HIGHLAND MORAY 25 BEN NEVIS 26 GLENLIVET & CARN DAIMH SCOTLAND A W N SCOTLAND A uDistance: 9½ miles/15.4km uTime: 7 hours uGrade: Challenging B S E uDistance: 9¼ miles/14.9km uTime: 4½ hours uGrade: Moderate B Passing the ‘Halfway Lochan’ PLAN YOUR WALK Distant views of the PLAN YOUR WALK (although the true halfway striking Ben Rinnes. point is further up!) PHOTO: PHOTO: TOM BAILEY TOM ROUTE BAILEY TOM ROUTE Start/parking Small Start/parking parking area at Achintee Clash Wood car park next to Ben Nevis Inn, Tomnavoulin, AB37 9JE, grid ref NN125729 grid ref NJ208265 Is it for me? Almost Is it for me? Farm tracks, CHOSEN BY… meeting path which climbs unremitting ascent and CHOSEN BY… at Glenlivet, where you can muddy field paths and hill NICK HALLISSEY from youth hostel and descent, with extreme PHILIP THOMAS warm up with coffee (or a wee trails. Gradual ascents/ Ben Nevis is the continuing uphill over two temperature variations The Speyside single dram) before embarking on descents, briefly on lanes/ highest mountain in metal bridges. Path then higher up malt distilled at the return leg to the start road. Follows section of Stiles None waymarked Speyside Way Britain and it makes you work veers north into ravine Glenlivet is infused with at Tomnavoulin. Stiles 3 for every one of those 4411ft. separating Meall an t-Suidhe PLANNING the flavours of the whisky- It’s a long, relentless climb from Ben Nevis, then takes Nearest town Fort William coloured hills that surround it. Start PLANNING from Achintee to Red Burn, a big loop L then R to enter Refreshments Water is drawn from these 1From Clash Wood car park Nearest towns Grantown- and then up the zig-zags to corrie containing Lochan Ben Nevis Inn heather-clad uplands to make turn R down lane towards on-Spey & Aberlour the summit (and you have to Meall an t-Suidhe. Follow Public toilets None this acclaimed Scotch. It’s a Tomnavoulin. At T-junction, Refreshments Coffee shop come down the same way). path north-east to reach Public transport product intrinsically linked cross with care and turn R at the Glenlivet Distillery Local bus 41 goes to (www.theglenlivet.com, junction of paths at 600m, along narrow verge and over But wait until at least May to Glen Nevis Visitor Centre; to the landscape where it’s open mid Mar to Nov) climb it; in winter conditions just above the lochan. short walk to start made, which is accordingly bridge into village. Turn R Public toilets None it’s for mountaineers only. Maps OS Explorer 392; recognised in law as a down road opposite war Public transport 2 miles/3.5km Landranger 41 protected locality. This walk memorial, becoming lane. Limited 362/365 bus Start 2Turn R (facing Glen Nevis traces babbling burns into services to Tomnavoulin From information board once more) and head for Red these hills at the edge of the ½ mile/0.8km Maps OS Explorer OL61, 1 Landranger 36 at Ben Nevis Inn, go through Burn, a stream dropping the summit ridge, breaking the Cairngorms National Park, 2Continue, crossing cattle gate onto footpath. Where sharply from Ben Nevis’ gradient with lengthy zig-zags. picking up a spur of the grid and burn, following signs path forks, take L path running summit ridge. Cross burn Several ‘short cuts’ have been Speyside Way across the for ‘Westertown’ and Crown as it swings L over stream, then higher up hillside, with views (halfway point!). This marks forged to avoid zig-zags but 570m summit of Carn Daimh. Estate waymarkers for ‘Carn R. Cross stile ahead, following opening up over Glen Nevis. the start of zig-zags – from it’s wise to stay on the beaten One of Scotland’s Great Trails, Daimh’. Pass Westertown and track through forestry Path continues ahead clearly, here the path carries you up to track. At 