridge, turn down left on the path used for the ascent. The views along Loch Awe are even more awesome on the way down.

4 of 4

Location

Starting point

Nearest postcode:

Additional information

Terrain - Steep rugged paths, 2 ladder stiles

Landscape - Wooded slopes and high corrie

Dog friendliness - Good, but steep metal ladder onto the dam top will need to be bypassed

Parking - Two pull-ins on north side of A85, below railway station. Also lay-by 0.5 miles (800m) west. Not visitor centre car park

Toilets en route - Cruachan Visitor Centre

Walks in Argyll & Bute Dog-friendly walks in Argyll & Bute

About the walk

Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

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Walking in Safety

Read our tips to look after yourself and the environment when following this walk.

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Get an AA guide

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Been on this walk?

Send us photos or a comment about this route. Or recommend a route of your own.

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Walking in Safety

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Get an AA guide

Explore our range of ‘50 Walks in’ guides - they’re the ideal companion for a ramble.

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About the area

Argyll & Bute

Cruachan - the hill with the hole

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Cruachan - the hill with the hole

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