[13] NO 11965 95215 Ruin in Glen an t-Slugain

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25/08/07 Karen + lots more! Visited as part of a blaeberry picking trip. Lovely sunny day. This was a small hunting lodge.

4/8/07 Dave H
Biked past here on my way to point 8. Took about 50 mins from Invercauld. Rather tedious ride mostly because the track is stony, mostly uphill and the hills are a bit grim hereabouts. About 1km from the ruin the path divides - the right hand branch is the easier of the two on a bike (easier mind, not easy) but passes quite high above the ruin so you won't get your point. The L hand path is harder to ride but much prettier, and comes right past the ruin. I went up this one and back down the other. Don't know what the building was - it looks a bit small for a shooting lodge. Nice spot though, good view of Beinn a Bhuird behind it.

[14] NO 16505 97705 Carn Liath

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13/09/07 Karen, Jo and malcolm. Cycled in from the Keiloch to high point on track and then on foot through heather to the summit. Very windy - had to pedal downhill!







17/09/07 Dave H
After yesterday's nonsense I thought I would make the most of the long, warm summer evening and pick up another point. Set off from home at 17.00, in atrocious weather, hoping that the forecast for clearing skies was more accurate than the one for snow and freezing temperatures. Actually both were right. Biked in from the road end at Aberarder (turn north off the North Deeside Road just east of Inver). Went via Ratlich and Auchtavan to the top of the Bealach Dearg. The track is much better than than you would expect from the map (it's all rideable) though not necessarily as good as you might hope with only 2 hours before dark. The rain stopped, several times, and I was mostly sheltered from the northerly wind. It probably would have been quicker to abandon the bike at the junction with the Cullardoch track (191972) and run from there, because the track makes a big detour and loses some height, but I wanted to come back a different way. Took 65mins to the hut at the top of the bealach. Changed shoes and ran to the top of the hill. Sort of. It was quite difficult even to stand in the wind. Only took 15mins to the summit. Good view of lots of weather. There was new snow on Ben Avon, and lots of cloud with very fast moving sunny patches in between. Turned to come down just before a hail storm hit (see picture). Fortunately it was mostly behind me on the way down. Back to the bike in 10 mins then had an extremely fast ride back. Went down the track due south until it meets the track between Craig Leek and Meall Gorm (not marked on the map) and got back to the car at 19.25. 2 hours 5 after setting off and still in daylight (just).

[15] NJ 13195 01855 Summit of Ben Avon

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23/11/07 Dave H. Compare this with Karen's trip below, only 3 weeks earlier. This was also an amazing day for November, but in a very different way. The forecast was for sun and no wind all day, but deteriorating this evening and with no other good days in prospect, so I thought I would regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't take a day's holiday to run up Ben Avon. The route from the south that Karen took is probably the quickest, but it is more scenic from the north. In fact Ben Avon is a bit of a shapeless lump from the south, but has lots of interesting corries and tors on the other side. I biked in from Corgarff, via Inchrory, and stopped at the bridge over the Avon at 155068. I had intended going another 3km or so to the hut but the track makes a very unappealing 80m climb just over the bridge which didn't seem worth the effort. The path by the river marked on the map doesn't appear to exist, at least not in a form fit for a bike. The ride took 75mins, it is not at all hilly, and the surface is quite good, but there was a lot of snow and ice making it a bit of an effort. I was glad to get off the bike to run. Went up the ridge about 500m west of the bridge, using the deer fence to get across the burn. Lots of heather and snow, neither particularly deep but the combination was hard going. There are some great views to the east of lots of crags and tors (picture). It gets steep and rocky for about 1km for the climb up Stob Bac an Fhurain. Not difficult, just hard work. After that it should be easy to the summit but the snow was deep with a breakable crust - the worst kind of snow. I could just about walk without going through, but the extra impact of running was nearly always enough to break through. Got quite tedious, but the sun was shining and there was no wind so I couldn't complain. I thought climbing the summit tor might be impossible, but it turned out to be the easiest part of the day. It was covered with a combination of rime ice and snow, which was so rough and hard I could just walk up it with no trouble at all. It looks very different to Karen's picture. Took 75 mins from the bike. Going back was quicker, but not much because the snow was just the same. I was very glad to reach the bike after 2 hours 15 altogether. Unfortunately the bike was totally frozen up, as were my bike shoes. I got it going, but the front changer wouldn't work properly, the cogs on the rear changer were just immovable blocks of ice, and I couldn't clip my shoes into the pedals. So the ride back was quite hard. Still, who cares after such a great day out? Took 4 hours 40 car to car. It was nice to have a cup of tea when I got home.

