Day 78: Dinnet to Balmoral Bridge, Royal Deeside

Virtual Walk: Scotland 2021

23rd March 202: 101.74km walked today taking the total to 7977.93/8868km. 16.5% of 80 entries submitting 616.62km.

Our route takes us from Dinnet to Ballater and then to the top of Mount Keen, the easternmost of the Munros. We then head north to visit Corgarff Castle before returning south to Crathie.

Route 22: Aberdeen to St Andrews

Dinnet also has its own National Nature Reserve, The Muir of Dinnet Nature Reserve declared in 1977. The Deeside Way takes us through a section of the woods before reaching the village crossroads, where we take a path northwest through the reserve past Clarack Loch which flows into Loch Kinord. We join the Loch Kinord Trail taking us around the southern shore of the loch to pick up Parkin’s Moss Trail leading us to the Burn O’Vat Visitor Centre. The loch has an Iron Age crannog (800 BC-100 AD) and an island which once held a castle circa 1300s; there were also some archaeological finds in the area dating to Pictish times. The woodland is mainly lichen-laden birch and there are areas of heath and moss. The habitat is favourable for damselflies and otters enjoy the waters here; water lilies and reeds also abound on the loch during the summer months. At the end of the trail, we cross over the road to the 4 Star Burn O’Vat Visitor Centre. The area has been popular with visitors since Victorian times and offers several walks. We take the path leading through the woods, crossing the Vat Burn, leading us to the Burn O’Vat.

A red granite pothole known as ‘The Vat’ or ‘Burn O’Vat’, was formed 12-14,000 years ago by meltwater from a retreating ice sheet. The Vat Burn and other factors then contributed to form this glacial pothole. Access is through a narrow cleft which opens out into a cauldron with 13-metre-high sides. The Vat Burn still flows through, en route from the Culblean Hills to Loch Kinord, creating a waterfall at the other end. Folklore states that in the 17th century Rob Roy, the outlaw, hid in the cave behind the waterfall, which isn't true. However, Patrick Gilroy Macgregor, another outlaw and one of his relations, did.

We return to the A93 via a shorter route and continue on the Deeside Way into Ballater. We pass the Cambus O’May bridge which was severely damaged by Storm Frank in 2015. Before December 2015 we could have crossed the river here to take a shortcut to Ballater through Torphantrick Wood on the southern section of the Ballater/Cambus O’May Loop. Aberdeenshire Council were unable to afford the full repair costs, given 15 bridges were affected, so it has been the only one to remain closed. In November 2019, Prince Charles’ charity, The Princes Foundation, announced they would contribute the remainder of the costs, so the bridge can be put to full use again. The pedestrian suspension bridge was initially built in 1905 to replace a passenger ferry. It was financed by Alexander Gordon who, as a child, saw a drowning there and vowed that he would build a bridge for people to cross safely. Having made a fortune in the brewing trade, he did so.

Further on we pass the access to Cambus O’May Forest, where there are several trails as well as walks leading up into the mountains including Crannach Hill (556m) and Culblean Hill (604m). We follow the countryside trail through the settlement of Milton of Tullich to arrive at the Old Royal Station in Ballater, the end of the Deeside Way. This was the nearest railway station to Balmoral Castle so was frequented by many of the 19th-century royalty, including the Czar of Russia, Nicholas II, visiting for a family reunion in 1896. The station closed in 1966 and opened as an exhibition centre. It has been recently restored, after a fire in May 2015, and houses a restaurant and exhibition centre; it tells the story of the village’s royal connection and includes an exhibit of the royal waiting room.

Ballater itself is a pretty Victorian village nestled at the foot of Craigendarroch Hill (402m), whose name means ‘Hill of Oaks’ and has beautiful views over the village and the Dee Valley towards Lochnagar. It is the heart of Royal Deeside in the Cairngorm National Park, and the gateway to Glen Muick to the south (pronounced mick), where Loch Muick and the legendary mountain of Lochnagar can be found. Our route will take us to Lochnagar later. The village is a great base for hikers and cyclists looking to explore the abundance of mountains and trails that surround it. Ballater’s existence was influenced by the ancient trackways across the Grampian Mounth. The crossing point was where the Ballater Bridge spans the Dee today; bridged initially in 1783 it has been replaced 3 times, the most recent in 1885!

In the 14th century, the area of the estate belonged to the Knights of St John, known as the Knights Templar before 1307. The village did not develop until 1770 when the waters of Paninich Mineral Well became popular as a cure for scrofula, after which a spa resort was born. With the arrival of the royals, who began to use the area as a holiday destination, then the railway in 1866, the tourists soon followed. There are strong ties with the royals in this area; evidence can be seen as we walk through the town to the riverside walk where many shops display ‘By Appointment’ signage from Royal Warrants once held. The Queen Mother granted these, so the warrants lapsed after the death of the Queen Mother, but the signage remains.

We’ll be visiting Balmoral Castle on our route but there is another less known property, which Prince Charles inherited from the Queen Mother, called Birkhall in this area. It was acquired from the Gordon family by Prince Albert as part of the Balmoral Estate, along with the Abergeldie Estate which was also nearby. The royal family have holidayed there frequently from that time onwards. Queen Elizabeth II spent childhood holidays here, and when her father was King, the Queen, Prince Philip and the children would stay at Birkhall.

