Geo-Trips :: Corgarff to Tomintoul via Inchrory
Strath Don and Strath Avon
A walk from Corgarff, Thu, 17 Sep 2020 by Anne Burgess
We left my car in Tomintoul, and drove over the Lecht Road to Corgarff. From there we took the estate road west to Delnadamph, and then followed the old drove road to the watershed and down to Inchrory. From there we followed the estate road back to Tomintoul, a total of just over 14 miles if we leave out a couple of short detours.
Regrettably, the heather was past its best, looking more brown than purple, and the sun, although shining at both ends of the walk, was obscured by cloud in the middle part, making the photographs duller and less impressive than they might have been.
It was very easy walking all the way, with few ascents, none of them more than a few tens of metres and none of them steep. The first and last few miles were tarmac; the section immediately north of Inchrory was unsurfaced but in excellent repair, and the part between Delnadamph and Inchrory was a very clear and easy to follow track.
The scenery was splendid, with rolling rounded hills and wide open views in the first part, and the steep sided Strath Avon later on. This is a walk I would like to do again, preferably on a sunny day. But next time I'll leave the first car in the little walkers' car park off the Delnabo road, and save myself the final mile of trudge into the village.
Click the blue circles to see a photograph taken from that spot and read further information about the location. The blue lines indicate the direction of view. There is also a slideshow of this trip. ( )
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Corgarff Castle Car Park
This is the small car park serving Corgarff Castle.
Approach to Corgarff Castle
From the car park it's about 350 yards uphill to Corgarff Castle. It was... more
Strathdon from Corgarff Castle car park
The River Don is hidden from view among the rushy pasture. The prominent hill is... more
Strathdon from Corgarff Castle car park
The River Don flows among the rushy grazing land on the floor of the strath, with... more
Strathdon
What used to be the Allargue Arms Hotel is among the trees at extreme right. It is... more
Juniper and Bog
The bush in the foreground is Juniper. A year or three ago there was a suggestion... more
Strathdon
The paper map I had with me shows forest on the slopes of Cairn Vaich, but it has... more
Plastic Sacks
We were a bit mystified by these woven plastic sacks, tied together with blue... more
Beehives near Badochurn
Although they look like piles of cardboard boxes, we think these are beehives,... more
Badochurn
From this angle the cottage at Badochurn is partly hidden by trees.
Looking towards Badnabein
In the foreground is a glimpse of a channel of the meandering River Don among the... more
Loinherry
The house at Loinherry stands above the glen containing the burn of the same name,... more
Meandering River Don
Although this is close to the source of the River Don, this section of it is... more
Badnabein and Cairn Vaich
Cairn Vaich slopes steeply up above the two houses at Badnabein, which are... more
Meander
This is a really classic example of a meander. One day the river will cut right... more
Another Meander
The course of the River Don here is very convoluted, with many meanders. The... more
Badnabein and River Don
Badnabein is one of just three farms to survive on the slope of Cairn Vaich,... more
Dunanfiew
A zoom view of the buildings at Dunanfiew from the south side of the strath.
River Don
Actually, the river itself is almost hidden by the vegetation along its meandering... more
Meanders
The 'panoramic' function is quite handy to show how the River Don meanders across... more
A Tight Meander
At this point the course of the River Don turns through 180º. The house in... more
Strath Don
A strath is a wide flat-bottomed valley, and this is a classic example. The hill... more
Dunanfiew
A zoom view of the isolated house and buildings at Dunanfiew.
Delnadamph
I was rather surprised that this was all that there was at Delnadamph, as I had... more
Converted Steading?
This looks as if it has been converted from being an outbuilding to being... more
Glen Road
The track beyond Delnadamph is unsurfaced, and follows Allt Veannaich, which is... more
Sand Quarry
In the back of what I take to be a quarry are layers that look like lake bed... more
Livestock Pens
Presumably the pens are used for managing sheep, of which there is no shortage on... more
Strathdon near Delnadamph
Allt Veannaich flows between me and the closest hummock, and Allt Tuileach between... more
Bridge over Allt Veannaich
The track to the cottage at Inchmore crosses Allt Veannaich on the bridge in the... more
Bridge over Allt Veannaich
On the far side of the bridge is what I speculate may be the remains of sediments... more
Allt Veannaich
Allt is the Gaelic for a burn or small river, and I suspect that Veannaich is an... more
Allt Veannaich
Looking downstream from the bridge to where Allt Veannaich joins Allt Tuileach to... more
Dam at Inchmore
The dam doesn't appear on the 19th century maps.
Reservoir at Inchmore
The dam contains the waters of Allt Veannaich in this small reservoir.