1/11/07 Karen and Moira

This was an amazing day for November. 16deg! Setoff on bikes from Invercauld and cycled up Slugain. Left bikes and ran up to the sneck by the clach a cleirig stone and then on to the summit. Took just over 2 hours from car. Came back the same way. Pretty windy on the plateau but pleasantly warm

[16] NO 16075 91885 Creag Choinich

Click for map 14/11/07 Karen. Went up the

normal footpath from the village after visiting Clas Fernaig.

11/10/07 Peter

thrid and final stage of my point collecting expidition up to braemar. went up the normal way from the castle then decided to take the direct route down. the going is not to bad until the plantation then it gets a bit tricky...
stumbled apon an unusual cairn about half way down, any idea what it is for?

16/09/07 Dave and Kathy
So we were having tea and cakes in Braemar after our Luibeg disaster (q.v.) when the clouds lifted, the sun came out, the midges disappeared and suddenly the world was wonderful again for Challengers. So we went for a walk up here. Ok, so I'd been here already, but K hadn't, and the views were good and it made the day a bit less of a write-off. There is a sign at the start of the path which says it takes 2 hours to do this walk. Took us about 45 mins.






19/05/07 Dave H
Came up here between bigger runs for a bit of speed work. Parked at the forest gate. Took 7 minutes up and 4 down. Good view though not as good Leac Gorm (p34). Not bad for 11 minutes work though.

[17] NO 18546 93065 Craig Leek

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24/12/07 Sarah

Continued on to Craig Leek from Leac Ghorm [34]. Ran up the N side of Glen Feardar past Auchtavan before crossing the valley and climbing Meall Ghorm. This was the late afternoon view towards Ben Avon. Descended due E from Craig Leek, which was mostly nice grassy running with just a couple of crags to avoid. Returned to the car at Aberarder in around 2 hours total.

21/06/07 Karen, Jo and Sheila

Parked at the Keiloch and followed the track behind Invercauld house which is signposted to Tomintoul. Branched off at the high point and followed the ridge to the top. Back by the "Keiloch Crag Walk"

28/10/07 Peter

A clear sunny morning so headed for Craig leek. Followed the red signposted route with a trip to the summit from the highest point on the path. The hill offers great views, especially at this time of year, for a small amount of effort. By the time we reached the top the wind had picked up and the clouds were rolling in so was glad to get down (had shorts on!) for a cuppa in braemar.

17/06/07 Dave and Kathy.
This was the final point of 6 in our Big Ride. From Invercauld we took the track signposted to Tomintoul and Loch Builg, then turned right on the track between Craig Leek and Meall Gorm (this isn't marked on the OS 1:50000 map). From the high point we walked to the top and back, then carried on cycling down to Aberarder, down the road to Inver, then back to our starting point at Balmoral. 5 hours 30 all told, about 20 miles. The first part of the track on from here is a lovely grassy descent, but then it turns into sharny dubs.

Another botanical note - look out for the carpets of rockrose on the exposed shaley bits near the top - very pretty. You can see our descent route in the picture.

[18] NO 19046 88845 Ballochbuie barbecue hut

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31/05/07 Karen and Sheila

4th and last point for today. Set off on MTB and visited points 19, 32 and 31.

20/10/07 Evelyn and Derek

Achieved our target of getting here for lunch and the sun pops out to greet us - what a lovely spot

On the way back down we surprise some 'hoorays' but no sign of Wills and Kate (who are in residence along the road)

30/06/07 Gary
Went for a bike around this area during a sunny spell between showers. Biked here on easy Forest track before heading off towards Green Bridge.


17/06/07 Dave and Kathy
Biked here on our way round the Balmoral challenge points.
Lovely place for a barbecue. Didn't get the chance to pay our respects to the Queen, God bless her.

03/06/07 Sarah, Jon and Ewan

Opted out of Scolty Hill race - both feeling lethargic and not in need of a thrash - and went for a long buggy run in Ballochbuie instead. Parked at Invercauld, up to the barbeque hut, then along to the green bridge above the waterfall [19]. Ewan wanted to loiter at the hut and have a picnic, so managed to delay things by posting the sandwich box lid through the slats on the step. Expected security to arrive at high speed on spotting Jon's suspicious activity underneath the hut.

Peter 02/09/07

Came here after a quick swim at the green bridge, lovely spot for a sit down and a beer!!!