As the Royal Family were accompanied by The Queen’s Guard for their visits, the Victoria Barracks were built in Ballater in 1850. They still call it home today when the Queen is in residence at Balmoral 8 miles away.

We make our way back down to the Dee to cross Ballater Bridge to pick up the Mounth Road which will take us partway to our destination, Mount Keen (939m), the most easterly Munro on the Mounth Plateau, a total distance of 11.3 kilometres. The Mounth Road takes you further south to Invermask Castle, near Loch Lee, but we deviate at a signpost to head through boggy moorland, crossing the Water of Tanar at one point, as Mount Keen’s cone-shaped summit comes into view. We climb the excellent path up to its peak to enjoy views of Glen Tanar to the northeast and Deeside, before retracing our steps back to Ballater.

Before we cross over the Ballater Bridge on our return, we take the time to cross the River Muick and visit the ruins of Knock Castle. The current structure dates from circa 1600 and was the home of the Gordons of Abergeldie. Legend states that the 7 sons of Alexander Gordon, 3rd Laird of Knock, were out cutting peat when they were killed by the Forbes Clan. On hearing the news, the Laird fell to his death after collapsing on the turnpike stair. The Forbes Laird was executed for this act and all his lands taken by the Gordons of Abergeldie.

We cross back over Ballater Bridge to walk the Riverside Loop, enjoying the town and river views as we skirt the edge of Ballater Golf Club. Returning to a trail alongside the A93, now the Braemar Road, we turn north just before the River Gairn to follow basic roads and tracks through the Cairngorm National Park for nearly 26 kilometres before joining the A939 at Glenfinzie. We turn left just before the approach to Corgarff Castle. The A939 is the Lecht Road connecting the A96 in Nairn to Ballater at the A93 via the A95 at Grantown-on-Spey; much of it is the Old Military Road built by Major Caulfeild in the second half of the 18th century. It is often the first road to close due to snow in the UK; the Lecht Ski Centre is on this route.

We walk up the hill to Corgarff Castle which sits on a lonely spot within a stunning landscape. Originally built in 1530 by the Elphinstone family, it has been rebuilt on several occasions and seen a few owners. In 1746 it was used by the Jacobite army as an arms store after they retreated from Derby; by 1748, having been forfeited due to the Jacobite tendencies of the Forbes Clan, it became a Government barracks. Rebuilt and extended for this purpose, it was at this point that the star-shaped curtain wall was added. It was in continual military use until 1831, after which it was used to still illegal whisky! The castle was passed into state care in 1961 and is run by Historic Environment Scotland but owned by Lonach Highland and Friendly Society. We enjoy wandering its walls and learning more of the history within, before retracing our steps back to Royal Deeside where the Balmoral Estate awaits us.

Returning to the A93 from Corgarff Castle we leave the road just past the Creag Meggan B&B to cross the River Dee at the Pollhollick Suspension Bridge, another gifted by Alexander Gordon in 1892. We then cut through the Dalliefour Woods onto the B976 which we follow to Easter Balmoral. En route, we pass Abergeldie Castle in the Mains of Abergeldie. The area has been occupied since the Bronze Age and a standing stone at front of the castle attests to this. This castle has stood on the south bank of the River Dee since 1550, in continual ownership by the Gordon Clan. Having been used as a garrison during the 1715 and 1719 Jacobite Risings, its estate was leased in 1848 by Prince Albert for 40 years as it was near to the Balmoral estate; they still lease the game lands today. A 4-storey tower house with walls 4 foot thick was well defended, but in 2015 Storm Frank nearly brought the castle crashing down into the Dee. The 21st Laird John Seton Howard Gordon fled for his life in December that year, when the storm washed most of the land away from the rear of the castle leaving it on a precipice. It has since been shored up, so the danger has passed, and the Laird still lives here. The castle has its resident ghost, French Kate, burned at the stake as a witch on Craig na Ban nearby; accused by her mistress after Kate told her that her husband was having an affair.

Four kilometres further takes us over the Crathie Suspension Bridge on the River Dee, constructed in 1834 for carriage access to Balmoral Castle; it replaced a local ferry which operated here. We visit Crathie Kirk, best known as the place where the Royal Family worship when they are in residence. The original kirk, dating from the 13th century, was sited south of where the new church was constructed in 1804. Since Queen Victoria’s arrival, all monarchs have worshipped here and it was she who laid the foundation stone for the current church on this site, designed by notable Elgin architect, A. Marshall MacKenzie, and built in 1895. George V gave a communion table to the Kirk, made from white Iona Marble, dedicated to the memory of his father Edward VII. Queen Victoria's Highland servant, John Brown, a personal favourite of the monarch, is also buried in the churchyard.

We now head over Balmoral Bridge, also known as Crathie Bridge, to approach Balmoral Castle. This bridge was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and completed in 1857, as a more substantial replacement for the wobbly suspension bridge, as Queen Victoria described it, which we walked over earlier. It is Brunel’s only Scottish structure and the first of its kind in Scotland. A much smaller scale than Brunel was used to, but Prince Albert had high regard for his work.