Geo-Trips :: The Southern Sections of the Dava Way: Dunphail to Grantown-on-Spey
Moray
A walk from Dunphail, Tue, 13 Sep 2022 by Anne Burgess
We walked this part of the Dava Way from south to north a couple of years ago Link and decided to do it again in the opposite direction. We left a car in Grantown-on-Spey and drove north to set out from Edinkillie Community Hall Link.
The first part is through woodland, emerging at the Divie Viaduct. From there it's mostly over open ground, with occasional wooded cuttings, until it re-enters woods near Huntly's Cave, four miles (that felt like 24!) from Grantown.
There are three diversions off the trackbed of the former railway, one at Dunphail to avoid a wet stretch, one at Dava to avoid some houses on the site of the station, and one south of Lynemore which I am told avoids a wet section of the line.
We enjoyed a pleasant walk, albeit long, on a warm, mainly sunny, day, with just enough breeze to keep us cool and comfortable, and finished off with fish and chips in Grantown before returning to collect the second car at Dunphail.
Total distance according to my Garmin Etrex 10 was 25.91 kilometres (16.1 miles). My companion's app said over 17 miles. Her app and my Etrex never agree - hers usually shows a longer distance.
For full details of the Dava Way see Link
.
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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Picnic Shelter
All-weather facilities close to Edinkillie's community hall.
Shallon (Gaultheria shallon)
A few late flowers on a patch of this widely naturalised and potentially invasive... more
Shallon (Gaultheria shallon)
A spray of ripe berries on a patch of this widely naturalised and potentially... more
Fungi
Two very different types of fungus on a dead tree stump.
I realised on... more
Dava Way
The path here passes through a shady railway cutting.
Divie Viaduct
This is the greatest piece of engineering on the former Inverness and Perth... more
Edinkillie
Church and manse, plus modern buildings, seen from the Divie Viaduct.
Bantrach Cutting
One of many cuttings as the Inverness and Perth Junction railway climbed from... more
Moor near Bantrach
Looking east across the moor to Bridge of Newton, with the wind turbines at... more
Old Fence
The fence is on the top of the cutting north of Bantrach Wood.
The View towards Berryburn
Although the foreground is in this square, the view is dominated by the Berryburn... more
Dava Way
Looking north towards Bantrach Wood along the trackbed of the former Inverness and... more
At Bogeney Bridge
Looking upstream from Bogeney Bridge, with the Knock of Braemoray in the distance.
Railway Trackbed
The former Inverness and Perth Junction Railway trackbed is now the Dava Way.
Bogeney Bridge
Thanks to dense vegetation it's not easy to get a good view of the downstream side... more
Shian Dou
According to the maps this low-lying area beside the Burn of Newton is called Shian Dou.
Burn of Newton
Looking downstream from Bogeney Bridge.
Rough Grazing
According to a nearby information board, a flock of 500 sheep grazes the moor.... more
Bogeney
The ruins here are the most recently occupied of the crofts in this area. They... more
Dava Way
The former trackbed of the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway is now the Dava... more
Jess the Collie
When Mrs Macdonald, the last occupant of Bogeney, required supplies she sent a... more
Dava Way
This is, I think, the most attractive part of the Dava Way, where it curves gently... more
Burn of Aulthaunachan
Not the you can actually see the burn, which is hidden amongst the long grass, but... more
Dava Way
This stretch is partially shaded by Silver Birches which have grown up since the... more
Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
The trackbed is now in use as the Dava Way. We became intrigued to notice several... more
Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
The trackbed is now in use as the Dava Way. We became intrigued to notice several... more
Burn of Aulthaunachan
The burn, invisible among the vegetation, occupies the low ground to the right of... more
Bog Causeway
An information board tells me that at this point the railway trackbed is on an... more
Railway Bridge
The bridge here across the Burn of Aulthaunachan is another of those that feature... more
Dava Way
Looking north, with a tributary of the Burn of Aulthaunachan on the left.
Trackside Hut
We suspect that this hut won't be here for much longer!
Knock of Braemoray
A modest but prominent hill between the Dava Way and the A940 road.
Former Railway Trackbed
Now in use as the Dava Way, and kept well maintained by the Dava Way Association.
Half-Way Hut
The hut is a former railwaymen's hut which is almost exactly half way between... more
Knock of Braemoray
This modest but prominent hill is between the Dava Way and the A940 road.
Dava Way
This bridge seems to have uninterrupted parapets. (See [[7287759]] and... more
Railway Trackbed
This was the trackbed of the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway, and is now... more
Fungus
Growing in the middle of the path.
Glacial Channel
This flat-bottomed boggy channel is far too wide to have been created by the very... more
Coire Gorm
It looks as if this has at one time been a loch, probably of glacial origin. In... more
Knock of Braemoray
Between the former railway and the gently-sloping Knock of Braemoray is a flat... more
Knock of Braemoray
There's a wide swathe of boggy flat ground between the former railway line and the... more
Highland Railway Trackbed
Originally part of the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway, the line became part... more
Fungus
A fungus with its cap upturned to form a sort of cup, thus displaying its gills.