15-10-07 Gail, Graeme, Finn and Magnus

Beautiful morning when we left Kinker but trying to rain by the time we got up here and freezing. Worth it though for the beautiful views and to hear the stags on the hillside. The boys were really impressed. We loved this spot. Would love to stay a couple of nights although it didn't look like there was any sleeping quarters. Had our picnic here and basked in the sun, fortunately the rain didn't come to anything. Went on to the next point from here.

[19] NO 19876 89625 Green bridge waterfall

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31/05/07 Karen and Sheila Cycled here from Easter Balmoral. Visited points 32 and 31 on the way


20/10/07


Evelyn and Derek


Having just been at 31 and having left our bikes at the shelter (237903) we were able to take the fast track down past Connachat Cottage (217918) and on along the motorway to the falls



16/10/07 Gail and family - Have been meaning to take the family here for ages. I have run in these woods before and love it.
Must try and come here on my way back from Braemar when I can.

17/06/07 Dave and Kathy.
Came here on our way from Balmoral via lots of points. The track via the Prince's Stone is not really an ideal place for biking. The bridge doesn't go anywhere, it was just built so QV could see the waterfall from a nice angle. Thank heavens for royalty.

03/06/07 Sarah, Jon and Ewan

Continued round to the Green bridge above the waterfall from the barbeque hut [18]. These pine woods are magnificent. A great place to come for a feel-good run.

[20] NO 18456 86355 Meall an t-Slugain

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14/09/07 Karen + friends

A cold and windy day. Parked at end of Glen Callater and headed up to left 2 miles up the glen. Descended directly to Loch Phadruig and then down to bridge over the Callater burn.

24/09/07 Dave H
Biked in from Invercauld to the hut at the end of the track up the Feindallacher Burn. Uphill all the way, but quite an easy ride. Took about 30mins. Intended going up the Stuic, but the weather was wet and cold so took the easy option of a quick jog up here. Ran along the path to the bridge then went right, up the heather to the top of the ridge. Bit of a slog at first, but good running higher up. Only took 25mins, then 15 back down. 15 mins back on the bike. It's difficult to take a good picture of the hills round here - they make for a good run but are a bit featureless. The picture is looking north to Ballochbuie. If you want to make a longer run of this hill, all the hills between here and Criag Choinnich are good running - you can pick up 8 of them in one run if you go on to Carn an t-Sagairt Mor. Takes a while though.

[21] NO 15465 84105 Creag nan Gabhar

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23/08/07 Karen, Jo and Sheila

At last summer has arrived! A beautiful warm sunny day. Parked at end of Glen Callater. Took a landrover track up the hill after a mile on the main track. This goes almost all the way along the ridge then along a good path to the summit. Returned by Callater Lodge.

28/09/07 Dave H
Just had time for this before it got dark - parked at the end of the glen at Auchallater and just ran straight up the hill. Steep to start with, but there are animal tracks through most of the heather and after about 10 mins it gets less steep and the going is very good. In fact there is a track almost all the way. Pleasant run along the ridge south to the top. Good views of the new snow on the Cairngorms, despite rather a lot of cloud. Took 40mins to the top, 25 back down. I thought this hill might be a bit boring but it was a surprisingly good run. An interesting alternative would be to follow D+E's route but drag the bike all the way to the top of the hill and ride back the way I went. Or you could start at the plantation further up Glen Clunie and go straight up from there if you want a really steep climb. I took the picture from p12 on a much sunnier evening (ie it is a picture of this point, rather than from it).

09/08/07 Evelyn & Derek

Reading from Dave and Kathy's route into 22/23 that it was mostly bikeable, we decided to try that and add 21 for good measure. Take the right fork at the junction at NO 166 853. We couldn't find any way across the river except wading so count on wet feet from here onwards. The map shows the track turning to path further on but its been upgraded and is cycleable all the way to NO 164 834 where it meets an old landrover track going up the hill - leave bikes here and head for the small rise at NO 162 837. From here you'll see the path climbing the eastern edge of Creag nan Gobhar. There is a peaty section to navigate but it wasn't too bad.

The climb is straightforward. There are two cairns on top but the one you'll reach first on the eastern edge is the highest point. Its worth trekking over to the other however as you'll get a good view back down onto the A93 and Braemar in the distance.