Allt Veannaich
The burn below the dam, with the cottage at Inchmore on the left. The small hill... more
Three Trees
These have a look of the trees that grew beside cottage doors, and the old maps do... more
Inchmore Cottage
The cottage is said to be a bothy, but it is also said to be kept locked, which... more
Allt Veannaich
Looking downstream to its confluence with Allt Tulieach to form the River Don.
Moorland
West of Inchmore, the track crosses great areas of heather moor. The obvious track... more
Open Moorland
The track here, an old drove road between Strathdon and Strathavon, skirts the... more
Old Drove Road
The road heads for the watershed between Don and Avon. The highest hill is Preas... more
Beehives at Culchavie
The beehives are well placed for the bees to collect nectar from the vast swathes... more
Moorland
The moorland in this grid square is fairly featureless, so the eye is drawn to the... more
Old Drove Road
The old drove road, now a track passable with a 4x4 vehicle, climbs gently along... more
Toadstool
A dry rough road isn't the sort of place you'd expect to find a tiny delicate... more
Féith Bháit
There's just a glimpse of Féith Bháit in the middle of the view down... more
Tolm Bùirich
Tolm Bùirich is the hill right of centre. To the left is Craig Veann. The... more
Craig Veann
It looks as if the burned heather in the foreground passes seamlessly into the... more
Old Drove Road
From this point, the drove road descends into Strath Avon. On the left are some of... more
Old Drove Road
The drove road goes along the slope of Stròn na Crois Araich, avoiding the... more
Gate on the Drove Road
It's good to see that the gate is walker-friendly. It is at the point where the... more
Moorland Fence
The fence heads arrow-straight to Carn Bad a'Ghuail. Interestingly there is an... more
Ford on the Drove Road
This is the smaller of two fords where burns cross the drove road. The burn isn't... more
Ford on Allt Chuil
This burn is named as Allt Mhicheil on some maps and Allt Chuill on others.... more
Ford on Allt Mhicheil
This burn is named as Allt Chuil on some maps and Allt Mhicheil on others.... more
Uisge na Meann
Uisge is the Gaelic word for water, and it is the name applied to the rushy ground... more
Breac Leitir
Breac Leitir is the ridge on the right. To its left there is a glimpse of the west... more
Féith Bhàit
The flat boggy ground is drained by Féith Bhàit, which eventually... more
Descending to Lagganauld
As usual I'm lagging behind taking photographs, in this case of the drove road as... more
Lagganauld
The abandoned houses at Lagganauld come into view as the track swings to the right... more
Probably a Quarry
Although very close to the contact with the Inchrory Limestone, I think that this,... more
Lagganauld
The farm house of Lagganauld, now abandoned but still appearing to be watertight.... more
Enclosures
The old Ordnance Survey maps show a small building, perhaps a cottage, at the... more
Allt Roderick
Allt Roderick is the name of the burn that runs some of the time through this... more
Allt Roderick
Allt Roderick is the name of the burn that runs some of the time through this... more
Reservoir
We noticed the ladder and were intrigued by it, until we had taken a closer look... more
Mushrooms or Toadstools?
They do look like mushrooms, but as we don't know enough to know which species we... more
Inchrory
This was the first view of the shooting lodge at Inchrory. I knew it was big but... more
Inchrory Limestone
The grey rocks outcropping here are metalimestones of the Inchrory Limestone... more
Felsite Intrusion
The pale pinkish shattered rock is part of a felsite dyke. Felsite is a fine- to... more
Limestone Workings
The old maps show various lime kilns, and this is probably one of the sources of... more
Allt Roderick and Cait nan Gabhar
The burn in the foreground is Allt Roderick, and above and behind it are the... more
Inchrory Lodge
Compare this with [[[6362133]]], taken over 30 years ago from the exact same spot,... more
Inchrory Lodge
A view of the south elevation of the lodge through the firmly padlocked main gate.
Estate Road in Strath Avon
The road from Inchrory to Tomintoul is wide and in excellent repair, but forms a... more
Strath Avon
Looking south from the road below Cait nan Gabhar. There's a glimpse of Inchrory... more
River Avon
The 'panorama' function of the camera exaggerates the bend in the river here.
Marl Burn
The short burn has carved a winding course between Cait nan Gabhar and The... more
Dail Neilead
Normally Dal indicates a hollow, but in this case it seems to be applied to the... more
Brown Puffballs
There were several groups of puffballs, some brown and some white, by the side of... more
White Puffballs
There were several groups of puffballs, some brown and some white, by the side of... more
The Neilead
The name is applied to a long steeply sloping brae on the east side of Strath... more
Estate Road in Strath Avon
One of my companions thought that walking on the road here was a bit like a... more
Gullies and Landslides
Foal's Craig is the rocky top part of An Neilead, which is cut here by a steep... more
Abandoned River Channel
It looks as if the River Avon has shifted its course here, leaving some abandoned... more
Scree Slope
The scree is presumably frost-shattered rock that has fallen from Foal's Craig at... more
Boggy Pools
The pools are at the downriver end of the [[[6611437]]].
