Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), drawn by Global Adventurer.
The hike
The walk starts from the Station Square car park in Ballater, beside the Old Royal Station, and goes round in a loop. It crosses the Dee on Ballater Bridge and follows the B976 and woodland paths and tracks along the south side of the river, passing Dalmochie Camp, to the Cambus o' May suspension bridge, 6.5 km from the car park. After crossing the bridge the line returns along the Deeside Way, the cycleway on the old Deeside railway, to Ballater.
It is 12.6 km (7.8 miles) with 95 m (310 ft) of ascent; allow about 3½ hours. The grade is Moderate, for the distance: the ground is easy underfoot.
About a tenth of the line is on roads: the streets through Ballater and a short stretch of the B976, which has traffic. The bridge is a footbridge of 1905 that Storm Frank badly damaged in 2015; it reopened in 2021. Dalmochie Camp has an information board about the lumberjacks who worked in these woods.
The Station Square car park is free (OpenStreetMap: no fee).
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Out on the south side of the Dee by woodland paths and tracks to the Cambus o' May footbridge, a suspension bridge of 1905
- Back on the north side along the Deeside Way, the line of the old railway from Aberdeen to Ballater
- Dalmochie Camp, passed on the way out, has an information board about the lumberjacks who worked in these woods
- The bridge was badly damaged by Storm Frank in 2015 and reopened in 2021
Getting there
Start: Station Square car park, Ballater · Free parking. 57.04992, -3.04069
Directions to the start
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Station Square car park: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line is drawn along OpenStreetMap paths and the figures are worked out from it; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.