Hut beside the Track
There's an information board on the wall of the hut, but it doesn't say who built... more
Fungus
This young toadstool has just emerged from the ground.
Truncated Fungus
Someone or something has cut a slice off the side of this fungus, showing the... more
Tree-lined Track
This part of the Dava Way passes through a patch of Scots Pines that must have... more
A Gap in the Woods
If you look very carefully you'll see a pale patch through the tree trunks left of... more
Tree Stump (1)
The remains of the stump of a Scots Pine that must have been rotting away for years.
Tree Stump (2)
The remains of the stump of a Scots Pine that must have been rotting away for years.
Waymarkers
Around Dava the Dava Way leaves the railway line and makes a detour to avoid some... more
A Watcher
The gatepost at the entrance to one of the houses which the Dava Way makes a... more
Dava Station
The blue railway-style sign indicates that this is the site of Dava Station, but... more
Mast on Carn Biorach
There's a communications mast on the western slope of Carn Biorach, which explains... more
Dava Moor
Looking towards Carn a' Cheatraimh Mhòir from the Dava Way as it emerges... more
A Wet Rut
Mostly the going on the Dava Way is firm and dry, but just occasionally there's a... more
Once a Fence
Now just a row of posts among the rushes.
Juniper on the Moor
There is concern that Juniper is becoming less common, partly because it is being... more
Dava Way
This part of the Dava Way is very open, with extensive views and just a few trees... more
Allt na Ceàrdaich
One of the small burns that drain Dava Moor passes under a bridge here.
Allt na Ceàrdaich
Looking downstream from the bridge built to carry the railway across the burn. The... more
Dava Way
The former trackbed of the Inverness and Perth Junction Railway is now the Dava Way.
Rickety Fence
The fence no longer aspires to contain the sheep that graze on Dava Moor. Note the... more
Cyclists on the Dava Way
Astonishingly, for such a good walk on such a fine day, this trio were only the... more
Càrr Mòr
This is a vast expanse of flattish boggy ground on the highest part of the Dava Way.
Natural Sculpture
The picturesque holes in this row of old fence posts have been carved by rain and wind.
Moorland Drain
The drain cuts through the bog and flows into Allt na Ceàrdaich.
Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
The trackbed, now the Dava Way, runs arrow-straight across Càrr Mòr.
Dragonfly
You can just about make out the shape of its almost-invisible wings. I tried to... more
Heatherbell Cutting
This was one of the most exposed parts of the railway line, and the information... more
Old Snow Fence
This is part of the snow fence erected alongside the Heatherbell Cutting to... more
Redcoat Soldier
I am slightly at a loss to account for the presence of this redcoat in Heatherbell... more
Are they Erratics?
I can't quite make up my mind whether these large rocks, half covered in heather,... more
A Dead Pine
The closest tree is, or rather was, a Scots Pine, but it has succumbed to the... more
Dava Way
The old railway trackbed is flanked by a belt of Scots pines. They don't look big... more
Into the Light
The old railway trackbed is flanked by a belt of Scots pines. They don't look big... more
Inverness and Perth Junction Railway
The railway trackbed is an arrow-straight scar on the moorland, but is now in good... more
Dava Way
The railway trackbed as it emerges from the woods south of Heatherbell Cutting.
Bridge with Railings
This could be the answer to our puzzlings earlier on, but it raises another... more
Eyeing Us
For once, these sheep didn't turn tail as we approached, but stood their ground... more
Fungus
One of several similar fungi in the path, but this one seems to be broken open.
Dava Summit
That's 1052 feet, of course, which is 321 metres.
Dava Summit
Just in case you didn't notice [[7288499]], there's a more modest sign on the... more
Last View from the Dava Way
Or first view of the moor if you have started from Grantown. Towards Grantown, the... more
Railway Cutting
This is one of several deep cuttings between Dava Moor and Grantown-on-Spey. It... more
Waymarker
At this point the path from the car park for Huntly's Cave crosses the Dava Way.
Field beside the Dava Way
As the Dava Way descends towards Grantown-on-Spey, there are gaps between cuttings... more
Dava Way
Walkers enjoying the view in one of the gaps in the woods beside the Dava Way.
Dava Way
For a short distance here the Dava Way is flanked by open woodland and a few... more
Near Glaschoil
A grassy field slopes down to the Allt an Fhithich from the trackbed of the former... more
Lower Lynmore Wood
The Dava Way passes through Lower Lynmore Wood here. This isn't deep gloomy... more
Mid Lynmore Wood
The former railway line passes through a shallow cutting in Mid Lynmore Wood.
Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris)
A late flower head still has its bright purple petals.
Footbridge
The bridge carries the Dava Way across Allt a' Bhacain. This is on the part of the... more
A Field with a View
The rough field here is one of few gaps in the woods around Cottarton from which... more
Castle Grant Gateway Arch
The arch was built by the railway company as part of the deal for allowing the... more
Mossy Rock Face
A smooth rock face in a railway cutting has developed a partial covering of moss clumps.
Fungi
A crop of delicate fungi on a rotten tree stump beside the Dava Way.
All images © Anne Burgess and available under a
Creative Commons licence .
