Chapeltown to Bellabeg – Ladder Hills

 Aberdeen Hillwalking Club

Chapeltown to Bellabeg via the Ladder Hills (a Whisky Smuggler’s Trail)

Date  16^th October 2022      Bus departs Aberdeen at 08.00am

O.S. Maps  36 (Grantown & Aviemore) & 37 (Strathdon)

This walk starts at Chapeltown located in the Braes of Glenlivet & climbs up over the Ladder Hills & descends via Duffdefiance, past the hamlet of Lost & finishes at Bellabeg in Strathdon. It is a through walk so anyone wishing to do a shorter walk should remain on the bus until it reaches the finishing point at Bellabeg. This walk is one of the many trails used by whisky smugglers in the latter half of the eighteenth century. Government taxes imposed at the time caused a proliferation of illicit stills & the remote nature of this area was ideal for this purpose. This whisky had to be moved clandestinely using secret trails & this walk follows one of these whisky smuggling routes.

Walk 1.  Chapeltown to Bellabeg

The walk starts at grid reference NO 242 209 which is just North of the distillery. Take the unclassified road which heads up past East Auchavaich farm & continues in a South Easterly direction past Corry & Corrunich & then heads North East to the ford near Ladderfoot. Cross the Ladder Burn at Grid ref. No 266 206 & head South Eastwards with the route bending further Southwards as it climbs into the Ladder Hills. The route passes the North East side of Dun Muir (754m) & at the col continues South Eastwards. Ignore the track off to the left at the col which leads to Little Geal Charn. The route continues descending Southeastwards, ignoring tracks off to left & right. The route continues  past grouse butts & just clips the North side of Finlate Hill (617m). Continue Southeastwards & then Southwards to pass by Duffdefiance after which the route bends in an Easterly direction passing Aldachuie, Sunnybrae & Auchernach which are in Glen Nochty. The route then joins a minor road for a very short distance before taking a right turn to cross the Water of Nochty at the Bridge of Auchernach at Grid Ref.NO 336 157. After crossing the bridge the route heads Eastwards at first then Southwards past Blairnamuick, Corriebreck (ruin) then bends Southeastwards past Belnabodach. Further on it passes the hamlet of Lost before finishing at the War Memorial in Bellabeg where the bus will be waiting near Grid Ref. NO 354 131.

Walking distance approx.  10 miles/15 km & approx. 415 m/1,360 feet of ascent

 Please note that the route download to your mobile device only works if you can open gpx files(e.g. Os or Outdoor-active)

Walk 2.   (Short Walk Option) Bellabeg – Colquhonnie Castle (ruin) – Poldullie Loop

This walk starts at the War Memorial in Bellabeg. From the War Memorial walk Eastwards over the bridge (over the Water of Nochty) & continue towards the edge of the village. Safely cross the road & turn left  up the Bellabeg Plantation path (there is a green  sign post showing the way) & head Northwards uphill. N.B. Anyone wishing a more level walk can avoid the hill by taking the Lonach Hall track about 20 paces further on from the brown (Lonach Hall)  sign post.  The route eventually joins a forest track which heads North West at first until the track turns again & heads Eastwards through the plantation. The route eventually heads downhill  until the end of the deer fence, where the route & the deer fence)  turn right & head downhill around Grid Ref. NJ 363 134. There is a whin bush where you leave the forest track  & head Southwards down a grassy slope. As further guide you will see two scruffy & scraggy conifer trees on their own at the turning point. Follow the deer fence downhill through the grass  (there is no path) until you come to a track, turn right & continue downhill & turn left at the next junction of tracks. Travel South Eastwards along this rough track which is above the Forbestown houses following parallel to the main road & turn left up to Lonach Hall. Return to head Southwards & safely cross the main road to catch the path on the other side which is across from the large wooden totem pole located on the grassy area at the entrance to Lonach Hall. The path heads South in the direction of the River Don then turns North Westwards to cross the footbridge over the River Don to meet Waterside Road which leads to Strathdon. The footbridge is not marked on the OS maps but it is there – I have crossed over it. After walking along the road in a Westerly direction to pass  Strathdon, the road bends Southwards & after a short distance leave this road & turn right at Grid Ref. NJ 353 125 & carry on to to Poldullie Bridge. Cross over bridge & carefully  head Northwards up the main road until Strathdon School is reached. Take the path to the left as you reach the school – the school wall is on the right & the trees are on the left. Follow this path up to the finish at the War Memorial. The bus will be parked nearby. Note: There is a good description of this walk with photographs on the Outdoor-active website

Walking distance approx. 4 miles/6.5km & approx. 155 m/ 510 feet of ascent.

 Please note download only works on your device if you can open gpx files (e.e. Outdoor-active or OS)

Local Information on Bellabeg: There are public toilets in Bellabeg. They are located in a brown timber building located near the car park which is across the main road from “the mound”. The car park is also a local recycling centre. There is a Spar shop in the village which sells take-away coffees, however opening hours on a Sunday are 10:00 am until 2:00 pm.

Bus departs 4:00pm for Aberdeen at 6:00pm. There will be a 30 minute pub stop if time permits.

The above notes are for guidance only and are intended as an aid to be used along with a map and compass and/or a GPS device with OS maps.

In the event of an emergency arising, the person in charge today should be notified, if possible, before the emergency services are contacted on 999.

Committee member in charge of today’s walk is Gilbert McCurdy. Mobile No. 07807 240817.