Speyside Way to Glenfiddich

Thursday 9th and Friday 10th June 2016

At the end of my holiday in Scotland I walked a section of the Speyside Way from Ballindalloch to Dufftown, however my attention was more focussed on the many whisky distilleries that are in the area. I had spent the night camped at the site of the old Ballindalloch Station, which is just around the corner from the Cragganmore Distillery. I had already visited the distillery the previous day so didn’t really need to go back, but I had been so impressed with the dram of whisky that I’d tasted that I changed my plans so I could return. However, the visitor centre didn’t open until ten o’clock so I took a walk south along the track of the old railway line where I had already been for a wander the previous evening. I returned from this pleasant stroll in time for the visitor centre opening and promptly took the tour of the distillery, which I had been unable to do the previous day. On returning to the visitor centre I had another sample of the delicious, slightly smoky whisky and couldn’t resist buying a small bottle that wouldn’t be too heavy in my rucksack.

With my previous cargo secured I rejoined the Speyside Way and headed north over the River Spey along the old railway line that would be my track for the whole of my walk on both of these days. Considering that I shouldn’t have had any gradient to climb this should have been a very relaxing end to my holiday as I walked through gorgeous leafy countryside at the bottom of the Spey valley. The white flowers of cow parsley and stitchworts accompanied by the pungent yellow flowers of gorse lined the track bed under hot, sunny skies. Despite the supposed ease of the walking I found this day surprisingly tiring, which can mostly be attributed to the warm weather, but also due to a diversion that I made off the Speyside Way in order to find a particular distillery that I was looking for. Just after passing the large, industrial looking Tamdhu Distillery, I stopped to eat my lunch on the platform of the old Knockando station, now signed as Tamdhu after the nearby distillery.

Neither Tamdhu nor the Knockando Distillery that is a short distance down the line caters for visitors, but the Cardhu Distillery does. According to my map the Cardhu Distillery was where the Knockando Distillery is actually located so I was rather frustrated when I learnt that the distillery was actually some distance up the northern slopes of the valley. A long, winding road took me up the hill beside the Knoackando Burn as I became hotter and more tired with every step. Eventually I reached the Cardhu Distillery only to discover that the next tour was in forty minutes. Instead of waiting I made do with a sample of their eighteen year old whisky, which wasn’t bad, but not as tasty as the Cragganmore. Instead of retracing my steps south to Tamdhu I headed east past the rhododendron-decorated Knockando House back onto the Speyside Way. Despite their invasive reputation I did enjoy seeing the lovely displays of rhododendron that successfully lifted my spirits after my exhausting diversion to Cardhu.

Mile after mile along the Speyside Way on the track of the old railway followed, over the River Spey and past pungent smells from a site that is labelled on OS maps as Effluent Plant. I was glad to get away from the smells emanating from the plant and continued walking along the tree covered path amongst the pleasanter smells of wild garlic. Walking along an old railway line can become rather monotonous as the view rarely varies, especially on this walk where the track is tree lined almost all the way, which further restricts the view. Woodland flowers added to the spectacle and somewhat compensated for the restricted distant views. When I got to the small town of Aberlour I nipped off the Way for some resources, including some cookies to keep me going, until I eventually reached Craigellachie where there is a free camping spot within Fiddich Park.

My mind was in two places on this walk with the many whisky distilleries in the area distracting me from the relatively easy path under warm, draining skies. By the end of the walk my legs were beginning to ache possibly after two weeks of carrying a heavy rucksack. The heat on this holiday had been unexpected and unusual for this time of the year. One of the reasons why I go on holiday at this time of the year is because it should be cooler than at the height of summer, which should make the walking pleasanter, but how can I complain about the gorgeous views that I have had on this holiday? The final walk of my holiday, after my night in Fiddich Park, was along the last section of the former Strathspey Railway from Craigellachie to Dufftown through the picturesque Glenfiddich valley.

This is a much more spectacular walk than the previous day as Glenfiddich is a very narrow valley with steep sides requiring deep cuttings through solid rock. The track initially passed the same banks of cow parsley and stitchwort that had graced the previous day's walk before plunging through beautiful, wild woodland with forget-me-nots and other flowers covering the floors. This delightful walk was wonderful, but woefully short and soon I encountered dozens of whisky warehouses heralding my entrance into Dufftown, a place known as being “the Malt Whisky Capital of the World”. Dufftown produces more whisky than any other town in Scotland and the largest, and best known, of the local whiskies is Glenfiddich. Even though this is not my favourite whisky, its flavour is too mild for my taste, I couldn’t resist visiting the distillery and taking the tour including the sampling of four of the Glenfiddich whiskies. At the end I staggered out into Dufftown for a wander around, stopping off at Balvenie Castle before walking back past the Glenfiddich Distillery to Dufftown railway station.

