Around Craig Leek from Keiloch

The walk starts from the walkers' car park at Keiloch on the Invercauld estate, which charges. It follows the private road west past the estate houses into the pinewoods, then turns up a track that was part of the drove road to Tomintoul, climbing through birches and old pines. A smaller track crosses the low pass north of Craig Leek, and a grassy track drops past the ruins of an old settlement into the glen of the Felagie Burn, which leads back to Keiloch past the little cottage at Felagie.

It is 8.4 km (5.2 miles) with 243 m (800 ft) of ascent; allow about 2¾ hours. The grade is Easy.

In the 1700s thousands of cattle came this way on their way to the markets in the south. On the way up there are views back up the Dee towards Braemar, and from the pass Lochnagar towers ahead. The castellated Invercauld House can be glimpsed through the trees near the start, and Beinn a' Bhùird fills the view from the estate houses.

The route follows the waymarked Craig Leek path network on a lane, tracks and paths. A small burn in the Felagie glen has to be forded, usually dry-shod.

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.