Old Drove Road, Tomintoul to Invercauld Show path on map

Start location: Invercauld House ( NO 175 924 )

End location: Queen's View road-end, Delnabo Road, Tomintoul ( NJ 165 176 )

Geographical area:

Path type: Drove Road

Path distance: 32km

Accessibility info: Suitable for bikes, Suitable for pedestrians

Route Description

From 200m east of Invercauld Bridge (A93), go north along the minor road to Keiloch and continue northwest towards Invercauld House. After about 1km, at a signpost, take the steep track on the right uphill and head north by the west side of Meall Gorm and the east of Creag a’ Chait. Continue north to pass west of Tom na h-Eilrig and east of Carn Liath. At NO180981, continue north via the Bealach Dearg, the older path diverging from the newer track at NO180983. This old path may be hard to discern, if so it may now be more straightforward to use the track even though it ascends 40m to a track junction at NO182985 before dropping northwest back down to the line of the older path. At NO179989, the two routes again diverge, the older heading more directly north to descend towards the River Gairn, being rejoined by the track network at NJ180007. Continue northeast on the track southeast of the river to reach the bridge at NJ190020. Cross the Gairn here to follow tracks northeast then northwest to NJ189028, then go north along a path on the east side of Loch Builg and down Glen Builg to Inchrory. From there it is 9km along the private road down Glen Avon as far as a bridge to Delavorar. Instead of crossing the bridge, stay to the east of the river passing the Queen’s View and its car park to reach the public road 1km southwest of Tomintoul.

OS Landranger 36 & 43

Heritage Information

ARB Haldane's book The Drove Roads Of Scotland (1951) indicates that this was one of the routes taken by droves of Speyside cattle heading for Braemar. He states that the drovers followed the Avon to Inchrory and then continued south by Loch Builg and Monaltrie Moss. Although Monaltrie Moss lies further east than the line of the route through the Bealach Dearg, the route we have mapped and described here is clearly that marked on Haldane's map of main droving routes. Perhaps the line of the route south of Loch Builg has varied over time, or perhaps Monaltrie Moss was once more extensive. In 1747, the route was said to be in use by cattle thieves. Haldane also writes that "an old drover still living (1948) on Donside remembers it in active use for sheep traffic, the beasts resting for the night beside Loch Builg".

Gallery

NO175924: track junction, Invercauld. © Jim Barton, Geograph

NO179950 looking north along the track from Glen Gairn to Invercauld. Once a drove road, this is now a well maintained Estate track. © Nigel Corby, Geograph

NO179956 looking SSE: woodland remnants by the Bealach Dearg track. There are only a few scattered trees here rather than the woodland which the map suggests. Meall Gorm is the rounded, heathery hill in the background. © Alan O'Dowd, Geograph

Bealach Dearg (1999). This is a good bike route between Tomintoul and Braemar, but not in February. Approaching the 650m summit of the pass under Culardoch this biker was forced to carry his bike while post-holing deep drifts. © Richard Webb, Geograph

NJ190020 looking NNE. This bridge over the River Gairn carries an estate track which goes from Loch Builg up over Tom a' Chuir. A bridge is marked at this crossing point on the OS 6'' 2nd edition mapping (1892-1905). © Dorothy Carse, Geograph

NJ190029: looking NNW through an old gateway which likely marks the meeting point of the ages old route and a long-established boundary. The gate is lying in the heather behind the post on the right. The footpath follows the eastern shore of Loch Builg. © Dorothy Carse, Geograph

NJ164146: looking SW along the road to Inchrory, Glen Avon (1995). © Tom Richardson, Geograph