Abandoned River Channel
Looking upriver towards [[[6611437]]] from the Strath Avon road.
Flood Plain Channels
The road rises slightly here, affording the best view of the abandoned channels of... more
Rejoining the Main Channel
This is the last part of [[[6611452]]] before it rejoins the main channel of the... more
Scree in Strath Avon
The scree here is made up of grey schist of the Mortlach Graphitic Schist... more
River Avon
The map shows some ruins on the flat land on the far bank, but they must have been... more
Coire nan Sac
A gully obviously carved by water, not ice, because it has a v-shaped profile and... more
River Avon
Looking upstream from just south of Dail nan Sac.
River Avon
Looking upstream from north of Dail nan Sac. The gully is that of Allt Ruarach, or... more
Allt Nathrach
The deep gully on the far side of the River Avon is that of Allt Nathrach. To its... more
Clach Bhàn
Clach Bhàn means 'pale rock' and the first edition six-inch map shows it as... more
Dalestie
The slow disintegration of the cottage at Dalestie can be followed through... more
River Avon
It's hard to see in this shot, but the deer fence is continued across the River... more
Burn of Little Fergie
I wondered if there was a difference in the geology on either side of the burn,... more
Burn of Little Fergie
These are the last few yards of the Burn of Little Fergie before it enters the River Avon.
Fungus
A toadstool with a rather delightful fluted cap. I have no idea what species it is.
River Avon
Looking upstream from opposite Sròn a' Bhothain Mhóir.
River Avon
Looking downstream from below Sròn Dà Cloich-aoil.
Island in the River Avon
A small stony island splits the River Avon into two channels here. The green bushy... more
Birch Woods and River Avon
The birch woods are regenerating on both banks of the River Avon here, no doubt... more
Birch Woods
The woods contain some fairly mature Silver Birch.
Dalbheithachan
The strath has widened out and there are farms on the gentler slopes here.
Toadstool
As usual I am unable to say what species this is.
Dead Tree
On the right bank of the River Avon.
Allt Bheithachan
Allt Bheithachan enters the River Avon on the left bank here. It is very difficult... more
River Avon
You have to seize the chance of a photograph when there is a gap in the trees on... more
River Avon
Since leaving Strathdon earlier in the day, I had been tantalised by sunshine... more
Mushroom
As usual I don't know what this is. My thanks to Penny Mayes for suggesting that... more
Field near Torbain
The forest shown on the maps here has been more or less clear felled.
River Avon
A peaceful reach of the river, shaded my mature trees.
Muckle Fergie Burn
The pool in the foreground is the last metre or so of the Burn of Muckle Fergie as... more
Auchnahyle
The house at Auchnahyle, perched well above the River Avon, is partly hidden by trees.
Boggy Backwater
This must surely be a small abandoned river channel. In the background are the... more
Bridges to Gaulrig
The old bridge is nearer the camera, and the new and less picturesque bridge is behind it.
Bridges Old and New
Until very recently the bridge on the left was the only access to Gaulrig, but a... more
River Avon
The River Avon is unusual among Highland rivers in that its waters are clear, not... more
River Avon
In this view you can see that the water of the River Avon is clear, not peaty like... more
Fungi on a Tree Stump
Two clusters of fungi, and a small grey slug, on a tree stump near Birchfield. I... more
Twisted Birch
The bark of this Birch has split into spirals up the trunk as the tree has grown.
Birchfield
Interesting to see that all the stored equipment is in pairs - two snowploughs,... more
Iron Gates
As we approached the gates they opened automatically to let us and the cyclists... more
River Avon
This is another of the stretches where you get only brief views of the river when... more
Road in Strath Avon
There are two roads north of Delavorar. The one on the left bank is tarmac, but... more
Field and Gate
The fields here are on the flood plain of the River Avon, which follows the far... more
Hut and Field
The purpse of this hut is not obvious. If it were close to the river, one would... more
Old Red Sandstone Conglomerate
This is an outcrop of the Delnabo Conglomerate Formation which occurs widely in... more
Car Park in Strath Avon
This small car park is provided for those wishing to walk or cycle in Strath Avon.
Birch and Heather
Beside the Delnabo Road just outside Tomintoul.
Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria)
This is just about the only species of fungus I can confidently identify.
Tomintoul
An unfamiliar view of the village. The tall building is the Square Hotel,... more
St Michael's Chapel
Even while Catholicism was persecuted in the 17th and 18th centuries, many of the... more
All images © Anne Burgess and available under a Creative Commons licence .