The Cairngorms is my happy place. I absolutely love it there – as you may gather from the fact that we’ve just returned from our fourth trip there since January 2022. In early September we had two whole weeks off work (unheard of) and used the time to do a mini road trip around Scotland – probably not really a road trip as we only visited three places in the two weeks. Our first stop was five nights in the Cairngorms to break up the journey on our way north – at least, that was my excuse!
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I will earn a small commission from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you, which helps me offset the cost of running this blog. I only link to products I have purchased myself and which I genuinely recommend.
Morrone
Despite visiting multiple times, we haven’t climbed up many hills in the Cairngorms. We’ve not really had great mountain weather previously, and being conscious of safety in the mountains, we’ve mostly done lower level walks or straightforward hills. This all changed on this trip, with beautiful weather for most of the week meaning that we could get out into the hills.
On day 1 we headed south to Braemar and Royal Deeside, which had the best weather forecast in the area. We climbed Braemar’s local hill of Morrone, which isn’t quite a Munro but still big enough to provide a good outing. We followed this seven and a half mile circular route from Walkhighlands.
There is a limited amount of free parking in Braemar, although we got parked no bother during the week at the end of August. The walk takes you through the centre of Braemar and past the Highland Games field, before climbing steadily out of the village and through a light woodland. Make sure to stop off at the view point in the woods to take in the scene over the valley before continuing on – it’s very pretty. Soon the woods thin out to become heather moorland and the climb continues steadily.
After passing through a deer fence, the path steepened, although the view behind us was lovely and I was more than happy to stop and ‘admire the view’. Our original plan for the day had been to head towards Aviemore and climb Ben Macdui and Cairngorm, however we could see Ben Macdui for most of our ascent and it was totally shrouded in cloud, so I think we made a good call!
As we neared the summit, the path became flatter and much easier going. I have to say once you get onto the hillside, navigation is a pleasure, following a clear path (stony and uneven in places) all the way up and down. The summit itself has panoramic views, but it’s also home to a radio hut and mast – the price of connectivity in rural areas.
The way down was clear with the path unfolding into the distance – I couldn’t believe how quickly we’d arrived somewhere which felt so remote and peaceful. It felt like we should’ve been walking for days to get somewhere so rugged and beautiful! And despite the relative ease of the walk, we only saw two other groups of walkers (one small family and a local dog walker). The descent is steady and you soon reach a quiet road, which you follow all the way back to Braemar. And it really is a quiet road – we didn’t see any traffic at all.
Dog friendly rating – 4/5. This is a lovely quiet dog walk, with no stiles, and either very quiet or paved road sections. We didn’t see any livestock until the very end of our descent (sheep), although you do need to be mindful of ground nesting birds in all of the moorland sections of the Cairngorms. We carried extra water for the dogs on this occasion as there weren’t many streams on the hillside and it was a warm day.
Linn of Dee
The hike up Morrone took us about three and a half hours, and while we were in the area we decided to squeeze in a visit to the Linn of Dee. One of Royal Deeside’s most popular tourist attractions and once beloved by Queen Victoria herself, the car park was nearly full when we arrived but the trails were surprisingly quiet. Parking here is pay and display, or free for National Trust members.
We followed the Glen Lui trail, which is the longer of the two way-marked trails on offer at nearly two miles (circular). This trail was absolutely delightful – following mostly good paths (uneven/steps in places), it takes you through woodland and along the river past waterfalls, before finally arriving at the rather impressive Linn of Dee itself.
For such a short and easy walk, this felt like a proper venture into the wild heart of the Cairngorms. The trails here can be incorporated into much longer walks, including some local Munros, and it’s certainly up there as one of my favourite walks in the area (if not anywhere). We couldn’t hang around for too long to enjoy the views though – it was fine while we were walking, but whenever we stopped for too long the midges descended.
This is a great walk for everyone: it’s a nice gentle stroll, long enough to feel like a worthwhile outing, and can be squeezed into a short weather window if the Scottish weather isn’t playing along! I’m sure this will be not just one of my favourites but many others’ too.
Dog friendly rating – 4/5. This is a lovely walk where you could probably let your dog off lead in most places, and there are no stiles or road walking to worry about. Coal was gutted that the river was a bit too far away to jump in for a splash though!
The Glen Brown Round
We again stayed at Balneden Steading (a record third visit!) which is in the middle of the Glenlivet Estate. Our Pocket Mountains guide includes a few different way marked walks around the estate, including the 7km circular Glen Brown Round, which was just a five minute drive from Balneden. Therefore, when we had a day where the weather was forecast to be beautiful in the morning but wet in the afternoon, this was an easy choice to make the most of the sunshine.
Parking for this walk is in a small, free roadside parking area at the start of the route. We set off along a good track, which soon deteriorates into a grassy trail, but which remains (mostly) easy to follow thanks to frequent marker posts – that didn’t stop us losing the trail at one point though and having to battle our way through a thicket to get back to it! The majority of the time however we had no navigational issues, and the gradient isn’t too taxing apart from one or two short, steeper sections towards the end.
