Lochnagar

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•4, 7. JflcConnoehm

^A.^90liV

-ROM THE FUND BEQUEATHED B
ARCHIBALD GARY COOLIDCE |
ABn887 PROFESSOR OF HISTORY I
IQ08-I928 DIRECTOR OF THE
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 1910-1928

LOCHNAGAR

/

LOCHNAGAR

BY

ALEX. INKSON M^CONNOCHIE

AUTHOR OP " BEN MUICH DHUI AND HIS NEIGHBOURS I A GUIDE
TO THE CAIRNGORM MOUNTAINS*' ; " BENNACHIB"; &C.

ABERDEEN

D. WYLLIE & SON

1 89 1

[J// Rights Reserved]

^rv "^"ifC^S. 10

^-^.';a. D i:uLl

TAYLOR AND HENDERSON

I ITHOCJRAPHERS AND PRINTERS TO HER MAJESTY

ADELPHI PRESS, ABERDEEN

^

TO

Hlesan^er Crutcftsbanft %%.1S>.

IN GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGMENT

OF

KINDLY ASSISTANCE FREELY RENDERED

By the same Author.

BEN MUICH DHUI AND HIS NEIGHBOURS: A Guide

to the Cairngorm Mountains. ^VM Map, Boards, i/-

BENNACHIE : Its Topography, Historical, Traditional
and Ballad Lore, Geology and Botany. With Map and
Illustrations, Boards, i/- ; Qoth, 2/-

LOCHNAGAR : Its Topography, History, Traditions, Geology
and Botany. With Map and Illustrations, Boards, i/- ;
Cloth, 2/-

In preparation,
(Uniform with Bennachie and Lochnagar.)
DEESIDE: From Aberdeen to the Wells of Dee. With Maps
and Illustrations, Boards, i/- ; Cloth, 2/-

CONTENTS.

PAGP:

Chapter I. — The White Mounth, . - . ^

Chapter II. — Ballater to Lochnagar—

1. Ballater to Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge,

via Spital, - - - - 23

2. Do. , via Bridge of Muick, - - 36

3. Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge to the Dubh

Loch, 52

4. Do. to Cac Cam Beag, - - - 73

Chapter III.— Ballater to Braemar—

1. Ballater to Crathie, - - - 83

2. Crathie to Inver, - - - 93

3. Inver to Castleton, - - - 105

Chapter IV.— Braemar to Lochnagar—

1. Castleton to Loch Callater, - - 119

2. Loch Callater to Cac Cam Beag, - 133

Chapter V.— On Lochnagar, - - - - 145

Chapter VI. —Its Geology and Botany, - - - 157

Index, 184

Map.

LOCHNAGAR.

CHAPTER I.

THE WHITE MOUNTH.

When ye White Mounth frae snaw is clear,
Ye day o' doom is drawin* near.

I ^ / ROM many localities in the North-East of the
'|--l^ central division of Scotland, especially in the

± County of Aberdeen and in the valley of the

river Dee, a high mountain attracts the eye, from its
majestic aspect, its precipices, and its culminating
ridge and peak. This mountain, popularly called
Lochnagar, but more correctly the White Mounth, is
situated on the South side of the Dee in its upper
part — some 45 miles inland from the North Sea — and
forms the highest point in a mountain range which was
long known among the high lands of Scotland by the
name of the Mounth, and more recently as part of a
larger range called the Grampians. The mountain
range of the Mounth may be deemed to extend along
the South side of the Dee upwards of 60 miles in a
direction W.S.W. from the sea at the Girdleness (a
little south of Aberdeen), along the conterminous bor-
ders of the County of Aberdeen on the North, and
the Counties of Kincardine, Forfar and Perth on the
South, to Cam an Fhidleir, at the South- West corner

B

lO LOCHNAGAR.

of the County of Aberdeen, near the head or North
end of Glen Tilt Here the Mounth abuts at a right
angle on a great mountain range called the Dorsum
Britanniae or Drum Alban, which forms part of the
ridge or backbone of Scotland, and acts as the water-
shed of the Tay and Forth, and part of the West
boundary of Perthshire.

Mr. Skene, however, in his Celtic Scotland^ says : —

" The Mounth extends in nearly a straight line across the
island from the Eastern Sea, near Aberdeen, to the Western
Sea at Fort -William, having in its centre and at its western ter-
mination the two highest mountains in Great Britain — Ben
Muich Dhui and Ben Nevis . . . . If the Mounth is now
known as the range of hills which separates the more southern
Counties of Kincardine, Forfar, and Perth, from those of Aber-
deen and Inverness on the north, it was not less known to the
Venerable Bede, in the eighth century, as the steep and rugged
mountains which separate the provinces of the southern from
those of the northern Picts ".

While about a dozen of British mountains reach a
higher altitude than Lochnagar, it yet holds a distinct-
ive place alike in fact and in fancy. It has much to
offer to the student, the lover of nature, and even to
the ordinary sight-seer — more than many of its nomin-
al superiors. In the popular mind Lochnagar has
had adventitious aids to its prominence. One who
afterwards became a great poet lived under its shadows
when he was young, and became so impressed with its
wild crags and its frowning glories, that in after years
he sang of them in undying strains — strains that have
spread its name and its fame through all lands. Then
for more than forty years, one who has been even
* greater as a Queen than Byron was great as a poet,
has delighted to dwell at its base, and has often

THE WHITE MOUNTH. II

climbed to its summit. Thus Lochnagar has attained
special distinction for itself, and through those who
have been associated with it ; and one may therefore
be pardoned who seeks to take up the story of the
mountain, and to tell, as best he can, of its con-
figuration and its features, its peaks and its preci-
pices, its corries and its lochs, its surroundings in glen
and river, its legends and traditions as they still linger
(though ever growing more indistinct) in the memories
of those who have their homes within its influence.
The writer hopes that he may be able to present an
interesting and in some degree instructive account of
the mountain which, more than any other, ever comes
before the mind as essentially and characteristically
Scottish, and yet having associations that seem to make
it the common property of every man, woman and
child, throughout the world, who has any aquaintance
with English literature and history.

The term " Mounth " is of considerable antiquity.
Wyntoun, in his Orygynall Cronykil of Scotland — a
work written in verse in the beginning of the fifteenth
century — speaking of Macbeth, says ; —

O'er the Mounth they chased him there,
Intil the Wood of Lumphanan.

There is also a proverbial saying, " He's over the
Mounth", which points to the general use of the name
in olden times. Popularly, however, the term Mounth
has fallen out of use in favour of the term Grampians,
which has been applied loosely to the mountain
systems of the central Highlands of Scotland. Hector
Boece in 152 1 adopted the name Grampians from the
term Mons Grampius or Granpius, applied by Tacitus

1 2 LOCHNAGAR,

to the place where Agricola and the Romans in a.d.
55 defeated Galgacus and the Caledonians, and Skene
supposes this place to have been near the junction of
the Tay with the Isla. This may have led to the
popular application of a fine euphonic term like that
of " the Grampians " to an extended range of hills,
as Home makes his hero do in the tragedy of
" Douglas " :—

My name is Nerval. On the Grampian hills

My father feeds his flocks.

Notwithstanding the disuse of the term "the
Mounth ", enough remains, in some cases slightly dis-
guised, to show its general application to the range
which forms the watershed between the North-flowing
tributaries of the Dee, and the South-flowing streams
of the Tilt, Shee, Isla, South Esk, North Esk and
Bervie Water. Beginning at the East end of the chain,
we have on the South side of the Dee, not far from
Aberdeen, "Causey Mounth", in the Parish of
Banchory-Devenick and County of Kincardine, on the
road which formerly led from the South, through Sir
Walter Scott's "Muirof Drumthwacket", to the ferry
of the Dee and so to Aberdeen. This ferry was a
little above the. railway bridge over the Dee at Aber-
deen, at what is still known as the "Foords of Dee",
which ferry was rendered unnecessary by the erection
of the Bridge, of Dee, begun by Bishop Elphinstone
in 1500 and completed in 15 16 by Bishop Gavin
Dunbar. In the year 1380 Paul Crabb, tenant of the
lands of Kincorth, on the South side of the ferry, gave
an annuity towards the support of the "Causey
Mounth " road, so called from the line of road passing
through a moss which required causeying to render it

THE WHITE MOUNTH. 1 3

passable. From this circumstance the name of the
farm, " Causeyport ", on the edge of the moss can be
understood. Next we have "Slug Mounth", from
Stonehaven by the West side of Cairn Mon-earn to the
Dee ; and then the ** Cairn-o'-Mounth", on the borders
of the parishes of Fordoun and Strachan — the latter
one of the principal roads between the South and the
North. Still further Westward there is the "Fir-
Mounth " — so called from the abundance of trees in
the olden time where it intersects Glen Tanner — or, as
it is sometimes simply called, the " Mounth " or
" Mount " Road. This was the ancient public road
between Brechin and Ballater, crossing Mount Keen,
which latter hill was often known as " Mounth
Keen". The word is next met with in "Capel
>lounth " — the name of the much-frequented (in olden
times) pass between Glen Clova in Forfarshire and
Glen Muick in Aberdeenshire. Then we have the
" White Mounth " (Lochnagar), and to the West of it
is "Tolmount", on the borders of the Counties of
Forfar and Aberdeen at the watershed of Glen Doll
and Glen Callater — Doll being probably a corruption
of Toll. This last "passage" has become more
widely known from the recent unsuccessful attempt of
the new proprietor of Glen Doll to shut up the ancient
right-of-way.

The old names, thus specified, mark the ancient
paths across " the Mounth " which in former times
were in constant use. The introduction of good roads
and railways into the Highlands rendered the most of
these paths and drove roads of little use for their original
purposes. The drover may yet be seen at intervals
on these ways ; the tramp is still to be found on most

14 LOCHNAGAR.

of them ; and the tourist has also to be reckoned
with. In fact, the pedestrian tourist has shown
himself determined to maintain the rights acquired
from his predecessors, and he will doubtless tena-
ciously keep his grip of the keys of the picturesque, if
not commercial, roads of his native country.

The meaning of the word " Month, Mounth*', is
thus given in Jamieson's Scottish Dictionary : — " i, a
mountain ; 2, the Grampian mountains towards their
Eastern extremity". He derives the word from the
Anglo-Saxon monte^ doubtless the same as* the Latin
mons^ monitSy a mountain. Another authority ascribes
the term " Mbunth " to a peculiar kind of mountain
grass.

In the Ordnance Survey maps the name " White
Mounts" will be found on the high table-land between
the two little lochs Lochnagar and Dubh Loch, the
word " mounts " being obviously a mistake for
"mounth". The Rev. George Skene Keith, D.D., in
the appendix to his Agricultural Survey of Aberdeen-
shire, published in 181 1, says of Lochnagar, that "the
second top, or border of the White Mounth " was 3780
feet in height. The inference from these and the
other facts stated is plain — that the old name of the
mountain, now universally known as Lochnagar, was
" the White Mounth". As it is the highest point in
" the Mounth " the title was peculiarly appropriate,
because then as now, snow would naturally lie longest
on it.

Lochnagar is the highest mountain on the South
side of the river Dee. It is situated in the great
Highland district of Mar, in the County of Aberdeen,
and is drained solely by tributaries of the Dee. The

THE WHITE MOUNTH. 1 5

highest point is in the united Parish of Crathie-Braemar,
but the greater part of the table-land of the mountain
lies in another united Parish, that of Glenmuick-Tullich-
Glengairn, The Northern portion of the mountain is
mostly in Crathie, the Southern in Glenmuick ; and it
will be convenient hereafter to refer to these united
Parishes as Crathie and Glenmuick respectively.

There are,, as already mentioned, a few higher
mountains in Scotland than Lochnagar, but none more
generally or deservedly popular. The beauty and
grandeur of the mountain itself are amply sufficient
to render Lochnagar of the utmost interest to the
mountaineer and the lover of nature. It sufficiently
overtops and stands apart from its surrounding com-
peers to give dignity to its appearance when seen either
from the vicinity or from a distance ; its corries are
deep and numerous ; its precipices perpendicular and
" frowning" ; it abounds in lochs in most picturesque
positions ; and its general outline, especially as seen
from the East and North, is most graceful. It is readily
recognisable from most of the chief hills of Aberdeen-
shire, and from many lower parts in the same County,
as well as from hills in other Counties ; and, to crown
all, the prospect from its summit is barely surpassed
by that from any of our inland mountains of even
greater altitude. The lover of mountain scenery, the
geologist, and especially the botanist, will find Loch-
nagar of peculiar interest. Further, it may be men-
tioned that while all the valley of the Dee is deservedly
famous for its scenery, Upper Deeside, in which Loch-
nagar is situated, is specially thus distinguished, and is
noteworthy also from antiquarian and historical points
of view. Braemar Castle, Invercauld House, Balmoral

1 6 LOCHNAGAR.