The disused railway line that I had walked along at the start of the day ends at the start of the preserved railway of the Keith and Dufftown Railway that runs a DMU service between the two towns. I took this train to Keith in order to start my journey home. At one point on this holiday I feared that I was wasting the good weather, but a burst of mountain walking around the middle weekend eased my fears. This was the first time that I have spent my whole holiday in the Cairngorms and it has coincided with good weather that has made for a good holiday. I prefer the more rugged mountains of the west coast of the Highlands, and with my passion for mountains reignited by this holiday I am all the more eager to return to that area. My memory of the awesome sight of Scottish mountains as far as the eye can see from the top of my last mountain on this holiday, on Ben Avon, will stay with me until I can return to Scotland.

Tomintoul to Ballindalloch

Wednesday 8th June 2016

When I started planning this holiday I was going to walk along the entire length of the Speyside Way from Aviemore to the sea at Buckie, and I was going to do the walk in late summer. Gradually I started adding mountains to the plan until by the time the holiday had moved to early summer the Speyside Way had been relegated to the last three days, starting in Tomintoul. I had stayed in the Smuggler’s Hostel in the highest village in the Highlands, and after a good night’s sleep made my way through the village to the start of the Tomintoul spur route of the Speyside Way. There are two spurs on the Speyside Way that veer off the direct route between Aviemore and Buckie and my walk along this long distance trail had been reduced to these two spurs and the short distance along the main trail that separates them. The glorious weather that I had enjoyed on this holiday finally broke in dramatic fashion the day before with a thunder storm and when I left Tomintoul on the path north it was still under grey and miserable skies.

Following the direction markers I made my way along the path through relatively dreary countryside not helped by the dreary weather. After crossing the Conglass Water I climbed a grassy bank to a road and around several woods, some felled, starting to climb uphill through heather moorland until eventually I plunged into a dark, muddy conifer plantation. A left turn and several twists within the wood brought me up to the top of Càrn Daimh where there is a viewfinder and what should consequently be good views. The distant views were too misty to be able to see anything and the lack of sunshine was making the whole scene look just miserable. Continuing on the trail from the summit I made my way along a heavily eroded path down to the Glenlivet Distillery, and since I like a wee dram of the water of life I couldn’t resist going inside for the tour and a taste. I had a feeling that this might become a common occurrence in Speyside where there is a greater concentration of Scotch whisky distilleries than anywhere else. 

When I came out of the Glenlivet Distillery I found that the weather had changed completely during my tour and now the sun had come out producing a wonderful afternoon for the second half of my walk into the Speyside valley. After lunch I continued my trek along the Speyside Way, but the standard of the path surface did not improve, while the heat from the newly emerged sun made climbing the Hill of Deskie quite tiring. The climb was enlivened my pungent smelling gorse and broom covering the hillside on my climb up to the top of the Hill of Deskie where heather once again became the dominant plant as I headed around the hill of Carnacay. Once the gradient eased I had a lovely stroll across the moor in good weather and under blue skies over the hill and down into Glen Avon.

The last three miles of the walk was spent on tarmac beside busy roads all the way to Ballindalloch Station. This was dull and not very comfortable in walking boots, or in the warm weather, and I suffered as a result. I was tired and thirsty when I eventually reached Ballindalloch Station (or the site of it on the disused railway) where I was able to pitch up my tent. This walk was very different to those that I had been doing earlier in the holiday, and I did not enjoy it as much. The condition of the paths was very poor with a lot of erosion and a general lack of maintenance, while the weather was very changeable with cloudy, muggy conditions in the morning and hot, sunny weather in the afternoon. However, the walk was a welcome change from the mountains, and it will be interesting to see how many distilleries I can successfully walk past. I couldn’t resist popping into the Cragganmore Distillery that is close by to Ballindalloch Station as even though I didn’t have enough time to take the tour, I did have time for a wee dram.

The evening was so lovely I decided to take advantage of it and go for a walk along the Speyside Way in the opposite direction to that I’d be taking the following day. This was a gently relaxing walk deep into dense woodland overflowing with wildlife along the bed of the old railway. I turned back at the point where the Speyside Way turns off the railway to climb uphill, but not before seeing some spotted-orchids. These flowers are a favourite of mine as I used to only see them when walking in the wildest places in the Highlands. I always cherished seeing these delightful flowers and used to look forward to that moment every year. I hadn’t seen any on this holiday until this point so I was delighted to finally come across some of these beautiful flowers. I now know of wildflower meadows in Leicestershire where I can find spotted-orchids, which does spoil the exclusivity that had developed in my mind. Nevertheless I still love these flowers and cherish them wherever I find them.

