walkhighlands

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Steplar Road

Steplar Road


Postby Eladram » Mon Aug 15, 2022 1:51 pm

Date walked: 15/08/2020

Distance: 17 km

Ascent: 400m

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I am surprised that there are no references so far to the Steplar Road on Walk Highlands. It's a drove road, and features on the Heritage Paths web site. It goes from Glenlivet to the Cabrach, but as it straddles two estates (Glenlivet and Cabrach-Glenfiddich) and crosses from WH's 'Cairngorms and Aviemore' to 'Moray' it seems to have fallen though the gap and been omitted. It is a superb walk and fully justifies inclusion in Walk Highlands.

We walked it from Rhindhu to Aldivalloch on a very hot August day when the heather was in full bloom, making for spectacular views. All of the route is on firm tracks and paths, with frequent small fords that can easily be negotiated or bypassed, though one or two might be a little more challenging to bypass if there has been a lot of rain.

Starting from NJ242215 near Chapelton we took a farm track towards Rhindhu, then turned left at NJ246247 and right at NJ245221 then across pasture land (sheep, incurious cattle) to cross the Blye Water and through Burnside of Thain to reach the moor at NJ251226. We followed the well-marked track round Dog's Hillock to NJ269232, and turned left at the rickle of stanes that is all that is left of Grayknowe to reach the bank of the River Livet at NJ266234. Here we took the track to the right past the remains of Glassachoil at NJ266234 to a ford at NJ273240. You can wade across the Kymah Burn here, or you can detour to Knochkan where there is a footbridge at NJ276241, and then return on the right bank to rejoin the direct route at NJ273241. The detour adds under 1 kilometre.

From here it's a gentle climb of about 50 metres to the abandoned Suie House at NJ275247. The path skirts the house and another abandoned cottage to reach a fork at NJ277251, where there is a signpost.

Take the right fork, signposted to SP30 The Steplar, 9 km, and embark on the 2.5 kilometre, 200 metre, slog up to Craig Roy NJ292265 and then the pass over to Blackwater Forest at NJ296267. The road through the Dorenell Wind Farm has been preserved and is waymarked almost straight down to the Black Water, where there is a ford at NJ330266.

You can avoid getting your feet wet by making a detour from NJ308266 to a bridge at NJ334282 near Blackwater Lodge and following the right bank of the Black Water back again to the ford, but that adds a good 3 kilometres so is really only worth it if the river is too high to wade across safely.

From the ford at NJ330266 turn left for a very short distance, then at NJ331267 turn right on a track and embark on the second climb, of about 150 metres in just over 1 kilometre to Dead Wife's Hillock NJ342264. From here it is less than 2 kilometres downhill (more sheep and equally incurious cattle) to the car park at Aldivalloch.

There is no public transport to get back from the end of the walk. We had arranged to be dropped at Chapelton and picked up at Aldivalloch. It would be necessary to make a similar arrangement, or use two cars or a taxi, or you could join one of the occasional organised walks run jointly by the Glenlivet Estate rangers and the Cabrach-Glenfiddich Estate/Dorenell Wind Farm rangers.
Eladram
Walker
 
Posts: 4
Joined: Aug 15, 2022

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