Castle, Abergeldie Castle, and other buildings (or ruins)
of general interest are at the very foot of the mountain,
and with other attractions render the ground classic.

The boundaries of Lochnagar are well defined by
natural depressions containing lochs and streams. On
the North there is the river Dee ; on the East its tri-
butary the Muick, with Loch Muick ; on the South
its chief environments are Loch Muick, Dubh Loch,
and Loch Callater ; and on the West are the Callater
Bum and the Clunie Water, the latter another great
tributary of the Dee, entering it near Braemar Castle.
The extent of Lochnagar as thus defined is considerable.
The distance between the mouths of the Muick apd
the Clunie is about 13^ miles, while from Dubh Loch
to the Dee at Balmoral is 7 J miles. But the mountain-
ous mass of Lochnagar may be more correctly esti-
mated by taking the distance between the Muick and
the Callater Burn (by the South side of Lochnagar) as
9 miles, and from Dubh Loch to a point 1250 feet in
height near Balmoral Castle on the Gelder Burn as
nearly 7 miles, giving altogether an extent of about 63
square miles of country, elevated more than 1250 feet
above the sea level. At the same time it must not be
forgotten that " the Coyles" between the Muick and
the Girnock, and Craig Choinnich, in the lower angle
of the Dee and the Clunie — to which reference will
again be made — must be considered as stepping-stones
to Lochnagar, seeing that at only one point does the
height of the intervening ground sink slightly below
1250 feet.

Lochnagar, on a little consideration, will be found
to be a strange and unique name for a mountain, even
in this the land of mountains, where nice differences

THE WHITE MOUNTH. 1 7

in the appellations of heights are carried out to an ex-
tent that only the Gaelic language appears to admit.
As applied to the mountain the term " Lochnagar" is
a misnomer, that name only belonging properly to the
small loch that lies at the bottom of the crags near the
highest point of the White Mounth (Cac Carn Beag).
An old native of the district, when questioned as tq
the absolute accuracy of the expression "on the
top of Lochnagar", replied, " You could only possibly
be * on the top of Z^^^^nagar ' in a boat or during very
frosty weather " ! I am not aware of any other instance
of a mountain bearing the name of a loch without
the prefix of the word " Beti " or something similar,
so as to distinguish loch from mountain. Nor have I
been able to trace when the name of the loch was
transferred to the mountain, but the change must be
comparatively modern. Lord Byron, however, has
sung of it as " Lochnagar ", and so doubtless it will
remain to the end of time.

The meaning of the word " Lochnagar " has pro-
voked not a little discussion, even the spelling not
having been generally agreed on at one time. As for the
latter, a reference may be permitted to Blaeu's map
(of 1654), where the loch is marked as " L. na Garr ",
the mountain itself being there nameless. I am in-
clined to think that " Lochnagar " signifies " the loch
of the goat ", the mountains in this neighbourhood,
as in many other parts of the Highlands, abounding at
one time with goats. Indeed the name " Gar " occurs
several times in the vicinity, the nearest instance being
"Creag nan Gabhar" a little to the West of Loch
Callater. " Creagan nan Gabhar '' is also the name of
a small craig between Glen Dee and Glen Luibeg,

1 8 LOCHNAGAR.

while " Lochan nan Gabhar " is the name of a lochlet
on the North side of Ben Avon. The highest point
of the Beinn a' Ghlo group of mountains in Glen Tilt
is known as " Cam nan Gabhar ". (The letters bh in
these examples are mute.) But the Rev. Alexander
Stewart, LL.D., better known to many as "Nether Loch-
aber ", an authority on Gaelic topography, holds that
" Lochnagar signifies Loch na gaoir or Loch na gair —
the loch of the sobbing and wailing when the mountain
winds sweep across its expanse. The mountain ought
clearly to be called not Loch-na-gar but Ben-na-Gair".
Mr. Donald Mackinnon, M.A., Professor of Celtic Lan-
guages in the University of Edinburgh, thus writes me
on the subject : — " With all the aids available many of
our Gaelic names are as yet unexplainable. I would
not myself hazard even a guess as to the meaning of
the gar in Lochnagar without obtaining, first, all the
old forms that can be got, and, second, the exact
pronunciation by the people of the district. With
such help the vocable may remain still obscure ; with-
out it any suggested derivation must remain at best a
guess more or less happy, but of no scientific value.
The language has undergone great change, and the
place-names frequently preserve the most reliable
evidence we, in Scotland, in the absence of many
written documents, possess".

There are no less than eleven summits on Lochna-
gar, each with a height of upwards of 3,000 feet above
the sea level. These summits are : —

Height in feet.

1. CacCarnBeag, 3786*2

2. Cac Carn Mor, 3768-1

3. Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach, . . . 3630

THE WHITE MOUNTH. 1 9

Height in feet.

4. Cairn of Corbreach, 3571

5. Cuidhe Crom, 3552*4

6. Creag a' Ghlas-uillt, 3450

7. Carn an t-Sagairt Mor, 3429*6

8. Cam an t-Sagairt Beag, 3424

9. Meikle Pap, 3210*8

10. Little Pap,

11. Meall Coire na Saobhaidhe, ... 3190*5

(The "summits" numbered 3, 4, 6, 8, and 11, do
not require attention from the general tourist.)

Cac Carn Beag, a natural " cairn ", stands between
Lochnagar (the loch) and Lochan an Eoin, but nearer
the former. It slopes on the North towards Meall
Coire na Saobhaidhe, from which it is distant, there
being a depression between them, about seven furlongs.

Cac Carn Mor is a quarter of a mile to the South-
South-East of Cac Carn Beag, and close to the top of
the rocks at the bottom of which is " Lochnagar". The
cairn is partly artificial.

Cairn of Corbreach is immediately above^ and
on the South side of, Lochan an Eoin; there is no
" cairn". Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach is a little to the
South of it, lying between Allt a' Choire Bhoidheach
on the East, and Allt na Da Chraobh Bheath on
the West — the two most northerly head streams of
the Muick. It is unmarked by a cairn : Creag a'
Ghlas-uillt, also unmarked, lies to the South-East of
Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach, between the Glas Allt and
Allt an Lochan Buidhe, two burns flowing parallel.

Cuidhe Crom, which faces the mountaineer as the
ascent is made from Glen Muick, lies to the West of

20 LOCHNAGAR.

the head streams of the Allt na Guibhsaich and North-
ward from the Glas Allt It is marked " 3552 " on the
one-inch O. S. map. The Meikle Pap is to the North
of it, at a distance of about three quarters of a mile,
while the Little Pap is to the South, at a distance of
about a quarter of a mile — these three summits being
almost in line. The two " Paps " are readily recog-
nisable from their shape, these modern names being
simply translations from the Gaelic "Ciche Mhor"
and ** Ciche Beag " respectively.

Carn an t-Sagairt Mor, marked " 3430 " on the
one-inch O. S. map, is between Loch Callater and
Lochan an Eoin. It is better known as Meikle Cairn
Taggart — or simply Cairn Taggart. A ridge of it to
the Westward of Lochan an Eoin is called Cam an
t-Sagairt Beag, or Little Cairn Taggart.

Cac Carn Beag, Meall Coire na Saobhaidhe, and
Meikle Pap are in the Parish of Crathie ; Carn a'
Choire Bhoidheach, Creag a' Ghlas-uillt, Cuidhe Crom,
and Little Pap are in Glenmuick; while Cac Cam
Mor, Cairn of Corbreach, Carn an t-Sagairt Mor and
Carn an t-Sagairt Beag are on the border of these two
Parishes.

Besides these eleven summits there is a large
number of minor peaks that need not be referred to
here. Exception ought perhaps to be made as regards
Conachcraig, a range of about four miles in length on
the East side of Glen Gelder, which attains an altitude of
2827 feet. Several of the lower summits along the
Dee are familiar to the public, from the memorial
cairns erected on them by the Queen.

CHAPTER 11.
BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR.

Donjons, and towers, and castles grey
Stand guardians by the winding way.

I, Ballater to Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge, via SpitaL

THE principal points from which Lochnagar is ap-
proached and ascended are Ballater and Braemar. All
other routes are of comparatively little importance, but
will be duly referred to in the course of the work.
From Ballater the distance to the highest summit of
the mountain is 13 J miles, but of that 9 may be driven,
leaving only 4 J for walking. The village of Ballater is
43J miles by rail and 42 by road from Aberdeen, and
stands at a height of 658 feet above sea level, on the
left or North bank of the Dee, in the Parish of Glen-
muick. Claiming to be the capital of the Deeside High-
lands, it is nevertheless of modern, not to say of recent
date. Ballater, as a Highland summer and autumn
resort, has a popularity second to none in the North, but
till 1760 the site of the village was a bare moor, without
a single house — Tullich, some two miles down the
river on the same side, having then the Church, Inn,
Post Office, &c., although it is now all but deserted.
In 1760 the Wells of Pannanich, about two miles
below Ballater on the South side of the Dee, became
famous as a health resort. The hamlet of Pannanich
and the village of Ballater were accordingly built for
the accommodation of the seekers after health and

24 LOCHNAGAR.

pleasure who flocked to " The Wells". According to
the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal of 1830,
Ballater is "always crowded during the summer
months with invalids and other visitors, brought
together by the fame of the chalybeate wells of
Pannanich and the magnificence and beauty of the
surrounding scenery". The Wells have greatly de-
clined in public favour ; but Ballater has steadily in-
creased in size and popularity — having even attained
the dignity of a police burgh — and is still growing
rapidly. G. Fenwell Robson in his Scenery of the
Grampian Mountains^ a fine work published in 181 4,
gives several capital views of Lochnagar, one of which
is taken from the vicinity of Ballater. In that view
the village appears to consist of the Church and about
half-a-dozen houses, at the base of that gigantic mound
of rock, Craigendarroch, which dominates it on the
North side.

Starting from Ballater to Lochnagar the Dee is
crossed by a handsome granite bridge, and the South
Deeside Road — to the right — is taken. This bridge
was opened by the Queen only a few years ago, and
is the fourth that has been constructed almost at the
same point within the past hundred years, and already
it is being spoken of as not likely to have a long life.
A direction post at the South end of the bridge gives
the following information : —

Pannanich, if Miles. Glenmuick [House] i Mile.
Dinnet Bridge 6 J „ Abergeldie 6J „

Aboyne 11 „ Balmoral Z\ „

The ruins of Braichlie Castle and the modern
Braichlie House are passed a little to the left, and

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. 25

fully half a mile from Ballater Bridge the Bridge of
Muick is reached, near where the Muick joins the
Dee. Here the traveller has the option of two ways
up Glen Muick towards Lochnagar — one by crossing the
Muick and going up what is known as the Balmoral
side from the property there belonging to Her Majesty;
the other by keeping the right bank of the Muick and
going along the road on the Mackenzie side, so called
from that portion of the glen belonging to Sir Allan
Mackenzie of Glenmuick. It will be more convenient
to deal with the latter route first.

Leaving Bridge of Muick behind, a handsome
Episcopal Church is soon passed a little to the left,
and a short distance beyond it stands Glenmuick
House ; while Birkhall, the property of the Queen,
may be seen a little farther away on the opposite side
of the Muick. About half a mile above Birkhall is
Mill of Stern, to which a cart road leads down from the
right. To the pedestrian who is anxious to avail
himself of the shortest route, it is advantageous to cross
the Muick here, biit meantime it is assumed that the
Mackenzie side is kept. The next point of interest is
the Falls of Muick, which, however, are more con-
veniently seen from the Balmoral side. Emerging from
the wood above the Falls the bare and higher
portion of the Glen is entered, though from the old
tree roots that are met with in the upper parts, it is
evident that it had at one time been wooded through-
out, and had afforded capital shelter for the wild swine
that persumably had formerly abounded in the Glen —
for Glen Muick signifies the " sow's valley". It may
be noted how well watered this side of the glen is,
affording capital grazing for deer. The streams on this
c

26 LOCHNAGAR.

side of the Muick rise, in the lower part of the glen,
on the watershed of Glen Tanner, and in the upper on
that of Glen Mark.