1200m, path ➥ it descends to the distillery continue following farm track plantation into fields. Cross ➥ GRADIENT PROFILE GRADIENT PROFILE 1200 600 800 400 400 200 metres metres 0 0 km 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 km 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 ✁ SCOTLAND SCOTLAND MORAY FEBRUARY 2018 HIGHLAND FEBRUARY 2018 26 GLENLIVET & CARN DAIMH 25 BEN NEVIS uOS Explorer map OL61 uBuy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop uOS Explorer map 392 uBuy maps at: ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop DON’T MISS... The Glenlivet Distillery visitor centre. 5 1 START Tours from £10. Open mid March to 6 November. (www. theglenlivet.com) 2 DATE WALKED DATE WALKED DATE 1 START waymarked stile, and trace muddy path through gates SHORT CUT towards gate at corner of ©CROWN COPYRIGHT 2018 ORDNANCE SURVEY. MEDIA 007/18 ORDNANCE SURVEY. 2018 COPYRIGHT ©CROWN forestry up ahead. Follow track MEDIA 007/18 ORDNANCE SURVEY. 2018 COPYRIGHT ©CROWN 2 along edge of forest, which eventually curves R into trees. 4 3 3 miles/5.2km 4 3At junction/signpost, turn R for ‘Ballindalloch’ following TIME TAKEN TIME TAKEN Speyside Way on forestry track to emerge from trees at gate. Continue following trail, ascending crest of Carn Daimh 3 to its summit. To your west is Strath Avon and the Hills of DON’T MISS... straightens and makes for 4¾ miles/7.7km Cromdale, while to the north the summit. 4The only safe descent is is the distinctive form of Ben into trees, then downhill along path through glen. After ½ mile If you are via your ascent route. Retrace Rinnes. South, you can see Ben field edge and over stile to (before reaching ‘Blairfindy’ a confident 4½ miles/7.3km steps west to find cairned path, Avon and the Cairngorm massif. pick up track. Track curves R Farm), take path R up to navigator, a 3Path climbs sharply to again taking great care in poor towards Glenlivet, passing lane through gate. short detour of 150m summit ridge. Here extreme conditions. Reverse previous YOUR RATING YOUR YOUR RATING YOUR 4¼ miles/6.8km site of original distillery to directly south from care must be taken in poor directions to descend to lochan 4Descend ahead, following reach Crown Estates sign. 8¼ miles/13.3km the summit leads weather, as the north face via zig-zags. Turn L at junction trail north along edge of forest. 6Turn L, and follow the to a large wooden drops away sharply L and Five above lochan to gain path back An optional path down to 6¾ miles/10.9km lane back to the start. trough. It was used Finger Gully R. Path remains down to Achintee. Tomnavoulin leaves R, 5Turn R onto paved lane, in the Boer War and clear but can be obscured by otherwise keep straight on. then L at next junction down later taken to the snowfields even in summer. © Country Walking February 2018 February Walking © Country VIEW THE WALK ON 2018 February Walking © Country VIEW THE WALK ON At corner of plantation, veer road to Glenlivet Distillery. summit to serve Cairns lead to summit but OS MAPS ONLINE: as a water tank for OS MAPS ONLINE: R through gate, and follow trail Before phone box, leave lfto.com/cwroutes check your course in poor lfto.com/cwroutes as it contours around west Speyside Way, turning R to the former Ben Nevis visibility. Summit (1,344m or slopes of Carn Liath. Trail then Lower Castleton passing IN ASSOCIATION WITH Observatory. Retrace 4,409ft) includes trig point on IN ASSOCIATION WITH descends to sign at fence by Blairfindy Castle on your L. your steps back to high platform and a shelter a pocket of forestry. Follow At end of road, go through the summit. built into former observatory Speyside Way through gate gate, following level farm track/ OS MAPS tower. Well done! OS MAPS ✁.