The views on this walk were lovely – a bit more rolling countryside than other parts of the Cairngorms, with a short woodland section as well. That didn’t mean it wasn’t still wild and peaceful – we saw quite a few deer along the way! We loved the views, although they were probably made extra pretty by the sunshine and the heather hanging on for a last hurrah.
Dog friendly rating – 2.5/5. There were quite a few stiles on the walk, although all of them except one had gates, dog gates or gaps under the fence nearby. At the end of the walk, we spent about fifteen minutes walking back along the road at the end, where there is no pavement but there is space to move out of the way on the verge. You might come across livestock, including cows, on this walk – we did, but they were miles away on the other side of a huge field and didn’t bother us. Opportunities for the dogs to have a paddle were thin on the ground, so we gave the dogs some extra water that we carried for them. On the plus side, Coal enjoyed being able to stretch his legs off the lead in the woodland sections, and it was a lovely quiet walk where we saw absolutely no other people.
Lock Muick
Loch Muick is somewhere that’s been on my list every other time we’ve been to the Cairngorms, but we’ve always run out of time before we got to it. Following the route from my Pocket Mountains guide, it’s another one of the Royal Deeside spots which was beloved by Queen Victoria – and you can still see the house on the shores of the loch which she used when she wanted to escape the hustle and bustle of Balmoral.
There is a large car park, and an overflow car park, at the Spittal of Glen Muick. It’s owned by the Balmoral Estate and is pay and display, with some basic facilities such as toilets and an unmanned visitor centre as well as the walks. Be warned that the toilets are the toilet seat-less kind!
The walk around the loch is nearly eight miles of relatively easy walking – there aren’t any steep sections and the path is mostly very good, with just one section when it becomes uneven and care is needed when choosing where to put your feet. No matter which part of the walk we were on the views were fantastic – my camera photos sadly don’t do them justice at all!
After walking the length of the loch and navigating the short uneven section, we arrived at a small beach area where the dogs thoroughly enjoyed splashing around in the loch and having a swim. From here, you soon enter a small woodland which surrounds Queen Victoria’s old house, before a walk back along the far shore with less views but a fantastic flat and even path – just what you need when you’re starting to get tired legs.
Dog friendly rating – 5/5. This was a cracking dog walk and our dogs loved it. There are no stiles or road walking, and the opportunity for dogs to have a swim in the loch is a huge bonus. Coal was able to be off lead for most of this walk too, as there were no livestock, but Merry had to stay on the lead as there were plenty of ground nesting birds lurking not too far from the path (which we knew he definitely would not be able to resist!). Given how busy the car park was when we got back, the walk was also surprisingly quiet.
Glenmulliach Lookout
All too soon it was the last day of our visit – five nights just wasn’t enough! We finished off the trip with another walk from our Pocket Mountains guide on the Glenlivet Estate. This walk of around three miles starts from a free parking area down a very potholed lane – we originally wanted to do this walk when we visited in winter, but the lane was so thoroughly iced over we decided to come back in summer.
The route starts out through woodland and climbs gradually uphill – which I was thankful for after averaging 26,000 steps a day all week. About halfway to the viewpoint the scenery changes from woodland to moorland, and lovely views over the surrounding countryside start opening up – including over Tomintoul, Britain’s highest town.
You soon reach a view point with an information board which sets out which of the surrounding mountains and landmarks you’re looking at. After enjoying the view, we retraced our steps back to the woodland, before branching off to return to the start along a parallel path in another part of the wood. Another lovely quiet walk which wasn’t too taxing. Plus, the cover from the trees makes this a good option for a rainy day!
Dog friendly rating – 4/5. Another walk with no stiles or road walking, we did however keep the dogs close by and on the path in the woods after passing a sign saying that wild boar have been spotted in the area – we definitely didn’t want to surprise one of those! Up on the moor there is a small stream which runs alongside the path which both dogs enjoyed having a paddle in and a drink from as it was a warm day.
Where we stayed
This was our third visit to Balneden Steading – I absolutely love it here. We stayed in the Cattle Shed, which is clean and comfortable and has everything you need for a trip away from home. It’s in a great locations for exploring the Cairngorms, with pretty much all of the major areas in the national park reachable within an hour or so’s drive. It’s also got one of the best views of any self-catering accommodation we’ve ever stayed in.
Dog friendly rating – 4/5. Part of the reason I love Balneden so much is that the set up is great for our dogs – the space is clutter free, so I don’t need to worry about things getting knocked over and damaged by waggy tails, the floor is easy to clean and hoover laminate and the quiet setting means there aren’t noises setting them off barking all the time. I’ve just knocked off one point due to the lack of enclosed garden, but taking them out for a wee in the morning and evening really isn’t a chore with that amazing view to admire.
If you’ve enjoyed reading this blog today, subscribe below so that you never miss a post:
