C’town of Aberlour circ. (by Glen Fiddich & Gownie Path)

The walk today, takes your Club into Speyside to include in our route – the recently created Gownie Path.

This walk is a through one, so members who require a shorter walk – please indicate your intentions with your committee member in charge of the bus.

We commence our walk in Charlestown of Aberlour (NGR 266 429), where we pick up the Speyside Way track beside the old disused railway station. Follow this well defined track NE’wards for about 3km to reach the village of Craigellachie. Continue on the Speyside Way track and leave it as you enter Glen Fiddich. Follow the old railway line route up the full length of Glen Fiddich – (this part of the walk is an alternative route of the main Speyside Way and ends up in Dufftown). This path more or less finishes at the old railway station which once served Balvenie Distillary. Continue, with care, along the pavement of the A941for about 2km towards the outskirts of Dufftown. As you round a bend on your route, the clocktower in the centre of Dufftown comes into view. Look for Hill Street on your right and walk along it, past the football ground and out into fields. Cross a burn on a bridge and continue uphill, as directed by a Scottish Right of Way Society sign to Aberlour – this is the Gownie Path (NB – this path is not shown on Landranger 1:50,000 O.S. maps). Follow it, right, along the hillside below a wood. At the end of the woodland, go ahead on a waymarked fenced grassy path which runs between fields and then down over a burn. Cross a track and turn left beyond it to climb a pleasant grassy swathe between newly planted trees on the edge of a conifer wood. At the top corner, cross into heathland, beyond which the path leads into open heather. Turn left by a fence and follow the path between embankments covered in gorse. Go over the summit of the ridge and down to a forestry plantation. Continue down this track with fine views of Ben Rinnes to your left. At a crossroads, turn left and head downhill where your route eventually becomes metalled as you approach the outskirts of Aberlour.

Your bus will be parked near to your start point in Charlestown of Aberlour.