Ben Avon

Tuesday 7th June 2016

The night before this walk I had slept at three thousand feet between the high mountains of Beinn a’ Bhùird and Ben Avon. The weather was amazing all evening and the same clear blue skies welcomed me when I woke up in the morning. I was astonished at how warm it felt at seven o’clock in the morning high up the mountain, but I guess I was feeling the benefits of a temperature inversion so this wasn’t as unusual as I’d thought. By the time I was breaking camp and preparing to leave it felt really hot prompting me to think that it was far too warm to be walking with a heavy rucksack up a mountain. I had never slept at this height before and never experienced the unusual weather that you can get at this time of the day upon a mountain. It felt great to already be near the top of the mountain when most people were still getting out of bed. I had camped near the Sneck and, since I had visited the summit of Beinn a’ Bhùird the day before, I now turned right at the saddle heading towards Ben Avon.

As I climbed up the steep, stony slopes it started clouding over a lot earlier than it had the previous two days. The day before in the afternoon there had been rain in the far south-west of the Cairngorms National Park, but where I had been it had stayed clear, and I’d been expecting similar weather for this walk. By the time I reached Leabaidh an Daimh Bhuidhe, the highest point on Ben Avon, there were extensive clouds to the south but clear skies to the north and good views across the distinctive rock tors, reminiscent of Dartmoor, that litter the many tops of Ben Avon. A relatively easy climb up the rocks brought me up to the highest point on the Munro with stunning views into the extensive foothills to the north. It was fabulous standing at the summit and gazing at all the mountains of the Cairngorms National Park revelling in that unique and special feeling of being at the top of a mountain in Scotland. Words cannot express how awesome is the sight of Scottish mountains in all directions and as far as the eye can see.

Making my way across from the summit I stopped off at the nearest rock tor, on an unnamed 1147 metre top, which I climbed up to gaze out over the spell-bounding view. From there I made my way to an unnamed 1136 metre top and climbed up to the top of that rock tor. It was my intention to explore the extensive summit plateau of Ben Avon visiting as many of the tors as I had time for slowly making my way all the way down the eastern slopes via East Meur Gorm Craig on the same route that I had taken in ascent three years previously. However, while at the foot of the 1136 metre top, just after climbing down from the top, I heard a very loud crack of thunder that terrified me to my core. I suddenly realised that I was at the top of a high mountain during a thunder storm. The clouds that had built up during the morning had, without warning, started unleashing their store of static electricity. I was very exposed at the top of this mountain and needed to get down as quickly as possible, so fearing another lightning strike I rushed off north towards Stob Bac an Fhurain.

This is a commonly recommended route of descent off Ben Avon and I was more than happy to take it in order to get off the mountain as quickly as possible. In a state of panic I hastily made my way past the tall rocks of Clach Bun Rudhtair and down the long heather-covered ridge of Dà Dhruim Lom while all the way trying to keep below the top of the ridge or any pinnacles of rock. Thankfully the thunder storm had rumbled off away from Ben Avon enabling me to safely get down to the bottom of Glen Avon. At a bridge over the River Avon I finally stopped and was able to relax and release all my built-up nerves that had sent me rushing down the mountain. There, beside the river, I had my lunch while the thunder continued to roll over the nearby mountains. When I had recovered I set off along the landrover track that I had walked upon previously passing the Linn of Avon and the spot where I had camped three years ago. Soon after crossing the Builg Burn my mp3 player played the Jesus Culture track “Let It Rain” and behind me I could see that rain was coming down the valley. God had heard what I was listening to!

Hastily I put my waterproofs on so that by the time the floodgates of heaven really had opened I was ready for whatever the weather had while I made my way down the textbook example of a glacial valley in Glen Avon. The thunder continued to roll as I slowly made my way down the valley past peaceful, pastoral scenes for a long walk-out of the mountains all the way to the village of Tomintoul. The weather on my holiday had been astonishingly good, but as is often the case in Britain the unusually warm weather finally broke with a thunder storm and I was now experiencing the worst weather of my holiday. This was a curious day that started with those warm blue skies at three thousand feet and the stunning sight of Scottish mountains from the top of Ben Avon. The day changed instantly and dramatically when I heard that thunder clap prompting a hasty retreat off the mountain, while the rest of the day was a sedate stroll along the picturesque valley of Glen Avon. Ben Avon was the last mountain of my holiday and I’m glad that it was on such a great mountain, despite my quick descent.

