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Two days after pointy Biod an Fhithich in Glen Shiel we followed the best of the the weather and could hardly have found a greater contrast than rounded Carn Mor in the gentle rolling hills of Morayshire. To be honest it's not an area I'd ever felt drawn to but it turned out to be a lot more interesting than I expected.
We took the minor road to Chapeltown and turned left opposite the church to park in a car park off a farm track. The walk begins along the farm track.
On the smuggler's trail
Braeval Distillery owned by Chivas Brothers
Heading for the farm
As we approached the farm we were greeted by a confused sheep running towards us then off to the side. She was being seen off by a collie who acted like that ewe had no business being on his patch! It struck me as slightly strange as farm collies are usually more intent on keeping their flock in than chasing them away. We walked on through the farmyard and met the farmer who was keen to explain that the ewe we had seen belonged to a neighbouring farm where there's an issue with unrepaired fences and his dogs are kept busy sending wanderers home. He was a friendly young guy and was interested in where we were heading, commenting it was quite a long way. That was perhaps a reflection on his wondering if two old biddies could make it that far!
View back to distillery and farm
Met this fellow alongside Tom a Voan wood
Who possibly should be over there
We wondered if that was the farm that had the issue with fences.
On reaching a sign for Strathdon via Glen Nochty and a footbridge we forked right and crossed the bridge.
Sign, ford and footbridge
Once over the bridge the route follows a stalker's path up the left bank of the Ladder Burn before starting to climb the side of the hill. This path was originally a coffin road, then was used by whisky smugglers to get to their hidden illicit stills and to carry their whisky as far afield as Aberdeen and Perth. The remains of one such still has been found well hidden on the side of the hill. It would have been difficult for the excise men to have located it and if they had the smugglers would have seen them coming and been away long before they arrived.
Start of the climb
The path contours left round the ravine of the Allt nan Clach but there's a shorter option that cuts across to reach the final grassy ascent known as the Ladder, which gives the whole ridge its name.
Looking down the ladder
At the top of the ladder there's a bealach between Dun Muir and Meikle Geal Charn, which has two large cairns on the left and a view to the southeast.
View southeast to Morven and a distant Mount Keen
View north
The continuation from here is easy walking up a gradual rise then along the ridge to an unavoidable area of peat hags. But the hags were so dry we were able to walk right through them. A lone hare sat watching us approach before loping in a wide arc around us, keeping a safe distance. There's a growing concern about declining numbers of mountain hares owing to excessive culling on grouse estates and this was the only one we saw, whereas in the past you would expect to see several. I didn't see any birds of prey which was perhaps a good thing as you couldn't miss him in his winter coat on this drab brown hillside.
Crossing the maze of peat hags
Coming out of the peat hags we aimed for a wooden maker post after which the going was easier along the ridge to reach the trig point at the summit of Carn Mor, the highest point on the Ladder Hills.
Carn Mor summit
Zoomed southwest over Carn Ealasaid to Ben Avon
Zoomed north over Corryhabbie to Ben Rinnes
From the summit we continued southwest on the ridge path, passing slightly to the right of the 800m summit then descending into the bealach before Carn Liath. It was there we met the first people we'd seen since the chap at the farm. Again they were locals who lived and worked in the area and one of them said it was the first time he had seen anyone on the ridge at this point. He'd seen people at the summit of Carn Mor but never as far along as we were, which is surprising given it's a nice circular route. Again very friendly people with an equally friendly labrador who were happy to stand and chat and tell us what it's like for younger folk living in the area. Basically they love it.
Looking back along the way we came
After the bealach there's a helpful line of fence posts leading along the ridge to the southwest before changing direction to the north west. This was for me the most annoying part of the route owing to large patches of standing water (that's longhand for pools) all along the ridge, involving a fair amount of dodging from one side of the fence to the other.
Following the fence posts
I had an urge to come off the ridge before it gained more height and cut the corner to reach Clash of Scalan, but Moira wanted to continue to the two cairns and then head down. So we did that.
Descending from the ridge
Heading for ruins set among clump of trees at Clash of Scalan
Here by the Crombie Water we came to the remote ruins of Clash of Scalan (from the Gaelic clais, meaning furrow, narrow, shallow valley) which was once a busy farmstead. The remains of a corn-drying kiln have been identified not far away.
Clash of Scalan
From the ruins we followed a track northeast, crossed a stile and then a footbridge to avoid a ford and boggy section on the track. At the College of Scalan there is an old mill and other ruins, most notably the college itself.
Approaching College of Scalan
The secluded building of Scalan (from the Gaelic sgalan, meaning turf roof) was once a seminary for training priests and was one of the few places in Scotland where the Catholic faith was kept alive during the troubled times of the 18th century. The Scalan is open all year for visitors to savour how “with courage and dogged perseverance” the Catholic faith survived in Scotland.
What with hiding priests and whisky smugglers there seems to be no shortage of intrigue and history in this corner of Morayshire. But when we passed there was no sign of life apart from this curious sheep.
The track from Scalan leads to the end of a minor road where we had our third friendly encounter with a local and his muddy dogs. This time it was an older guy with a truck and he must have been bored as he was in no hurry to stop talking once he got started! We got all sorts of background about the area most of which I can't remember. I don't think I've been on any walk where the local folk have been so keen to pass the time of day. We picked his local knowledge about where to get a meal in Tomintoul and followed his advice to the Glen Avon Hotel which served us good food with entertainment thrown in from a very elderly couple out for their tea.
All in all a grand day out.