On the way back you get a great view of Loch Callater

[22] NO 18756 83430 Head of Loch Callater

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25/11/07 Dave H, Dave S, Ben, Roelf
Parked on the Glen Clunie road, at the forestry by the mouth of the Baddoch, and ran through the glen to the south of Creag nan Gabhar, then cut directly to the top of the loch. Cold, with snow showers and some wind. Everyone looked cheerful here, because they thought the sun would come out for the run on the Loch Kandar. No such luck.

7/06/07 Karen and Sheila

Parked at end of Glen Callater and cycled to this point leaving the bikes here to continue on to point 24

09/08/07 Evelyn & Derek
Thanks for the route notes - they helped.
Coming from 21 there appears to be a path at NO 171 838. We could see a path starting back up towards us from the Lodge but couldn't see the promised shortcut. Even if it had been there, its very heathery and the biking back down to the ford was great fun. Ford the river again however.
Nice track back up to the Lodge and onto the south side of the loch, easily bikeable round to the head of the loch where one of the bridges has just been replaced. Unfortunately the main river isn't bridged (being fordable by vehicle) and you'll be back in the water again if you want to reach Jock's Road.
Left the bikes here.


29/4/07 Dave and Kathy
Ran in up Glen Callater. Easy run but it would be even easier on a bike. After the lodge the path on the north side of the loch is probably a bit easier to run, but the opposite is true for biking. Went on to Loch Kander.

[23] NO 18896 80895 Loch Kandar

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25/11/07 Dave H, Dave S, Ben, Roelf
Easy run here from the head of Loch Callater. Still cold and windy, with the waterfalls frozen and quite a lot of snow high up. The corrie was very impressive. We then went straight up the side of the corrie to the North West and took a direct line over Carn Dubh back to the car at the mouth of the Baddoch. Very steep climb - had to crawl through the snow drift at the top. Windy, and Roelf get very cold - not wearing enough clothes. Thought we might end up carrying him, but it turned out that it was Megan, Dave's dog, that couldn't cope. The poor thing had to be carried off the last hill down to the car. A day to remember. Took about 3 hours altogether.

01/10/07 Karen, Jo and malcolm

Cycled up Glen Callater leaving bikes at end of the loch. Followed a footpath on the south side of the river which takes you most of the way up to the corrie. Pretty wet underfoot.

09/08/07 Evelyn & Derek

Left the bikes at the head of the loch and jogged up Jock's Road. The path through the boggy area is a bit indistinct but boulders mark the burn crossings. Once off the flat area the path is clear but it is difficult to know where to turn for Kandar. We couldn't see any real path and basically aimed up the burn coming down out of Kandar.

Lovely grassy area towards the top for my Julie Andrews impression.

Kandar was impressive, saw the eagle - assume it lives on the many toads which we saw on the way up?

Back to our bikes, 2nd lunch and a nice run out to the car.

29/4/07 Dave and Kathy. After the loch Glen Callater gets very interesting. Jock's Road goes over a col to the south but we turned off it to the west up to loch Kander, which is very spectacular. More impressive than the Lochnagar corrie I thought. To make it even better an eagle was circling overhead.
The run took about 3 hours from the bottom of Glen Callater but we weren't going particularly fast, and a bike would have helped a lot for the first 3 miles. This was possibly Kathy's longest ever run.

Peter 07/09/07

Cracking day on friday so had a run up glen Callater to the loch then up and out of the corrie and over to the Tolmount. Once out of the corrie the ground was rough and boggy as i traversed around Cairn of Claise, if i was to do it again i would probably just go up to the top of the hill and then along to the Tolmount, its a bit dryer and more runable higher up if i remember corectly. from the tolmount headed east to the high point of jocks (point 22)

[24] NO 21816 80465 high point of Jock's Road

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07/06/07 Karen and Sheila

Cycled up Glen Callater to head of loch and then after crossing river to n side followed footpath (which becomes difficult to follow at times) up to the high point. A beautiful day.

21/07/07 Dave H, Dave S, Jon, Helen
This was the first control in a 4 hour run. Ran to the head of Loch Muick (almost, didn't get the control here yet), then up the Streak of Lightning to the hut then S down to Bachnagairn. Turned right on a muddy path immediately after the bridge and followed the path until it met Jock's Road. the path starts muddy, gets very good in the middle, then almost disappears at the top. Bit difficult to work out how that has happened. Jock's Road has been rebuilt recently, but not this part. I had hoped it might make a MTB route but it isn't much more than a mark in the grass here. The top is pretty indistinct, Somewhere off to the right of the picture apparently. We headed off from here in the general direction of Fafernie and Cairn Bannoch, without actually going to the top of either. then descended to the Dubh Loch.