Beinn a’ Bhùird

Monday 6th June 2016

When I was in the Cairngorms three years ago I climbed Ben Avon, but spurned its neighbour, Beinn a’ Bhùird, dismissing it as being merely a flat plateau with nothing of interest. However when planning this holiday I couldn’t help thinking that since Beinn a’ Bhùird was the highest mountain in Scotland that I’d never been up I really ought to include it in my schedule, but I had no idea how I would do that. It wasn’t until towards the end of my walk the previous afternoon that I suddenly came up with an amazing idea for the walk on this day and the next, but it required great weather for it to work. Fortunately the weather was amazing on this holiday and Monday morning dawned with clear blue skies yet again. The usual bagger’s route up Beinn a’ Bhùird starts from Linn of Quoich heading up Glen Quoich before climbing long, dull slopes to the summit, but the connoisseur’s route up Beinn a’ Bhùird starts from Invercauld Bridge and was the route that I took down from Ben Avon three years ago. Getting to Invercauld from Braemar was difficult, if not dangerous, as it involved several miles of walking beside a busy ‘A’ road until eventually I reached the trade entrance to the Invercauld Estate where there is a car park, which I didn’t need.

Excellent tracks took me through the wooded parkland of the estate, past Invercauld House, with great views up the Dee Valley until I eventually emerged onto heather moorland in Gleann an t-Slugain. The long walk-in continued in warm, bright sunshine until hours later I turned a corner into Glen Quoich and got my first sight of Beinn a’ Bhùird. This is a vast mountain, covering a large area so that even though I was now in eyesight of it I still had a long way to go before I could get to the top. I was disappointed not to have walked up through the wooded valley of Glen Quoich that I could see to my left, but as the excellent footpath swung to the right up the valley I began to get great views of the impressive corries that cut deeply into the eastern slopes of Beinn a’ Bhùird. As I slowly climbed up the valley the corries slowly revealed themselves until eventually the path steepened to climb up to the clergyman’s stone, Clach a’ Chlѐirich, and into the delightful valley of the Glas Allt Mòr.

A pleasant walk up the valley brought me to the Sneck at the top of the valley, but shortly before reaching the top I turned left following the stream round until I found a good spot to stop and pitch my tent. I camped at three thousand feet above sea level between Beinn a’ Bhùird and Ben Avon, and after having my lunch I set off with a considerably lighter rucksack up the slopes of Beinn a’ Bhùird. It wasn’t until I eventually reached the rocks that lie at the top of Cnap a’ Chlѐirich that I could finally see the featureless expanse of the vast Beinn a’ Bhùird plateau and the tedious walk that lay ahead of me. After crossing a depression full of bogs and snow I slowly climbed the long, broad slopes with the company of the occasional ptarmigan to the cairn that marks the Munro of Beinn a’ Bhùird. This is the north top and there is a lot more to the mountain. I had plenty of time to explore so I rounded the edge of Coire nan Clach heading south down to the saddle around Coire an Dubh Lochain and up towards the south top. There was nothing of interest on the south top so I dropped down towards a dramatic up thrust of rock that lies on the edge of the corrie rim.

This is A’Chioch, a tor-like granite rock that gazes across the corries and down into the dizzying depths below. This was a noticeable pimple in my view of the corries during my ascent up the valley and now that I was sitting at the top I had amazing views across the corries and into the valley far away. It had taken me all afternoon to walk across the summit plateau, and I rather enjoyed it partly because of increased cloud cover that had made it cooler. While the sun continued to shine northwards the weather had deteriorated further south with heavy rain far away to the south of the Cairngorm Mountains. With no threat of worse weather than cooler temperatures affecting me I was easily able to return across the vast distances of the plateau to the north top and finally back to the top of the pass. The best features of Beinn a’ Bhùird are the corries and the crags that line those corries and I was blessed with clear views of these all day. Eventually I reached the top of the pass at the Snecht where I had stunning views north into the awesome gouge in the side of the mountain that is Slochd Mòr.

A short walk down brought me back to my tent beside the quietly trickling burn. This was a walk of two halves with a long, tiring climb in hot weather to the top of the pass following by a relaxing stroll across the Beinn a’ Bhùird plateau in cooler weather. The day ended with a fabulous evening spent under blue skies in a stunning location between two of the highest mountains in Scotland. I hadn’t planned on camping near the top of these mountains until I thought of it the previous day, and I had never slept this high up before, but in this good weather it was a fabulous experience that I must do again.