PROGRAMME 2 VICTORIA & ALBERT’S HIGHLAND FLING Introduction The Highlands are renowned throughout the world as a symbol of Scottish identity and we’re about to find out why. In this strenuous four-day walk we’re starting out at Pitlochry – gateway to the Cairngorms National Park – on a mountainous hike to the Queen’s residence at Balmoral. Until the 19th century, this area was seen by many as a mysterious and dangerous land. Populated by kilt-wearing barbarians, it was to be avoided by outsiders. We’re going to discover how all that changed, thanks in large part to an unpopular German prince and his besotted queen. .Walking Through History Day 1. Day 1 takes us through the Killiecrankie Pass, a battlefield of rebellious pre-Victorian Scotland. Then it’s on to an unprecedented royal visit at Blair Castle. Pitlochry to Blair Atholl, via the Killiecrankie Pass and Blair Castle. Distance: 12 miles Day 2. Things get a little more rugged with an epic and challenging hike through Glen Tilt. Then it’s on to Mar Lodge estate where we’ll discover how the Clearances made this one of the emptiest landscapes in Europe, and a playground for the rich. Blair Atholl to Mar Lodge, via Glen Tilt. Distance: 23 miles Day 3. Into Royal Deeside, we get a taste of the Highland Games at Braemar, before reaching the tartan palace Albert built for his queen at Balmoral. Mar Lodge to Crathie, via Braemar and Balmoral Castle Distance: 20 miles Day 4. On our final day we explore the Balmoral estate. The wild and remote lands of Glen Muick, in the shadow of mighty Lochnagar, reveal the legacy this couple’s passion has left on the landscape. Crathie to Glas-allt-Shiel, via Gelder Shiel and Loch Muick Distance: 12 miles Please use OS Explorer Maps 386, 394, 387, 388 (1:25k) or OS Landranger 52, 43, 44 (1:50k). All distances approx. Please take care to plan your walks carefully and be well equipped with compass, food and water and full waterproofs. Parts of this walk are both remote and challenging. In particular we recommend that Day 2 only be attempted in summer months and by experienced walkers with a good degree of fitness. 2 .Walking Through History Day 1 – Places of Interest.s Pitlochry to Blair Atholl, via Killiecrankie Pass and Blair Castle Distance: 12 miles Our walk begins at Pitlochry – gateway to the Cairngorms National Park. The high street is packed with shops selling tweed, tartan and shortbread. Heading west out of town towards Killiecrankie we veer off the main road down Clunie Bridge Road. Clunie footbridge takes us over to the south side of the River Tummel. Following the river for a few miles, we arrive at the Linn of Tummel and a clue to the fact that we’re already walking in the footsteps of Victoria and Albert. Linn of Tummel The contrasting rivers of the slow-flowing Garry and the fast- flowing Tummel meet here. Notice beside the Linn a very early example of a fish pass, blown out to enable salmon to bypass the falls and more easily migrate upstream. The Coronation Bridge a little further down the Tummel allows you to view the falls from the other side, where you’ll see an obelisk commemorating Victoria and Albert’s visit in 1844. It was a remarkable occasion given no monarch of Great Britain had ever been this far north before. Twenty-five-year-old Victoria had given birth to her fourth child only a month before. She’d also survived three assassination attempts! Albert demanded she take a holiday. We continue north on the wooded path alongside the River Garry and pass under the Garry Bridge. If you fancy a bungee jump in the Highlands then you’ve just struck gold. We’re ploughing on, however. Now in the Pass of Killiecrankie, we come to a white footbridge just beyond the road bridge. This takes us over the river to General Wade’s Military Road. 3 .Walking Through History The Battle of Killiecrankie The Military Road was a key strategic route. It took you from the Lowlands into the Highlands and the narrow pass was the only way in or out. It was also the site of the very first battle of the Jacobite Uprisings - and a legendary defeat for the British government. The Jacobites were led by Viscount Dundee, known as Bonnie Dundee. On 27 July 1689, Dundee’s Highlanders massed just north of here. Five thousand highly organized government troops, twice the Highlanders’ numbers, marched through the narrow pass. Bonnie Dundee’s men were ready for them. Raising their broadswords, they charged, cutting right through the terrified redcoats. In the aftermath, the Highland population was brutally persecuted. Clans