At this point a good view of Lochnagar, or rather
of some of its summits, is obtained. On the left the
Little Pap may be readily recognised, and to the right
of it Cuidhe Crom and Conachcraig — ^the two latter as
though there were no gap between them. The Conach-
craig range is apt at iirst blush to be mistaken by
strangers as forming the main mass of Lochnagar.
But by the time a ford across the Muick is passed
(known as the Ford of Inschnabobart), such a mag-
nificent view is got, that there is no mistaking the
monarch of the Mounth. Passing the Ford, to which
a rough cart-track on the right shows the way, there are,
also on the right, the ruins of an old publit-house
known as "Teetabootie" (look about you). These
ruins are recognisable by the circumstance that several
houses had been in line and close to each other.
Three quarters of a mile farther up the Glen is Spital of
Muick, the end of our driving road on this side.
Spital of Muick is now represented by a gamekeeper's
house, with, on the opposite side of the road from it,
the ruins of a public-house, which (in 1815) succeeded
Teetabootie. At the back of the keeper's house is a
" Loupin'-on Stane", where the last " landlady " was
wont to mount her pony. From this stone a footpath,
rather indistinct in some places, leads over the Muick
(by a foot-bridge at a height of 1298 feet) to AUtna-
guibhsaich Lodge, about three quarters of a mile
distant The Lodge, which is surrounded by trees,
cannot be mistaken, there being no other house in the
neighbourhood.

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. 27

A halt may now be made before commencing the
ascent, and during the rest a brief account maybe
given of the more interesting features of the route that
has been traversed. Braichlie Castle was among the
first of these mentioned. Its ruins are scanty enough
now, for they have been "vandalised", the stones
having been carried off to serve in the erection of more
modem buildings. The place is popular from the
well-known ballad entitled "The Barrone of Braichlie",
of which the first two lines are : —

Inverey came down Deeside whistlin* and playin',
He was at brave Braichlie*s yetts ere it was dawin.'

The ballad tells of a successful attack made on 7th
September, 1666, by Farquharson of Inverey on Gor-
don of Braichlie, a relation of the Earl of Huntly.
The old avenue approach, lined with ash trees, may
still be seen from the road, the entrance to Braichlie
House being a little beyond. The property of Braich-
lie, as well as the whole of the South-East side of Glen
Muick, was purchased in 1863 ^^m the late Colonel
Farquharson of Invercauld, by the late Sir (then
Mr.) James T. Mackenzie, the proprietor of Kintail.
The Farquharsons purchased Glen Muick some time
during the seventeenth century from the Gordons, by
whose then head, the first Earl of Huntly, it had been
acquired. Mr. Mackenzie entertained the Shah of
Persia at Glenmuick House during a portion of his
visit to Deeside in 1889, and at the beginning of 1890
he was created Baronet of " Glen Muick". The Epis-
copal Church here was built by him in 1875, ^^^ ^is
remains, as well as those of several members of his
family, are interred in a large vault near the Church,

28 LOCHNAGAR.

which is dedicated to St Nathalan, the patron saint of
the old Parish of TuUich. (The ruins of TuUich
Church may be seen as Ballater is neared from the
East. There is a curious story that the famous Reel
of Tullich was composed and first danced at this
Church on a cold winter Sunday in the " olden time". )
A short distance above St. Nathalan Church is Glen-
muick House, erected by Sir James T. Mackenzie in
1873. It occupies a commanding position, and appears
to advantage from Ballater. The ground plan sur-
rounds three sides of a quadrangle, and the structure
has basement, ground, first and attic floors. The
public rooms are very handsome. The whole building
is lighted by gas made near by. The North, which is
the principal elevation, has a handsome portico, with a
covered-in carriage way, surmounted by a massive-
looking square tower 75 feet in height. The building
is of granite, large blocks of stone having been
obtained in the neighbourhood, without much
quarrying. It is in the Tudor style of architecture,
so treated as to harmonise with the surrounding scenery.
A little above the wood, beyond the Falls of Muick,
Allt an t-Sneachda (the snowy burn, doubtless well
named) joins the Muick, and is crossed by a wooden
bridge, on the South side of which is a cairn, said to
mark " where the last wolf was killed in Scotland ".
But other places also claim that distinction. It is very
probable that the cairn simply marks the spot where a
funeral party had rested, it having been very common
thus to indicate these places.

The Inschnabobart Ford is very old, having existed
before there was a road on the left bank of the Muick.
It was then mostly used in connection with the road

J^JfciJil-LLSfc^i, '•_■!?!

GLENMUICK HOUSE.

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. 3 1

leading from the Dee at Easter Balmoral, by the upper
part of Strath Girnock, to the Muick at Inschnabobart,
and so on to the South by the Capel Mounth. After
the road on the left bank of the Muick was made, a
foot-bridge was thrown over the stream, but it was
taken down in 1863. It would be a great convenience
to the public were it replaced, as it would allow of a
considerable saving being effected in the walking
distance, by enabling pedestrians to cross the river
here, instead of their requiring to make a detour by
Spital Bridge. Previous to 1836 the driving road on
the right bank of the Muick stopped short at the
Inschnabobart Ford.

Nearing Spital a view of the highest point of Loch
nagar is obtainable. Here, as at most other points,
he is pleasing and grand, devoid of that lumpishness
which distinguishes most of the higher Cairngorm
mountains. On the left there is Little Pap, then
Cuidhe Crom and Meikle Pap, with, between the latter
two, the crags that form " the steep frowning glories
of dark Lochnagar*'. Behind these crags is to be
seen the peak of Cac Carn Beag. The Meikle Pap
will be recognised by the deep square cut on its rocky
top ; to the right of it, a deep hollow intervening, is
Conachcraig, which is to the North-East of Lochnagar.
The Muick, heretofore very bouldery, now winds
smoothly and slowly along through mossy ground,
with " peat-banks " on its sides, while remains of old
shielings are plentiful.

The inn or public-house at Spital of Muick — like
its predecessor at Teetabootie — stood on one of the
old roads from the North to the South. This particular
road crossed the Capel Mounth, between Forfarshire

32 LOCHNAGAR.

and Aberdeenshire (as mentioned in the first chapter),
and from Spital it turned down Glen Muick to the
valley of the Dee. " Spitals", it may be mentioned,
were planted in almost all the mountain passes of Scot-
land, as well as in other places, being occupied by
Churchmen, and managed in pretty much the same
manner as the famous Hospice of St. Bernard on the
Alps. At a very early date the Muick Spital was
established by the Bishop and Chapter of Aberdeen.
It stood on AUt Darrarie (the noisy burn), a tributary
of the Muick, which rises in Coire Gorm where Aber-
deenshire appears to enter, tooth-like, into Forfarshire.
This Spital was well placed, and doubtless many a
wayfarer was indebted to the Churchmen for providing
that accommodation and ** refreshment for man and
beast " which otherwise it would have been difficult to
obtain in such a locality. It is also evident that this
and other Spitals served as side-chapels for the popula-
tion which existed where they were planted, or that
grew up around them. It need not be told here
how the Churchmen and the Spitals were separated.
A public-house was conducted at Teetabootie till 1815,
when the fall in prices, resulting upon the declaration
of peace after the Bonaparte wars, brought disaster to
the tenant and to other residenters in Glen Muick, as
it did to so many stock-dealers and farmers elsewhere.
From Teetabootie the business was transferred to the
Spital, where it was continued till 1846. Only a small
portion of the gable of the public-house — which was
understood to be close to the site of the ancient
hospice — now remains. . The Allt Darrarie formerly
flowed close past the house, but, as it was apt to cause
damage when in flood, it was diverted, about 1837, to

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. ^ 33

some little distance on the East side. The old channel
is quite dry now, but perfectly distinct ; and, spite of
the bulwark made to change the course of the stream, a
considerable spate would send its waters down by the
old bed. One is very apt in mist to lose the Capel
Mounth path, when proceeding from the South Esk,
the track by the Capel Burn being indistinct in several
places. Many have, as a consequence, wandered down
the AUt Darrarie, a longer and rougher route; and
several have lost their lives in storms in the upper
part of that glen. About three miles above Spital
a rough stone, on the left bank of the Darrarie, marks
the burial place of " Couper " Glass. He was last seen
at Spital, and it wds not for several months after his
death that his body was found. Foul play was
suspected by some as the cause of death, but most
probably he died from exposure, aimlessly walking into
Forfarshire after a carouse in Glen Muick. Some
distance above Glass's grave a mound may be seen,
below which are the remains of a man and a lad — likely
father and son. They were found dead during a sheep-
gathering, both having died from the effects of a severe
storm which had overtaken them as they were entering
Aberdeenshire by the Capel Mounth. They were
believed to be umbrella-menders from the contents of
a pack found beside their bodies.

It is difficult now to realise the great numbers of
cattle and sheep that formerly passed Spital of Muick,
on their way from the extreme North to the South of
Scotland, and even into England. All cattle were so
driven at one time, and the glen routes were preferred
alike on account of their softness for the animals' feet
(which were sometimes shod for the journey), and

34 . LOCHNAGAR.

because of the feeding by the way. This, the Capel
Mounth route, was a popular pass, and Spital public-
house a favourite and convenient halting-place, as cattle
often rested here for two or three days. Crowds of
Highland shearers, men and women from the North,
travelled yearly on foot by this route, to assist in har-
vesting the crops in the South. In going and returning
they spent the nights in barns and outhouses, often
making merry, a piper generally accompanying large
parties to supply music for a dance. Naturally enough
high words would sometimes on such occasions arise
among the drovers and shepherds ; and a cairn, still
standing, points out the spot where, between Spital and
the Mnick, after one of these merry-makings, a shepherd
was found dead with marks on his body testifying that
death had resulted from foul usage. The shepherd's
name was Donald Gordon, and his body was found the
following morning by two women on their way South
with a " birn " of stockings. It is yet related how " the
landlord " led his family and servants to the body,
making each lay his hand on the dead man's breast to
prove his guilt or innocence. According to the well
known old superstition, if a murdered man was touched
by any person who had participated in the slaughter,
the guilt of that person would be declared by the spurt-
ing of blood from the wounds or the mouth of the
corpse. Another cairn about a mile South from Spital
by the pass road, marks the spot where a shepherd
named Stewart perished in the snow, in 1843. Farther
along is the "Pack Merchant's " Cairn — showing where
a " Packman " was murdered for the contents of his
purse, which were believed to be considerable. Another
cairn — "the Souter's" — was raised to commemorate

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. 35

the finding of the body of a shoemaker who, towards
the end of last century, got the reputation of occasion-
ally informing on the smugglers. He met his death
on the Capel Mounth, by being allowed to take his fill of
spirits from a party conveying their smuggled goods to
the South. This party left him behind, drunk, and,
falling asleep, he died from exposure.

By 1846 the formation of better roads in the low
country, and the making of railways, had almost
abolished the traffic upon such drove roads as that
passing through Glen Muick and over the Capel
Mounth, and so the public-house disappeared, as the
Churchmen's hospice had done. Perhaps the public-
house might still have found a number of customers,
but deer forests and grouse moors were coming into
fashion, and it is stated that " the laird " thought the
old hostelry was becoming a resort for poachers, and,
accordingly, he helped it out of existence. In this
neighbourhood there is now but the one solitary
"reekin'" lum, the gamekeeper's, to be seen, but the
number of " larachs " (ruins) scattered along the river
side, including those of a schoolhouse near Teetabootie,
indicates that in former days a considerable population
must have earned their livelihood in the district.
Indeed the rigs of what was once cultivated land are
still quite distinguishable. There are also remains of
a corn kiln and a meal mill, while the ruins of a
smuggling bothy show that here, as in other Lochna-
gar glens, there had been manufacture and trading
now deemed illicit

CHAPTER II,— {Continued,)

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR.

2, Ballater to Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge, via Bridge
of Muick,

O I the Hielands are bonnie, when the heather's in bloom,
An* ilk strath, where you wander, smells sweet wi* perfume.

BRIDGE of Muick is about three-quarters of a mile
South- West of Ballater, and carries the South Deeside
turnpike over the stream, near the point where it falls
into the Dee. A direction post at the bridge gives the
following distances : —

Falls of Muick, 5 Miles.

Loch Muick, 8J »

Birkhall, i| „

Balmoral, 7i »

Crossing the Bridge the traveller to Lochnagar is upon
the Balmoral side of the Muick, the road on which is
better, but rather longer, than on the Mackenzie side.
On the left-hand side of the road at the West end of
the Bridge of Muick is the churchyard of the old
Parish of Glenmuick, and the manse of the united
Parish may be noticed on the opposite side of the
road. Half-a-mile beyond, on the left, is a standing
stone known as " Scurry Stane". The farm here is
named after the stone, and so was a Roman Catholic
Chapel which stood in its immediate neighbourhood.
A short distance beyond Scurry Stane the Glen road,
trending South-West-wards, leaves the turnpike at a point

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. 39

near the foot of a hillock or " cnoc" on which are the
ruins of Knock Castle, and the Royal property of
Birkhall is passed on the left, about a mile farther on.
Half-a-mile beyond Birkhall may be seen, on the left,
Mill of Stern (the clattering mill), where there is a
wooden bridge, with stone piers, over the Muick.
Between Mill of Stern and the Falls of Muick stand
the miniature mountains named the Coyles of Muick.
The Falls are surrounded by the Linn Wood, and are
consequently heard before they are seen. After the
wood is left behind, the Muick, with its peaty banks,
shows but a poor contrast to the brattling river it was
in the lower portion of the Glen. Beyond the Falls is
Inschnabobart (the field of the poet's cow), a small
farm having its steading on a brae on the right. Being
about 1 300 feet above the sea level, this farm has the
highest cultivated land in the Glen, and the farm house
is the only dwelling between the Falls of Muick and
Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge, which is about a mile and a
half distant in a Southerly direction.

The present Bridge of Muick was built in 1878,
replacing one which had stood on the same site for
140 years, and which had the usual high-centred
arched roadway that marked the bridges of former
times, and enabled travellers to know •* when they were
on them and when they were off them".

The old Church of Glenmuick stood in the
churchyard, on the left-hand side of the road, imme-
diately to the West of the bridge. In pre-Reformation
days it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It would
appear to have been a very poor building in the last
century, for the writer of the StfitisHcal Account in 1 794
says that the Church then was "a very old house

40 LOCHNAGAR.

thatched with heath ". In 1798 a new Church was
built in Ballater (on the site of the present Parish
Church), and, strangely enough, on the night the found-
ation of that Church was laid, the old building at
Bridge of Muick was burned. According to one
account, the minister's wife had hen nests inside the
Church, and the maid, looking for eggs with a lighted
bit of fir, accidentally set fire to the edifice. Another
account has it, that the Church was burned intention-
ally, with the view of destroying certain records con-
cerning the Farquharsons of Invercauld, which that
family were not particularly anxious to have preserved.
These records are said to have been compiled by
Priests of Scurry Stane Chapel, and to have been
handed by their successors to the minister of Glen-
muick. That story, although it still lingers in the
district, is rather wanting in probability, because Roman
Catholics carefully preserved and retained for them-
selves all their old records, and there is no hint that
any of the Farquharsons or their friends had a hand in
the fire. Not a vestige of the ruins of the old Church
is now to be seen. The burial place of the Gordons
of Abergeldie is in the churchyard, distinguished by a
high obelisk, within an iron railing. An exceedingly
interesting tombstone stands close to the entrance gate
of the churchyard. It is a rough coffin-shaped granite
slab having the following inscription very rudely cut
upon it : —

1596

I.M:

1722
The initials are said to be those of John Mitchell, who
lived at Dalliefour, in Glenmuick, about a mile to the

KNOCK CASTLE.

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. 43

N'orth-West of the churchyard, and the dates are
believed in the locality to be the years of his birth and
death respectively! Tradition asserts that Mitchell
was a skilful angler and a famous poacher.

The Parish of Glenmuick, according to the earliest
authorities, belonged to the Earl of Mar, his successors
being respectively the Earl of Crawford and the Earl
of Huntly. The grant to the latter is dated 29th
January, 1449-50. In the course of time the land
passed from the Earl of Huntly, head of the Gordons,
to some of the younger branches of the clan, and
latterly the Abergeldie estate alone remained to the
Gordons.

Knock Castle (so named from its site) is a grey
picturesque ruin, and is so sheltered and enclosed
with trees as not to be readily discernible from the
road. The Castle replaced a tower which had stood
for centuries near the same site, and which dated
back to the times of the ancient Earls of Mar. It
would appear to have been held, along with the lands
of Glen Muick, early in the fourteenth century, by a
family named Bisset, and to have passed in succession
to the Erasers, the Keiths (Earls Marischal), and the
Gordons (Earls of Huntly). At one time the Castle
was held by the Durwards, and was garrisoned with
the view of maintaining the Royal authority on Upper
Deeside. Alexander, the last Gordon of Knock, is
believed to have built the present Castle. According
to tradition his line ended in a single day. A feud
having existed between him and "Black" Arthur Forbes
of Strath Girnock, a "broken man", the latter fell
upon Gordon's seven sons while they were casting turf,
and killed them all before any resistance could be

44 LOCHNAGAR.

made, sticking their heads on their " flauchter-spades".
When the news was carried to Gordon of Knock he
fell down dead His kinsman, Gordon of Abergeldie,
having the power of "pot and gallows " from his Chief
the Earl of Huntly, made a summary end of " Black "
Arthur. He then seized the lands of Strath Gimock, to
which he served himself heir, while the lands of
Knock fell to him by inheritance. Latterly they were
included in the Birkhall portion of the Abergeldie
estate.

Birkhall was formerly called Stiren, which name is
still in use at the mill above. It formed part of the
Abergeldie estate till its purchase for the Prince of
Wales, from whom Her Majesty acquired it a few years
ago. Birkhall, although only a plain three-story house,
is a delightful residence, surrounded by trees of various
descriptions. The original front, which is ivy-clad,
faces theMuick, but an addition, of the same height,
looks towards Ballater. Above the front door is the
inscription: — 17. CG.RG. 15.

Mill of Stem was formerly a meal mill, but after
1838, when the glen began to get depopulated, meal
mills became little needed, and the water power was
utilised for a sawmill, which is still in operation.
Another meal mill stood at Aucholzie, further up the
Muick. The road above Mill of Stern is private, so
far as public carriages are concerned, but under certain
conditions it may at times be used as far as Alltna-
guibhsaich Lodge. Sometimes, when driving on the
Mackenzie side, the Muick can be forded at Inschna-
bobart, instead of driving up to Spital — the part of the
road on the Balmoral side adave Inschnabobart being
held by some to be public.

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. 47

The Coyles of Muick are prominent objects from
Ballater, as well as from many other, points. The name
is derived from Cailk^ a wood or forest The Coyle
attains a height of 1956 feet, and is surmounted by a
big cairn. The following inscription is carved upon
a stone which is meanwhile lying at the foot of the
cairn : —

ERECTED
BY COMMAND OF

QUEEN VICTORIA

in remembrance of

the marriage of

Albert Edward Prince of Wales

AND

Alexandra Princess of Denmark.
lOTH March, 1863.

When the marriage of the Prince of Wales
took place, the tenants on the Birkhall estate built a
commemorative cairn on CreagBheag, one of the
minor Coyles (the one nearest the Muick), but as
that cairn became ruinous Her Majesty caused the
present one to be raised on the higher point. The
elements, however, have not paid much respect to
this cairn. The green tops of the Coyles are due to
the scantiness of the heather on them. The Coyle
consists of serpentine, a soft rock the soil from the
decomposition of which is inimical to the growth of
heathen The serpentine continues for nearly two
miles towards the North in several bare peaks> and
to it succeeds hornblende slate, mica slate, and
porphyry.

" The Laird's Bed", a bit of sloping rock, may still

48 LOCHNAGAR.

be seen on the Coyle. Here the LAi'rd of Birkhall
found occasion to betake himself for a time after the
'45. Meall Dubh (the black lumpy hill), another of
the Coyles, composed of hornblende slate, once pos-
sessed a slate quarry, and the roof-covering for Birkhall
House was obtained from it Eagles are at times yet
to be seen on the Coyles ; no less than six were seen
together on a certain occasion " hunting " a wounded
hare.

On the West side of the Coyles two fir trees stand-
ing close together may still be seen, which, according
to popular belief, have a history of their own. It
seems that several centuries ago there had been three
trees on this spot, one of them having been cut down
by the younger of two brothers who had the grazing
on the Coyles. The elder brother had objected to the
tree being felled, and even cursed the trees themselves,
and every person that dared lift an axe on them.
Nevertheless, his brother having cut down the tree,
built a bam with it ; but the barn was soon burnt to
the ground. Shortly after the tree-feller got into
financial difficulties, and ultimately died a drivelling
idiot — all following, it was generally held, upon his
brother's curse ! The malediction also has been strong
enough to preserve the other two trees to the present
day ; and woe betide the man daring enough to touch
them!

At the Falls of Muick the glen is contracted and
richly wooded (larch trees predominating), and the
banks of the stream are profusely adorned with wild
flowers and ferns in the summer and autumn months.
The Falls are thirty to forty feet in height, descending
over hornblende slate, some parts of which are

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. 49

laminated and intersected by granite. Her Majesty
often pays them a visit during her residence at Bal-
moral. When snow is lying thickly in the vicinity, and
the rocks ar^ coviered with ice, the Falls have a
peculiar beauty that, to many eyes, transcends their
summer charms. Despite many an effort, salmon are
unable to ascend the Falls ; but a salmon ladder would
remedy that Were such a ladder constructed there
would be a slight loss to the picturesque, but the fish
would be enabled to take advantage of the fine ground
for spawning beds in the river above the Falls, and also
to reach Loch Muick. According to Pennant the
"hole " of the Falls was ** supposed by the vulgar to
be bottomless" — a. belief entertained in regard to
almost every pool that could not be readily plumbed
by the simplest methods at command in bygone days.
Like the gorge at the Linn of Dee, the Muick is so
contracted that it can be stepped over in dry seasons
at the point where the water commences its plunge
down the rock. Above the Falls the water seems to
be forming cavities in the rock of more or less
circular shape. On a recent visit the writer ex-
amined a cavity, the depth of which proved to be 14
inches after a quantity of pebbles had been removed
from it At the surface of the rock its diameter
was about 4 inches, and it was sufficiently wide to
allow the hand to get easily to the bottom. One
striking peculiarity is that the water could only have
acted while the Muick was in spate upon the rock
in which this cavity is formed.

Beyond the Falls, the great hollow containing
Loch Muick presents itself to view. It appears girt
about with mountains, having steep fronts with fiattish

so LOCHNAGAR.

summits. The effect produced under certain atmos-
pheric conditions, with play of isun and mist, is weird
and fanciful.

A small bum (now known as AUt a' Mhsude — the
Fox's Bum) joins the Muick at Inschnabobart, close
to the West end of the Ford, and is crossed by a neat
stone bridge. The old name of this streamlet signified
" the burn of the two sticks", referring doubtless to the
fact that it had formerly been crossed by a bridge con-
sisting only of two trees laid lengthwise. The first cart
with wheels in use at Inschnabobart was brought there
in the first decade of the present century from Kirrie-
muir, having been drawn over the Capel Mounth by
two horses, with four men rendering assistance.

The Allt na Guibhsaich (the fir tree burn) flows at
the back of the Lodge (or Shiel, as it is sometimes
called). The road crosses it by a neat wooden bridge
with stone piers, at which public carriages have to stop.
The present bridge, as well as the road, was made by
the Queen, and replaced a bridge and road made by
the Gordons of Abergeldie, the new road being named
the " Prince's Drive". The " Gordon" road, and one
that had preceded it, can still be traced — the piers of
the old bridge being about forty yards above the new.
But the old route to Lochnagar did not cross
the bum, the path, which can hardly now be traced,
leading up the left bank of the stream. The Lodge
was formerly called "The Hut", and it really
deserved that name in the end of the last cen-
tury, when the roof was covered with sods and the
house had but one "lum". In 1810, however, the
Rev. Dr. Skene Keith, speaks of it as " a most com-
modious cottage belonging to Captain Gordon" of

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. 5 1

Abergeldie. Writing in 1850 the Rev. Mr. Grierson
says : — '^ It is called * The Hut', and consists of three
rooms, and a kitchen detached". Now it is a neat
little " Lodge " with two public rooms and about half
a dozen bedrooms. It is a most charming occasional
residence about a mile North of the foot of Loch Muick,
which is visible from the front of the house, a number
of trees having been cut down to admit of the view.
The Queen and the late Prince Consort frequently
spent a night or two at the Lodge. The ruins of
humbler abodes may be seen in the neighbourhood,
showing that this side of the Muick, as well as the
other in the neighbourhood of the Spital, had formerly
ja considerable number of inhabitants, where now,
under the new order of things, a single household
would find difficulty in subsisting.

CHAPTER ll.-^( Continued.)
BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR.

J. Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge to the Duhh Jjoch,

Lands may be fair ayont the sea,
But Hielan' hills and lochs for me.

HAVING reached Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge from
Ballater up Glen Muick, the mountaineer is at the
real starting point for the ascent of Lochnagar. A
capital excursion may, however, be occasionally made
from the Lodge to Loch Muick, the Glasallt Shiel, the
Falls of the Glasallt, and the Dubh Loch, by a route
which, while in some parts solitary and grand, is of
the most picturesque character throughout. There is
a driving road from Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge to the
Glasallt Shiel near the head of Loch Muick, a distance
of about three miles, and a pony path leads from the
Shiel to the Dubh Loch. These places are all on Her
Majesty's estate, and the roads have been specially
made at the Queen's expense. Even were that not
the case, no one would think of intruding on the
Queen's privacy, and one can easily ascertain when
the Queen is at Balmoral. Previous to the purchase
of Balmoral by Prince Albert a rough path led along
the North-West side of Loch Muick, but the ancient
track — which may still be traced in several places —
was much improved upon by the Queen. It was by
this old route that cattle were formerly sent to graze
on Lochnagar for a few weeks during summer. The

BALLATJER TO LOCHNAGAR. 5 J

Queen does not, like many landowners, threaten the
pains of law for trespass, but boards bearing the words
" Strictly Private " are exhibited at the starting points-
on the roads which have been specially formed at Her
Majesty's cost. A written permission must be:
obtained before carriages may be driven beyond the
entrance gate of Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge.

The summit of Lochnagar may be ascended from
the Dubh Loch, but there is no path. The route is
by the main stream of the burn which flows into the
Loch, and which, near its sources, is crossed by a well-
defined path — the route from Loch Callater to Cac
Carn Mor.

The distance from Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge to the
lower end of Loch Muick is about a mile. The Loch
lies at an altitude above sea level of 1310 feet, and is-
fully two miles in length, by about half-a-mile in
breadth, covering an area of 960 acres, with a depth
in many places of over 60 fathoms. The general
direction of the Loch is South-West to North-East
It has a small islet at the upper end, on which sea-
gulls formerly bred. Cormorant, teal, and mallard
have been shot over it, and the gosander has been
repeatedly seen. Even the wild swan is not altogether
unknown ; some twenty years ago one tarried a week
in the vicinity and was spared by the keepers, but was
shot when it went lower down the Mulct When on
the banks of the Loch one is struck by its solitude
and grandeur, so much is it e;nclosed by mountains.
Still the Loch is by no means dreary, for its banks are
sufficiently fringed with trees to lighten up the cheer-
less and glooijiy aspect which often characterises sheets
of water in the Highlands, when th^y are so grasped

54 LOCHNAGAR.

around by hills as Loch Muick is. The mountain
ridge on its South-East side culminates in Black Hill,
which attains a height of 2470 feet. At the bottom of
this hill is a capital path along the Loch side from Spital
of Muick to the head of the Loch. This path pro-
ceeds in such a well-defined straight line that it detracts
somewhat from the picturesque appearance of the
Loch when viewed from its left bank. The track,
which was recently made, is a continuation of the
driving road on that side of the glen, which, as a
public road, ends at Spital of Muick. It is, however,
continued on for nearly a mile to Lochend, at the
lower end of the Loch. Here there is an insignificant
shooting-box, with a boat-house, and here the foot-path
just mentioned begins. Fully half-way up the Loch
this path crosses the Black Burn which enters the
Loch at a sandy beach, the only spot on that side
which is free of boulders. Between it and the head of
the Loch the hilly ground is known as the Fir Roads,
from the fact that at one time the natives of Clova
were in the habit of coming here for trees for roofing
purposes. Concerning the nature of the ground on
this side, it is interesting to refer to the Rev, Thomas
Grierson, author of Autumnal Rambles among the
Scottish Mountains (1851), who says that "there is not
the slightest vestige of its ever having been trod by a
human foot"; and that the edge of the Loch would
not " admit of anything like safe progress, however
slow". The mountain, he says, is " so abrupt to the
very brink of the Lake that the large loose stones are
often dislodged, thus endangering the limbs and life
of the pedestrian". The result of Mr. Grierson's
wanderings in this vicinity (he had been taking a

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. 55

glimpse of the Dubh Loch), was a night in the open
air, and as, doubtless, many mountaineers are doomed
to such experiences in the course of their explorations,
let us see how the reverend gentleman passed the
night. ** After collecting some heath and spreaiding
it on the sheltered side of a rock, I composed myself
for rest, having put on dry shoes and stockings, and
made myself as comfortable as circumstances would
admit. I confess I felt not a little dreary at first,
especially as .1 had neither meat nor drink of any
description in my fishing basket. Most fortunately, I
had a thick short greatcoat, which I had worn all day,
much to my annoyance, but which was now my chief
comfort Fagging on under this had caused a profuse
perspiration, so that, as soon as I had . relaxed my
labours, I became as cold as if I had been cased in
ice. Gradually, however, I grew tolerably warm, and
passed seven hours and a-half far more agreeably than
I had reason to expect. Though without foody I could
yet ruminate^ and I even enjoyed some refreshing sleep.
The noise of numerous cascades from the sides of
Lochnagar, directly opposite, servedas an agreeable
lullaby, forcibly reminding me of the graphic, admir-
able description of our great national bard —

* Foamin' strong, wi* hasty stens,
* Fraelin tolin.'

When day dawned,. I was not a little astonished to
see the upper half of Lochnagar white with snow,
which had descended on me in slight showers of rain".
In the morning our belated brother-mountaineer duly .
reached Spital, where "the porridge-pot was soon
suspended over a splendid peat fire, both of which

S6 LOCHNAGAR.

I was right glad to superintend after my recent fast
and bivouac ". The inn, however, which was expected
to be found here, had been shut for several years.

Loch Muick is a favourite spot of the Queen's^
and is frequently referred to in her Leaves from thr
Journal of our Life in the Highlands, In writing of a
row up the Loch the Queen says : — " Here we found a
large boat, into which we all got .... They
rowed up to the head of the Loch, to where the Muick
runs down out of the Dubh Loch .... The
scenery is beautiful here, so wild and grand — real
severe Highland scenery, with trees in the hollow.
We had various scrambles in and out of the boat and
along the shore, and saw three hawks, and caught
seventy trout I wish an artist could have been there
to sketch the scene ; it was so picturesque — the boat,
the net, and the people in their kilts in the water and
on the shore". In another chapter the Queen says of
the South-East side of the Loch that it " is very fine
indeed, and deeply furrowed by the torrents, which
form glens and corries where birch and alder trees
grow close to the water's edge. We landed on a.
sandy spot below a fine glen, through which flows the
Black Burn. It was very dry here ; but still very
picturesque, with alder-trees and mountain-ash in full
fruit overhanging it. The moon rose, and was
beautifully reflected on the Lake, which, with its
steep green hills, looked lovely. To add to the
beauty, poetry, and wildness of the scene, Coutts
played in the boat ; the men, who row very quickly
and well now, giving an occasional shout when he
played a reel. It reminded me of Sir Walter Scott's-
lines in The Lady of the Lake : —

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. 57

* Ever, as on they bore, more loud
And louder rung the pibroch proud.
At first the sound, by distance tame,
Mellow'd along the waters came.
And, lingering long by cape and bay,
Wail'd every harsher note away '.

We were home at a little past seven [having left
AUtnaguibhsaich Lodge at half-past four], and it was
so still and pretty as we entered the wood, and saw
the light flickering from our humble little abode
[AUtnaguibhsaich Lodge] ".

In the walk along the side of Loch Muick, Alltan
Dearg (little red burn) is crossed. It is a pretty little
stream rising on An t-Sron and the Monelpie Moss
(jagged moss) and falls into the Loch about a mile from
the point at which the river Muick runs out of it. An
t-Sron (the nose) is the culminating point of the steep
ridge on the left bank of the Loch, and attains an
altitude of 2326 feet. The Alltan Dearg derives its
name from the red granite through which it has cut its
way down the face of the mountain. The cleft thus
formed in the rock is very deep and extensive, quite
beyond, one would think, the power of such a stream-
let The cutting becomes very conspicuous as one
proceeds along the Loch side, and in its deepest recess
is a pretty waterfall which was formerly much visited
by the Queen, but the pony path leading up to it is
now neglected and overgrown. The "Braes of
Glasallt ", as the South-Western ridge of An t-Sron is
sometimes called, are immediately to the South-West
of Alltan Dearg. Writing in 1852 Her Majesty says : —
" We arrived at the Alltan Dearg, a small bum and
fall, which is very fine and rapid. Up this a winding
E

58 LOCHNAGAR.

path has been made, upon which we rode; though
some parts are rather steep for riding. The bum falls
over red granite; and in the ravine grow birch,
mountain-ash, and alder''.

The Glasallt Shiel stands near the upper end of
Loch Muick, on the right bank of the Glas Allt (grey
bum) at its confluence with the Loch. This Shiel is
the most remote of Her Majesty's Lochnagar residences,
and, while unpretentious, is a very neat — it may be
said pretty — building of two stories, now surrounded
by firs, planted mostly since the Shiel was built. It
would be difficult to find a house with a more pleasant,
and, at the same time, retired situation; it is quite
unique of its kind. Above the front door, which faces
the Loch, is the inscription : —

VICTORIA REGINA.
1868.
What might be taken for an old horse-shoe is affixed
to the door of one of the outhouses ; but it is under-
stood that this token of good luck fell from one of the
mules that rendered service in the Egyptian campaign.
Several of these animals were purchased by Her
Majesty after the battle of Tel-el-Kebir, and a few of
them were taken to Balmoral and used as deer ponies
on Lochnagar. Two or three steps from the door of
the Shiel is a miniature harbour for a boat to row over
the Loch. So genial is summer here that, in a bit of
garden ground behind the Shiel, potato " shaws " have
in recent years attained a height of six feet, while in
the vicinity heather may be found growing to a height
of six feet six inches, and " dockens " to no less than
seven feet ! This is the sunny side of the picture at

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. 6 1

the Glasallt Shiel ; but what about it in winter ? Then
pebbles larger than pigeons' eggs are blown over the top
of the house, and the ice on the Loch has measured
twenty-one inches in thickness even in March ! The
front windows of the house occasionally come to grief
from wind and stones. The Shiel almost occupies the
site of an old shooting-box of the Gordons of Aber-
geldie, and at the back of it may still be traced the
foundations of a shepherd's hut which had existed in
the olden time. The Prince Consort had long wished
to build a "Shiel" at the Glas Allt, this neighbour-
hood having been a great favourite of his ; so after
his death the Queen erected the present building.
The "house warming " was on ist October, 1868, and,
in describing it, Her Majesty tells that she felt it
essential to have a new house in the district, as she
could not have lived alone at Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge,
where she had spent so many happy days with the
Prince.

