Tarf and Tilt Hills
The Tarf and Tilt Hills are a part of the Grampian Mountains, south of the Cairngorms and north of Blair Atholl. They take their name from the River Tilt and its feeder tributary the Tarf Water, which rise on these slopes. The Tarf and Tilt Hills spread across the meeting of three counties, Aberdeenshire, Inverness-shire and Perthshire, whose three-shire point is the summit of Càrn an Fhidhleir.
The hills surround the long straight steep sided glen, Glen Tilt. The Beinn a' Ghlò massif dominates Glen Tilt to the south and this mountain has three summits counted as full munros. The glen meanwhile bears a track which leads up to a path over all the way through to Braemar in Aberdeenshire to the northeast.
Climbing
Rugged climbers can reach the high tops by a number of routes, most readily accessible from the south, from Blair Atholl and Glen Tilt. The most dedicated can come over from Braemar.
A number of good routes lead up into the hills supported by bridges to cross the River Tilt.
The track up Glen Tilt is a good track, suficiient for cyclists. It leaves Glen Tilt and runs up and over to the Tarff Hotel. After crossing the Tarff at this point however the cyclist, unless heading for Linn of Dee, must leave his wheels and continue on foot to Càrn an Fhidhleir and An Sgarsoch.
Munros
There are seven munros amongst the Tarf and Tilt Hills:
- An Sgarsoch
- Beinn a' Ghlò:
- Càrn nan Gabhar
- Braigh Coire Chruinn-Bhalgain
- Càrn Liath
- Beinn Dearg, Perthshire
- Carn a' Chlamain
- Càrn an Fhidhleir
On screen
The Gamekeeper, a television series directed by Ken Loach in the 1980s featured a year in the life of the estate amongst these mountains.