were broken up. Those caught wearing tartan or speaking Scots Gaelic faced imprisonment, or even transportation. It was over fifty years before the Jacobites were outgunned, however. On the 16th April 1746, they were wiped out for good at the Battle of Culloden. As we push north-west along the pass, we come to signs for Soldier’s Leap. This is about a mile beyond the white footbridge we used to cross the Garry. Soldier’s Leap One fleeing soldier, Donald McBane, managed to evade the Highlanders chasing him, in spectacular style. He climbed down onto the rocks below and leapt a full 18 feet (5.5m) across the fast flowing Garry. He later recalled how ‘Many of our men were lost in that water.’ A few hundred yards further up the steep side of the gorge and we come to the Queen’s View with spectacular views across the gorge and over to the railway viaduct. The Queen’s View The Queen was a big diarist and while many of her diaries were burnt on her death, some survived. Her daughter Beatrice had some of these – including her Highland journals - published. Standing at this very spot Victoria wrote, ‘We came to the Pass of Killiecrankie, which is quite magnificent: the road winds along it, and you look down from a great height, all wooded on both sides, the Garry rolling below it. I cannot describe how beautiful it is. Albert is in perfect ecstacies.’ 4 .Walking Through History Continuing up the stepped footpath to the road, we follow the B8079 towards the village of Killiecrankie. Note: The Killiecrankie Visitor Centre, run by National Trust for Scotland, is located on the roadside just above the Soldier’s Leap and Queen’s View. When we hit the village a left turn takes us over the railway line and river. Follow the Garry River to Essangal where the lane then passes under the A9 and continues as a footpath. A pleasant stroll along the south bank of the Garry brings us to a footbridge and the beautiful village of Blair Atholl. Sir Walter Scott Scott was a massive best seller in 19th century Britain. Titles such as Ivanhoe, Waverley and Rob Roy were read across the globe and were largely responsible for a new romantic notion of Scotland. He’d already lured one monarch to Lowland Scotland in 1822, when George IV arrived in Edinburgh wearing a lurid kilt designed by Scott himself. The once illegal dress of the clans was transformed into high fashion. Now his books were drawing another British monarch to Scotland. In September 1844, Victoria and Albert – both huge fans of Scott’s work - came to stay at Blair Castle for three whole weeks. Cross the railway line and pass a stunning working water mill, which dates back to the 1500s. If you have time, don’t pass up their delightful tea rooms and bakery. On the north side of the main road you can’t miss the entrance to Blair Castle. We’re heading in to explore this historic castle and take in the incredible grounds as we conclude our first day and prepare for a tough Day 2. Blair Castle From burns and groves to walled gardens and atmospheric woodland, the grounds of Blair Castle offer remarkable variety and breathtaking beauty. It certainly pleased Victoria and Albert, who, after a brief visit in 1842, duly returned two years later with around seventy-five royal servants. Their baggage even included a grand piano! Unsurprisingly, the Duke and Duchess moved out to make room. The royals insisted it was a strictly private holiday, so there are no pictures of the Queen at Blair. Yet extraordinary early photos held in the archive show the Duke’s private bodyguard, the Atholl Highlanders, ready to receive their guests on 11 September 1844. The regiment acted as Victoria’s protection during the visit. Impressed, she gave them their royal colours, which they retain to this day. 5 .Walking Through History Day 2 – Places of Interest.s Blair Atholl to Mar Lodge, via Glen Tilt Distance: 23 miles Today’s walk is a Cairngorm classic but is unusually long and challenging and should only be undertaken by experienced hill walkers and during summers months when daylight is plentiful. Before setting off we recommend that you check with locals regarding the state of the various ford crossings along Glen Tilt. From the village of Blair Atholl, we pass Blair Castle as we press on towards Old Blair. This is where the Duke and Duchess stayed during the royal visit. Following in the footsteps of Victoria and Albert’s three week adventure will take us deep into the wilds of Glen Tilt. We’re taking the high road into the glen, though there is also a low road nearer the river.