The Glas Allt rises almost at the very summit of
Lochnagar, less than half-a-mile to the South of Cac
Carn Mor. The burn has two head streams, the space
between which is known as the " Tongue of the Glas
Allt" — a name precisely descriptive of the rounded
ridge indicated. The larger of the two head streams
runs through Coire an Daimh Mhoile (corrie of the
" hummel " stags). This corrie was so named at the
desire of the Prince Consort, who here shot two stags
without horns. About half-a-mile above the junction
of the Glas Allt with Loch Muick the burn has a very
fine waterfall over granite rocks, known as the Falls of
the Glas Allt, which are well worthy of a visit. They
are about 150 feet in height, and are situated within

62 LOCHNAGAR.

a little rocky corrie which forms about three-fourths of
a circle. The rock is reddish in some parts, but
" glas " (grey or dun) is a correct description of the
prevailing colour. Within the corrie is nothing but
rock and grass, and not much of the latter. A pony
path, very steep and very zig-zag, leads up to the Falls
from the Shiel. The Queen thus writes of the
scene: — "We walked on [from AUtan Dearg] until
we reached the higher part of the Glas Allt, which we
stepped across. . . . Then we began the descent
of the Glas Allt . . . From here it is quite
beautiful, so wild and grand. The Falls are equal to
those of the Bruar at Blair, and are 150 feet in height,,
the whole height to the foot of the Loch being 500
feet [The latter height has now been ascertained to
be about 660 feet] It looked very picturesque to see
the ponies and Highlanders winding along. We came
down to the Shiel of the Glasallt, lately built, where
there is a charming room for us, commanding a most
lovely view". The path from Balmoral Castle to
Glasallt Shiel, by Glen Gelder and Monelpie Moss,
crosses the Glas Allt just above the Falls.

Creag na Sithinn (the craig of fairy knolls) which
attains a height of 2312 feet, is a short distance to the
South-West of the Falls of the Glas Allt, and is well
worth ascending from them. From the summit a
capital view may be obtained, especially of Loch
Muick, which seems to lie at one's feet. Creag na
Sithinn is surmounted by a " watcher's " shelter, but
the elements have been too much for the roo£ Nearly
a mile to the West of Creag na Sithinn is a small
lochlet, named Lochan Buidhe, about 300 yards by
70 in extent It is thoroughly embosomed among

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. 63

mountains — one could scarcely fancy a more retired
position for a sheet of water. AUt an Lochan Buidhe,
which rises between Creag a' Ghlas-uillt (the craig of
the Glas Allt) and Creag an Dubh-Loch (the craig of
the dark loch), flows through it, entering the Lochan
at a point almost mid-way in its length, and leaves
exactly opposite the entrance, thus using the sides
instead of the ends as is generally the case. The
inlet is smooth and rocky; the outlet is not unlike
that of Loch Etchachan on Ben Muich Dbui, both hav-
ing a tiny lochlet. Below, the channel of the burn is
quite rocky, but smooth, often glistening in the
summer sun. At the East end of the Lochan there is
a little beach of silvery sand. It abounds with trout
larger even than those in Loch Muick, from which it
was stocked in 1856 with two dozen. The remains
of an old shooting hut of the Gordons of Abergeldie
may still be traced below the Lochan.

The pony path from the Glasallt Shiel keeps by
the left bank of the Muick — here known by the name
of Allt an Dubh Loch. From the Glasallt Shiel to
the Dubh Loch the distance is about two miles, and
the scenery is almost as magnificent as any in the
Highlands. The mountains, composed of granite, on
both sides of the burn which guides the way, are alike
high and steep, and have a very graceful outline, while
a few trees beautify the banks of the stream. About
half-way between the Glasallt Shiel and the Dubh
Loch, a tributary (the Allt an Lochan Buidhe) of the
Allt an Dubh Loch is crossed, having a particularly
fine waterfall known as the " Stullan". The bottom
of this waterfall is close to the edge of the path, while
near the junction of the burn with Allt an Dubh Loch

64 LOCHNAGAR.

are the ruins of the farthest up smuggling bothy in Glen
Muick. A small cairn will attract attention as soon as
the tourist has crossed the Allt an Lochan Buidhe at
the bottom of the "Stullan". It is understood to
mark the spot where the Marquis of Lome proposed
to the Princess Louise on the 3rd October, 1870. It
so happened that the Queen was at Pannanich Wells
that day !

The Dubh Loch is described by the Queen, on
her first visit to it in September, 1849, as " very wild ;
the hills, which are very rocky and precipitous, rising
perpendicularly from it ". In its grandeur and remote-
ness it will satisfy even the most exacting moun-
taineer. It is nearly three-quarters of a mile in length,
with an area of 60 acres, and is 2091 feet above sea
level. Broad Cairn (3268 feet) and Cairn Bannoch
(3314 feet), the latter with a distinctive peaked top,
overlook the Loch on the South and South-West.
These two mountains have stupendous granite preci-
pices (Creag an Dubh Loch) which overhang the
water, and are the grandest on Lochnagar. Their
perpendicular height where highest is 800 feet, giving
the head of the Dubh Loch a resemblance, in a
measure, to the upper end of Loch Avon in the
vicinity of the Shelter Stone. The rocks on the
North-East side of the Loch do not approach the edge
of the water so closely as the crags on the South-West,
by which also they are surpassed in steepness. Both
have the same name, Creag an Dubh Loch ; but
those on the North-East side are distinguished by
having Creag na h-Iolaire (the eagle's craig) as the
name of their highest point. Eagles had formerly
their eyries there, but it is long since they ceased to

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. 65

frequent these rocks. A slender cataract-rill which
falls over this craig has an almost perpendicular
descent of about 200 feet. The name of this bum is
the AUt a' Choire Bhoidheach (the bum t)f the beauti-
ful corrie) ; it rises on the South side of the rocks
above Lochan an Eoin.

The Dubh Loch swarms with trout, of which 35
were brought from Loch Muick in 1852. From having

DUBH LOCH.

been left comparatively alone the size of the fish
considerably exceeds the size of those in Loch Miiick ;
and this is all the more remarkable as ice has been
found on the Dubh Loch as late in the summer as the
loth June. Stags when wounded frequently take
shelter in water. On one occasion when a hunting
party was out from Balmoral Castle, a wounded stag

66 LOCHNAGAR.

swam to the centre of the Dubh Loch. None of the
company could swim except the Duke of Edinburgh,
so the Prince went in and gave the stag the coup dc
grace. Tlie* antlers now adorn the outside of the
front door of AUtnaguibhsaich Lodge. While the
hMvafram the Dubh Loch has a picturesque and
romantic course over rocks and stones, the bum
entering it has likewise a most interesting run. Just
above the Loch it slides, rather than flows, over
a great stretch of rock which gives it a peculiar
appearance. Farther up it rushes through a little
rocky gorge with here and there a small cascade. In
its upper parts it is, however, not particularly interest-
ing. Its parent head-stream is the Allt na Da Chraobh
Bheath.

The best point from which to view the picturesque
features on the left bank of Loch Muick is from a
height of about 2100 feet on the South side opposite
the Glasallt Shiel. From the path on the right bank
of the Loch a track branches off a few yards west of
the Black Burn and leads to Bachnagairn, and it is by
this latter path that the view referred to is obtained.
Here the broad level strath of the Muick, blocked up
by the Coyles, is seen to advantage, with the winding
river in the centre. The narrow gorge of the Alltan '
Dearg is also partly seen. But the view of the Glasallt
Shiel, just at one's feet, with its romantic surroundings,
is what will charm most. Indeed, no such view can be
got from any other point. The Shiel appears to stand
on a little green patch surrounded by trees and the
Loch, and is built on a miniature delta formed by the
bum. At the back of the Shiel the Glas Allt
looks like a thread of silver from its precipitous

BALLATER TO LOGHNAGAR. 67

descent, the &mous "Falls" themselves being also
seen dropping perpendicularly. How charmingly do
the " StuUan" Burn and the AUt an Dubh Loch send
down their waters tumbling in headlong flight ! Lochan
Buidhe is just seen in its little hollow, and a peep
is obtained of the Dubh Loch ; behind is Lochnagar —
below is Loch Muick. One could scarcely wish for a
grander view of mingled Highland scenery.

Bachnagaim is outside the scope of the present
work, but as it has been so nearly approached a little
information concerning it may be welcomed. It is a
disused shooting-box on the right bank of the South
Esk, fiilly a mile East of Loch Esk, on the property of
Sir Allan Mackenzie. There is no house above it,
and the nearest below is a keeper's dwelling over two
miles down the river, near the commencement of the
Capel Mounth in Forfarshire. The South Esk at
Bachnagairn hurries along an exceedingly narrow
defile clothed with larch trees. It is crossed there by
a pony-bridge, on both sides of which there is a grand
waterfall, the only drawback being that a proper
view of both fells cannot be obtained at once. Con-
cerning the South Esk here, a very short description,
written so fer back as 1678 — when Highland scenery
was not esteemed as it is now — will suffice: — "A
stream which cannot so properly be said to flow as to
precipitate itself from the highest cliff of a mountain
for about one hundred fathoms ".

I would fain advise the mountaineer who wishes to
see the beauties of Lochnagar from a new direction to
take the point of view just indicated, returning to
Spital by Bachnagaim (crossing the South Esk by a
foot-bridge about a mile below the Falls) and the Capel

68 LOCHNAGAR.

Mounth — ^the round can be made easily within six
hours. If he has ascended Lochnagar once or twice
the views obtained in this little circular tour will charm
him — or her, for a more pleasant mountain excursion
for ladies could not well be devised — ^and no regret
will be felt that a long distance has been come without
" doing " a mountain top. For I hold that the true
mountaineer is not the man who boasts of the number
of peaks he has placed to his credit ; the ideal hillman
is one who thoroughly enjoys a day " on " the
mountains — not hurrying and toiling up a Ben with the
single purpose of rushing down again.

THE SPECTRE STAG OF LOCHNAGAR.
BY W. A. Mackenzie.

Up in the moonlight pale and dim

The Dubh Loch's cliffs rose stark and grim ;

The loch gloomed darkling far beneath.

And weirdly strange lay height and heath ;

Deep silence held the mighty hill,

And all the wrestling winds were still ;

The sky was bare save one lone star

That crowned the crest of Lochnagar.

Upon the black steep's topmost ken

There stood a Stag, a Stag of ten,

A lordly monarch of the wild

That hunters never had beguiled.

Such was the keenness of his sight

And scent, so swift his lightning flight.

So full of wile his quick resource.

No man might stay his whirlwind course.

From this his name was noised afar —

The Spectre Stag of Lochnagar —

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. 69

Filled many a huntsman's heart with fire
That flamed to the supreme desire
To bring the noble beast to bay,
And take his ten-tined head that day.

Lord Ian was a huntsman keen

As ever donned the Lincoln green,

As ever led the chase at morn,

Or cheerly blew the ringing horn.

And countless trophies of his skill

In venery by plain and hill

Hung on the shield- and spear-sprent walls

Of his war-won aacestral halls.

Now when of this proud Stag he heard

His huntsman's soul was strangely stirred.

So at our holy Lady's shrine

He knelt, and craved her Grace divine

To lend the blessing of her eyes,

And consummate his vowed emprize —

To slay the Spectre Stag he swore,

Or hunting horn wind nevermore.

In yonder forest far away
He roused the Stag at dawn of day,
And following fast by tarn and rill.
O'er grassy slope and heathered hill.
All through the long autumnal heat.
He tracked him with unwearied feet.
Buoyed by elusive hope, till now
The monarch halts upon the brow
Of this rough crag, that stem doth loom
Over the Dubh Loch's rock-girt gloom.
Adown the proud beast's heaving side
Trickles a tiny crimson tide.
That shows where deep the arrow-head
Has sought and found its living bed.
With joy he snifls the cool night air,
And dreams of his far forest lair,
And recks not that with bated breath
To deal the sudden stroke of death.

70 LOCHNAGAR,

With eager longing in his eye,

While heart and hopes are pulsing high,

The hunter steals. Aloft the knife

Shimmers to drink the Stag's red life.

But with a swerve like lightning's flash

The Stag makes one impetuous dash.

And from the sheer and fiaited steep

He takes the last, long, flying leap ;

A moment sways in dizzy air ;

Then, with a cry of shrill despair

Sinks swiftly to his lonely grave

Beneath the Dubh Loch's wind-swept wave.

The huntsman foiled, with frenzied eye.

Glares wildly to the silent sky,

And by some fatsdnation held

Is to the shrinking brink compelled ;

Nor slacks the chase, nor draws he breath.

But onward still, till Huntsman Death

O'ertakes him too.

