This walk, from just south of Braemar, follows a good track to Callater Loch, a high loch, hemmed in by mountains and with good views. It is possible to lengthen the walk by going round the loch and wading the inflow river which makes a pleasant but more demanding circuit.
Clear track and then path along the side of the Loch.
No public transport; walk begins three kilometres south of Braemar.
Parking area at Auchallater (charge).
There is a car park (parking fee) off the A93 on the south side of the bridge over the Callater Burn by Auchallater Farm. The walk begins up the track, which is signed as a public path to Clova - a reminder that this is part of the historic route known as Jock's Road, heading over the hills from Braemar to Glen Doll. The track goes through a gate (locked to vehicular traffic) and soon bends to the right to enter the barren lower reaches of Glen Callater. Interest is added by the cascading river alongside the track. Jock's Road has a key place in the history of Scottish Access. When Duncan MacPherson bought the Glen Doll estate in the late nineteenth century he tried to ban all access to the estate. John Winter ('Jock') fought for the right to walk this old drove route; legal action went as far as the House of Lord's and by the time it was finished, both MacPherson and the Scottish Rights of Way Society were bankrupt. It led to the passing of the Scottish Rights of Way Act, the most important piece of legislation for walkers until the more recent Land Reform Act of 2005 granted increased rights to walkers.
Ignore a branch off to the right and stay on the main track, eventually crossing a bridge over the Callater Burn and continuing up the far side of the glen. There are good views back to Ben Avon, identifiable by the line of granite tors along its summit. At one point there is a small quarry on the left and a smaller track going off to the right; continue on the main route.
After a while the fences and buildings of Callater Loch Lodge come into view. The track forks again; this time take the left branch. A path goes off to the left by the fence - this is an old stalkers path that leads eventually to Lochnagar; instead pass through the gate (or use the stones to cross the fence) and continue between the lodge and the stable. The main building is a lodge for shooting and stalking parties from the estate, the neighbouring Callater stable is now a walker's bothy. The bothy is maintained by volunteers from the Mountain Bothy Association; please help by carrying out any rubbish you find here, and always follow the bothy code when visiting.
From here you can go straight ahead and cross a stile to join the path that runs along the left bank of the Loch. There are a number of small sandy bits of shore and there are good views into the mountains ahead, with Tolmount prominent at the head of the glen. The path forms part of Jock's Road, a traditional droving route used to drive cattle to the markets in the south. It is still popular as a through route for walkers joining Glen Clova to Braemar and the eastern Cairngorms.
After continuing along the shore for as long as you wish the return route is by the same path and track. It is possible during dry spells of weather (only) to continue around the Loch and come back on the track on the far side and cross the bridge near the Lodge. However this does involve wading the river above the Loch, which can be higher than walking boots. The best place to cross is to follow the path well beyond the end of the Loch and look for the spot used by the Landrovers as a ford - a cairn marks the place to leave the path. You can then turn right and follow the track back along the far side of the Loch. This extension will add approximately 1 - 2 hours to the walk.
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