Walk 5: Carn Daimh from Tomnavoulin.

Distance: 5 miles (8.5 km) circuit.

Start: GR 208265. Clash Wood car park, Tomnavoulin.

Route: A steady ascent along farm, forest and hill tracks to an outstanding viewpoint (570m). Return across moorland. Exposed most of the way especially at the top. Can be extended to make a much longer walk by linking up with Walk 6 or by following the Speyside Way to Blairfindy, returning along the Gallowhill road. Allow 3-4 hours

Access information: Livestock may be present on some sections of this walk at any time of the year.

An excellent hill walk through some of the finest countryside on the Estate, providing somewonderful views of the surrounding landscape.
Follow the forest road from the car park for a short distance (50m), then turn left and take the waymarked path which heads along a path through the trees. (Walk 9 continues ahead). Follow the path along the forest boundary fence to a stile. Leave the plantation and continue straight on in a south easterly direction along the Westertown farm road, ignoring the right track which leads to Easter Corrie farmhouse.

Continue along the farm road which follows the Alt a'Choire burn past Westertown, then through a narrow belt of conifers to the ruins of Craighead. As you emerge from the plantation, leave the burn and head almost due south, uphill through the field. Join the track which leads up to the plantation ahead, cross the stile into the forest then follow the road through the trees to the point where Walk 5 joins the Speyside Way (a signpost marks the junction of several paths here).

The track continues straight on and eventually leads to Tomintoul - in fact this was the old road between Tomintoul and Tomnavoulin many years ago. At the signpost turn right (westwards towards Ballindalloch), and follow the Speyside Way, firstly along a peaty path which meanders through the trees, but which later emerges from the forest and continues to the summit of Carn Daimh (pronounced Cairn Dye ) 570m, 1866 ft. The summit view is outstanding and on a clear day the panorama is magnificent. To the west and south the Cairngorms and hills of Strathspey dominate the scene, while eastwards the rounded shapes of the Ladder Hills fill the horizon. The remote glens of Glenfiddich and Blackwater Forest can be picked out beyond the wide open bowl of the Suie, through which the river Livet meanders on its journey down Glenlivet to Strathavon. Tomnavoulin and the starting point of the walk can be seen way below, while the prominent conical shape of Ben Rinnes completes what is certainly a very memorable sight. Leaving the summit, head northwards along the Speyside Way keeping to the eastern edge of the forest plantation. Not far from the top, a track (marked by a signpost) heads due east down across the hillside to rejoin the route of ascent near Westertown farmhouse. This can be used as a quicker return route if time is short.

To follow Walk 5, continue northwards straight on past the signpost, to the NE corner of the Carn Daimh plantation. Turn right at the corner and follow the fence eastwards through the heather About 50m from the edge of the wood, the Speyside Way continues northwards. Leave the Speyside Way and continue alongside the fence following it over the flat shoulder of Carn Liath. The path gradually becomes more distinct and at the high point of the shoulder passes some solitary pine trees. Continue alongside the fence as it drops down the other side of the hill until you reach an old gate. (In thick mist take care to stay alongside the fence which continues eastwards over the shoulder, avoiding the fence which heads northwards uphill towards the top of Carn Liath).

At the old gate, head diagonally down the hill along the indistinct track which continues eastwards to the gap in the plantation encircling Lynebeg farmhouse. From here follow the farm track which skirts the northern edge of the woods, before crossing an open field to join the forest road in the Clash wood, which leads downhill back to the car park and starting point

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Glenlivet welcomes you to explore its tracks and byways.