The vow he swore
He kept ; his horn sounds nevermore.

And to this hour, old shepherds say.
When moon and star succeed to day,
Is seen upon the Dubh Loch's scaur
The Spectre Stag of Lochnagar.

ALLTNAGUIBHSAICH LODGE

CHAPTER II.— (Concluded.)

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR.

4. AlHnaguibhsaich Lodge to Cac Cam Beag.

Hail, Lochnagar ; thy precipices hail ;

Thy deep ravines ; thy glittering wreaths of snow !
Thy forehead shrouded in a misty veil,

Or darkly shadowed in the lake below.

ALLTNAGUIBHSAICH Lodge may be described
as the key to Lochnagar from the East (the Ballater)
side. The route passes the back of the Lodge by a
path which branches off the approach just within the
entrance gate. The stable and coach-house are with-
in this gate, and it is at the West-end of these build-
ings that the path commences. Passing in rear of
the Lodge, it comes out between the Keeper's house
(a continuation of the Lodge) and a small building
known as the Chillies' Hall. A few yards ahead there
is a little wooden gate in the deer fence; that gate
passed through the mountain path begins. A finger-
post at the entrance gate, and another at the deer fence,
would prevent any chance of a stranger blundering,
and the public would be saved from thoughtlessly or
inadvertently passing the front of the Lodge, when
occupied by visitors. Of course, for persons who
will flatten their noses against window panes, the
better to examine a private house, finger-posts would
be superfluous. The path from the Lodge to the
summit of Lochnagar was made by the Queen's

F

74 LOCHNAGAR.

directions in 1849, Partly for Her Majesty's own use,
and partly also to keep the public from unduly
wandering in the Royal deer forests of Balmoral and
the White Mounth. So early as 1850, Her Majesty
had earned the reputation of having " the good taste
to delight in mountaineering ".

The path at first trends to the right, crossing the
Allt na Guibhsaich a little above the Lodge. Two
miles or so West of the Lodge a watershed is reached,
where, on the right, the Gelder Burn has its principal
source, and, on the left, is one of the head streams of
the Allt na Guibhsaich. Here a path is crossed
leading, on the right, to Balmoral Castle by Glen
Gelder, and, on the left, to the Glasallt Shiel by the
Moss of Monelpie and the Falls of the Glasallt After
crossing the watershed the climber will find that the
track becomes considerably rougher, and the ascent
may now be said to begin in earnest. Before him — at
some little distance — is " the Ladder", which leads to
the top of the ridge of Cuidhe Crom, and from it the
path, after slightly dipping by the edge of the corrie of
" Lochnagar ", leads onward and upward to Cac Cam
Mor. A quarter of a mile Northwards from this peak,
with first a very slight dip and then a slight rise,
Cac Carn Beag is reached.

Every mountaineer, on arranging to visit Lochna-
gar for the first time, is pretty sure to ask the question
— How long does it require to reach the top of the
mountain from Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge, and to return
to the same point ? It is, of course, quite impossible
to reply in an off-hand manner ; the question must be
answered with a certain knowledge of the staying
powers of the particular individual. Speaking in gene-

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. 75

ral terms, a fair mountaineer should reach the summit
in two hours — it has to the writer's knowledge been
done in half an hour less — and the descent should be
made in about an hour and twenty minutes. But for
ordinary pedestrians the writer quite agrees with Mr.
Grierson, the doyen of mountaineers in the middle of
the present century — than whom there could be no
better authority — ^who says: — " The ascent and descent,
including half an hour at the summit, cannot be com-
fortably accomplished under five or six hours — starting
from or near the Hut". Of the four and a half miles
which the pedestrian has to climb, mostly in a due West
direction, the first and easiest half of the way lies
between the Hut and the base of the Meikle Pap, the
mean gradient for the whole distance being only about
I in 7.

Having thus briefly indicated the final section of
the route from Ballater to Lochnagar, it may be ad-
vantageous to describe a little more fully what may be
properly enough termed the Queen's path from AUt-
naguibhsaich Lodge to the summit of the mountain.
The bridge crossing the Allt na Guibhsaich, a short
distance above the Lodge, is known as Littlejohn's
Bridge, from the name of the builder. The remains
of several shielings may be seen near by, telling of
the time when the natives of Glen Muick summered
their cattle on the pastures by the higher burns along
the glen. Marks of the foundations of a smuggling
bothy may be seen immediately above the bridge.
This is believed to have been the highest situated
" black" bothy on the Allt na Guibhsaich. Beyond
Littlejohn's Bridge the path lies on the Southern
shoulder of Conachcraig. This name most probably

76 LOCHNAGAR.

signifies Kenneth's Craig, but it may also mean the
dogs' or the stormy craig. Granite millstones would
appear to have been at one time quarried on it, as
several half-finished stones are still lying on the slope.
A few yards above the bridge, at a height of about
1680 feet, there is a big stone on the right bank of the
burn, near which, on looking backwards towards the
East, Mount Keen just begins to appear behind the hills
on the right bank of the Muick. A few yards farther
on, the cone will be plainly recognisable. The view
now deserves particular attention, as an altitude has
been reached that affords a fair prospect. Looking
back, the tree-girt Lodge is visible ; the Allt Darrarie
in its deep, narrow glen is seen joining the Muick at
Spital ; and the great hollow containing Loch Muick
forces itself upon the eye. Looking forward and up-
wards there is the peaked Little Pap and the more
massive but less picturesque Cuidhe Crom. The
region of trees, save for a straggler here and there by
the bumside, has been left behind. The mountaineer
will scarcely have ascended another hundred feet above
sea level when Meikle Pap, on the right of Cuidhe
Crom, will come into view, as well as the crags of
Lochnagar itself. On the extreme right of Cuidhe
Crom the zig-zag path, "the Ladder", may be picked
out.

About a mile-and-a-quarter above the Lodge a
suitable place may be observed for a short halt. This is
at " Cameron's Well", on the right of the path, the deep
narrow hollow in which flows the Allt na Guibhsaich
being on the left. From this point the peculiarly cut
rocky top of the Meikle Pap will show itself; beyond
it "the steep frowning glories of dark Lochnagar"

BALLATER TO LOGHNAGAR. 77

begin to inspire the tourist on his maiden ascent of
Byron's mountain. Little of the crags will be seen from
this point, but quite sufficient to arouse one's curiosity
and expectation. The gorge of the burn is known as
Clashrathan, a word which signifies the hollow of the
roads, there being numerous deer tracks or roads along
the stream. Behind, the brown and green hills at the
head of Loch Muick will attract attention, as well as a
little bit of the glen at Spital, and Mount Keen, now
fully in view in the East in all his conical dignity.

A few hundred yards farther onward, at a height of
about 2180 feet, one of the principal summits of the
Cairngorm mountains comes into view — Ben Avon
with his rocky pinnacles. These pinnacles are visible
from great distances — particularly from the Blue Hill
in Banchory-Devenick, a distance of about 48 miles —
and they enable one readily to pick out the giant
mountain which derives its name from the river Avon.

" Clashrathan's Cairn" at the watershed of the
Gelder marks the point for a divergence in the route
to the summit, at the crossing of the path which leads
from Balmoral Castle to the Glasallt Shiel. Looking
Northward from this cairn, Ben Avon comes better
into view, as well as one of his spurs, Meall na
Gaineimh, which almost overhangs Inchrory Lodge.
Culardoch, a mountain on the South side of the Gairn,
is also now very prominent. To the right is Conach-
craig, sloping down on the East side of the Gelder to
Balmoral Castle.

Having reached the head of Gelder Bum, the
Glen Gelder route to the summit of Lochnagar may be
briefly referred to. It is the most direct route from
Easter Balmoral and the neighbourhood of Balmoral

78 LOCHNAGAR.

Castle, and joins the AUtnaguibhsaich Lodge path at
the watershead of the Gelder and the head stream of
the Allt na Guibhsaich just mentioned. There is no
difficulty in following it ; but it must be kept in mind
that it is not always open to the public, and care
should therefore be taken to make the necessary
inquiries before proceeding by that route. It mostly
suits only the inhabitants in the district of Crathie.
Her Majesty has a small " Shiel " in this glen some
three miles from the watershed, known as the Glen
Gelder Shiel, or Ruidh na Bhan Righ (the Queen's
Shiel), concerning a visit to which, with the Empress
Eugenie in 1879, Her Majesty thus writes: — "The
Empress was pleased with the little Shiel, which con-
tains only two small rooms and a little kitchen. It
stands in a very wild, solitary spot, looking up to
Lochnagar, which towers up immediately above the
house .... We walked along the footpath above the
Gelder for a mile and a half, the dogs, which had
come up, following us, and the Empress talked a great
deal, and most pleasantly, about former times. When
we came back to the little Shiel, after walking for an
hour, we had tea. Brown had caught some excellent
trout and cooked them with oatmeal, which the dear
Empress liked extremely, and said would be her dinner.
It was a glorious evening — the hills pink, and the sky
so clear".

Another " minor " route converges at the head of
Glen Gelder — that, namely, by Strath Girnock from
the North-East. This route may best be entered near
the mouth of the Strath, about two miles West of
Knock Castle. The head of the Strath reached. Glen
Gelder will be entered, between Conachcraig and

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. 79

Little Conachcraig (1841 feet). It is, however, of
little public convenience, and the Strath is now very
sparsely inhabited Formerly it was particularly noted
for smuggling, no fewer than a dozen or so of " black
bothies" being at one time in operation in the upper
part of the little glen. There is yet living a native of
the district who can recollect of a line of thirty horses
starting from Strath Gimock, loaded with smuggled
whisky, en route for the South by Capel Mounth. A
road, already referred to, crosses the Gimock, about a
mile-and-a-half below its source, leading Northwards to
the Dee at Easter Balmoral, and Southwards to the
Muick at Inschnabobart.

Returning again to the main route to Cac Carn
Beag at the head of Glen Gelder, the mountaineer
will pass on his right the ruins of what was formerly a
little " box " of the Queen's. It had a stable attached
for ponies, but was demolished in 1867. Tourists
occasionally abused it, and the Glen Gelder Shiel
was consequently built, in a less exposed position.
The corrie to the North of the ruins, at the foot of the
Meikle Pap, is called Coire na Ciche (the corrie of the
pap), and shows pretty conclusively that Meikle Pap
is but a translation from the Gaelic "Ciche Mhor".
The Prince Consort shot his last stag on Meikle Pap,
and a small cairn (on the North-East side from the
mountain path) was raised to mark the spot. A small
tarn, known as Lochan Dubh, in Coire na Ciche, is
the source of one of the head streams of the Gelder
Burn, the principal one issuing from the Loch of
Lochnagar on the West side of Meikle Pap.

About half way between Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge
and Cac Carn Beag another " Well " will be passed on

So LOCHNAGAR.

the left It is known as the Fox Cairn Well, and it
may be interesting to mention that the natural mass of
big granite stones, so called, derived its name from a
fox that was killed there in 1840. This particular
wily reynard was an old grey animal which was almost
toothless, but had played such havoc among a certain
sheep-farmer's flocks, that his loss was competently
estimated at no less a sum than ;;^ioo. This statement
may appear somewhat extreme, but it has to be recol-
lected that the whole district suffered exceedingly at one
time from the depredations of foxes and other vermin.
It is on record that previous to 1776 the destruction of
sheep by vermin was so great in the parishes of Brae-
mar, Crathie, Glenmuick, TuUich and Glengaim, that
the loss was estimated as nearly equal to half the rent
paid to the proprietors. To prevent this loss the land-
owners in 1776 entered into an agreement, whereby
premiums were offered for the destruction of the
vermin, and these were paid for ten years. During
that period, 634 foxes, 44 wild cats, 57 pole-cats, 70
eagles, 2520 hawks and kites, and 1347 ravens and
hooded crows were killed at a cost of about forty
guineas a year When the proprietors, grudging the
expense, dropped the agreement, the vermin once
more gained ground, and sheep suffered correspond-
ingly. Fox-hunting was an occupation then, and one
of the famous hunters of the district, Samuel Copland,
was known to have killed over 700 foxes in a period
of about eleven years. These facts will indicate how
the recesses of Lochnagar were inhabited over a
hundred years ago.

The water from the Fox Cairn Well finds its way
below the stones to the Gelder, but certainly to the

BALLATER TO LOCHNAGAR. 8 1

casual observer it has rather the appearance of making
its way to the Allt na Guibhsaich. Several cairns,
which may still be observed in the neighbourhood,
pointed the route to the summit before the Queen's
path was formed. A halt had better be made by the
Well, for this is the last opportunity of drinking spring
water till the summit is reached, and it has to be borne
in mind that "the Ladder" — the only really steep
part of the ascent — is just ahead. This expression,
" the Ladder", is by no means peculiar to Lochnagar ;
mention need only be made of " the Ladder " on
Donside, and "the Ladder" on the South side of
Mount Keen.

When the foot of " the Ladder " has been reached,
the list of mountains visible will include the well-
known Morven, and the still more famous Bennachie,
although the latter is of considerably lower elevation.
Before tackling "the Ladder^', the tourist will have
observed that the track has materially deteriorated
from what it was below Clashrathan's Cairn. It is
now distinguished by narrow ruts, wide apart, not un-
like wheel marks, the better to enable one to keep the
track should mist overtake the unwary mountaineer.
Having surmounted " the Ladder " and landed on the
ridge of Cuidhe Crom (the crooked or bent [snow]
wreath), the traveller may well take another halt, and
make a few yards' diversion from the path, the better to
see the great corrie of Lochnagar, with the loch lying
so serenely at a height of nearly 2600 feet, almost en-
circled by mighty precipices. These are " the steep
frowning glories of dark Lochnagar" ; and when the
mountaineer is brought fairly face to face with them,
he is not likely to be disappointed with the realisation

82 LOCHNAGAR.

of the expectations raised by the peeps obtained of the
broken line of their crest as he ascended Above, and
a little beyond the top of the crags on the West side
of the loch, he will have no difficulty in recognising
the goal of his journey, the Cac Carn Beag. But
before he can arrive at that well-defined peak, the
corrie in which the loch is set has to be rounded, and
in rounding it Cac Cam Mor will first be reached.
At the latter terminates, in an upward direction, the
mountain path, and five minutes' walk will now take
the climber to Cac Carn Beag, the summit of Loch-
nagar ; and the peak so prominent from innumerable
points will at last be surmounted.

CHAPTER HI.

BALLATER TO BRAEMAR.

I, Ballater to Craihie,

Bonnie lassie, will ye go
To the Birks o' AbergelJie ?

THE route between Ballater and Braemar is perhaps
the finest in Aberdeenshire — certainly in the summer
and autumn months it is more frequented than any
other similar length of road (about i6| miles) in the
county. What more concerns the Lochnagar tourist,
who proposes to make Braemar the base for the ascent,
is the fact that from the road the mountain is very
well seen for several miles. From Ballater it is par-
ticularly prominent, the picturesque contour and the
magnificent conies of the White Mounth constantly
compelling the admiration of the traveller as he pro-
ceeds along the North side of the Dee.

Until the purchase of the estate of Balmoral by
Prince Albert, there was a public road on both banks of
the river between Ballater and Braemar. As, however,
the South road ran through the estate and past the
Castle, an arrangement was made with the Road
Trustees, acting on behalf of the public, for having
that road shut up from the point where it reached the
entrance to the Balmoral grounds, about eight miles
from Ballater, to the West-end of the Ballochbuie
Forest (now part of the Balmoral estate) at the Bridge
of Dee. That arrangement included the building of a

84 LOCHNAGAR.

substantial bridge over the Dee, as well as the improve-
ment and ^dening of the North road, these works
being carried out at the Prince's expense. These con-
siderations might not have prevented all opposition to
the closing of some seven miles of a beautiful old
highway, but it was plain that if an agreement to that
effect was not concluded, the Queen could not con-
tinue to live on Deeside if the privacy of her house
and grounds were not to be assured. The arrangfe-
ment was finally completed by a private Act of Parlia-
ment.

The South road has already been noticed as far as
Knock Castle. Abergeldie Castle is also on the South
side of the Dee, and it, and other interesting points,
will be taken in order as we proceed by the North
road — which is the shorter and better of the two.

A short distance from the railway station (on the
left) stand the Barracks, erected to accommodate the
Guard of Honour kept on Deeside while Her Majesty
is resident at Balmoral. Seldom indeed are the soldiers
near the Castle, and so far as there is any real "guarding"
of the Queen during her stay on Deeside, the duty is
entrusted to a very few men of the "A" Division of the
Metropolitan Police Force, under an Inspector, who
travels with the Royal train, and who may be observed
taking post near Her Majesty's saloon when the train
makes a brief halt at Ferryhill (Aberdeen) or other
places on the journey. The sending of soldiers to
Deeside was begun about twenty years ago. At first
they were lodged with the villagers in Ballater, and in
the summer and autumn they certainly did not get the
best of the houses. Ever mindful of her soldiers, the
Queen sent one of her physicians to see how they

BALLATER TO BRAEMAR. 85

lived in Ballater, and the report he gave of their en-
forced sleeping places is stated to have led to the
building of the Barracks. The style of the structure is
not considered to be in keeping with the locality, and
a story was told to the effect that the plans used for
Ballater were really intended for a cantonment in India,
while India had sent to it the plans drawn for Deeside I

Craigendarroch (the hill of the oaks) rises to a
height of about 1300 feet to the right of the road, and
the ascent along its base is rather stiff for a turnpike.
It is understood that, but for trouble being feared from
landslips, the road would have been constructed nearer
the river, and the gradient would then have been very
easy. After the highest point is reached there is a fall to
the Bridge of Gairn. On the left side may be observed a
short railway track. Power was asked from Parliament
about 1864 to make a line to Braemar, but it was
opposed by the Earl of Fife and the Balmoral Trustees,
and legislative sanction was only granted to Bridge of
Gairn, about a mile-and-a-half West from Ballater.
Rails were laid down to that point, with the intention
that the track beyond Ballater should be used for
timber and other goods traffic. The project proved
unsuitable, and the rails were lifted two or three years
ago. There is a deep narrow gorge on the North side
of Craigendarroch known as the " Pass of Ballater ",
along which the North turnpike ran before the village
of Ballater was built. The old road {via the Pass)
and the new {via Ballater) join about a quarter-of-a-
mile East of the Bridge of Gairn.

Near where the railway track eftds is the church-
yard of Glengairn, with the ruins of the old Church.
The ancient Church of Glengairn was dedicated to St.

86 LOCHNAGAR.

Mungo, and it is understood to have been a separate
charge till about 1740. Curiously enough, however,
neither the site of the old manse nor the glebe can
now be pointed out. The Church and Manse of the
quocid sacra parish of Glengaim are farther up the
river Gairn, which is generally regarded as the largest
tributary of the Dee. The bridge that carries the
turnpike over the Gairn is close to the churchyard.
The ruins of its predecessor are noticeable a few yards
up the stream.

About three-and-a-half-miles from Ballater is the snug
little inn of Coillecriech. Almost opposite it (on the
South side of the river) is the mouth of Strath Gimock
(one of the " minor " routes to the summit of Lochna-
gar), with its two guardian, pine-clothed hills. The inn
is regarded as a very convenient halting point for men
and horses. Looking backward from this point there
is a capital view of Craigendarroch, with the deep cut
of the Pass. South of the Dee rise the green-topped
Coyles of Muick. Forward from Coillecriech there
seems to be an amphitheatre surrounded by hills, all
more or less rocky and picturesquely clad with heather,
pine, and birch.

A little below the forty-seventh milestone, on the
right hand side of the road, on the West side of Easter
Micras Burn, may still be seen indications of the site
of the old Roman Catholic Chapel of Micras. The
site can be readily found by a standing stone that is
placed at its West end — a stone which is believed to
have formed part of a Druidical circle long before the
introduction of Christianity into Upper Deeside by
St. Nathalan. The Chapel stood at the base of
Geallaig (the white mountain), which, rising to a height

BALLATER TO BRAEMAR. 87

of 2170 feet above sea level, is the most prominent
hill close to the North side of the turnpike between
Ballater and Crathie. The old Chapel supplied
religious services for the residents in the two hamlets
of Easter and Wester Micras, on the North side of the
turnpike. For some occult reason Micras was not
held in great esteem, and was generally referred to
as " the village opposite Abergeldie ". A quarter of a
century or so ago, it was a genuine specimen of a High-
land clachan of the poorest type.

Six miles from Ballater (within a hupdred and fifty
yards of the 48th milestone), the tourist will find him-
self opposite the Castle of Abergeldie on the South
side of the Dee. At one time, however, the Castle
had been on the North side of the river ; marks of the
old course are still traceable. The Castle is not im-
posing, but is picturesquely situated on the right
bank of the Geldie Burn. It was formerly the pro-
perty of the Mowat family, but now belongs to Mr.
Hugh Mackay Gordon. "The Birks o' Abergeldie "
are celebrated in an old song which Burns transformed
into the beautiful lyric, "The Birks o' Aberfeldy".
The Castle and lands are held in lease by the Queen,
and it is understood that all overtures for their pur-
chase have been declined. Abergeldie estate is con-
tiguous to that of Balmoral, and the two would make
a very compact property, especially when it is con-
sidered that Birkhall, also belonging to the Queen, lies
next to Abergeldie on the East, and near to the Bal-
moral Forest at its South-Eastern boundary. Her
Majesty's mother, the Duchess of Kent, occupied
Abergeldie Castle for many years as an autumn resi-
dence, and in more recent times it has been tenanted

88 LOCHNAGAR.

by the Prince and Princess of Wales. Now it is re-
tained by the Queen for distinguished visitors, and the
Empress Eugenie has on more than one occasion
lived in it during the autumn months. The front of
the Gastle faces the South road, and at the edge of the
road opposite the Castle there is an uninscribed
standing stone, some six feet in height. Communica-
tion between the Castle and the North side of the
Dee was formerly maintained by means of a " cradle",
running on a rope suspended from posts at each side
of the river. About 150 years ago an exciseman
named Bruce, anxious to get at some smugglers he
believed to be at Clachantum, lost his life by the
accidental breaking of the rope when the Dee was in
flood. This was followed by a more memorable and
— naturally — more lamented occurrence, the death of
a recently married couple, Peter Frankie, the game-
keeper at the "Hut", and Barbara Brown, while
crossing by the " cradle". The cause of this " accident "
remained a mystery, but it was attributed by some to
the malignancy of a disappointed suitor of" Babby's ".
In 1885 a handsome suspension foot-bridge was erected
over the Dee to give access to the Castle. A remark
made by the Rev. Dr. George Skene Keith, in his
Agricultural Survey of Aberdeenshire^ should interest
visitors to Upper Deeside, if not the Lochnagar
mountaineer. When the worthy divine was at Aber-
geldie, in 18 10, it was in the occupation of Captain
and Mrs. Gordon, and the Doctor wrote that their
" excellent birch wine appeared to me superior to the
finest champagne ". Birch trees are probably as nu-
merous as ever in the locality, but the making of wine
from them is a lost art.

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BALLATER TO BRAEMAR. 9 1

Craig nam Ban (the women's craig — 1 7 30 feet) slopes
on the South-East to Abergeldie Castle. On the summit
may still be seen the mark of the hollow where a stake
was fixed to which witches were bound on being burned.
There is also a ring in a vault in the Castle where they,
and other " criminals", were chained up during their
imprisonment.

Within a mile of Abergeldie Castle, to the South,
on the left bank of the Geldie Burn, may be seen the
site of St. Columba's Chapel, with a small burial-
ground, fringed with trees, around it. The walls of
the Church are completely gone, and no tombstones
are to be seen ; indeed, the casual observer would pass
by without distinguishing the site. The field in which
the Church stood is, however, still known as Chapel
Park. The last burial is said to have taken place
about 150 years ago, and was that of a soldier, known,
from the colour of his facings, as the " Blue Drum-
mer". About the same time the Abergeldie tenants
reipoved, for building purposes, part of the walls of the
Church and the surrounding dyke. This act of vand-
alism was accomplished before means could be taken
at the Castle to save the ruins of the holy edifice, but
it is believed that the present dyke was erected, and
the trees planted, by order of the wife of the then
laird.

Like the other lands on Upper Deeside, Abergeldie
originally formed part of the Earldom of Mar. About
the year 1507 the Crown, as coming in place of the
old Earls of Mar, laid claim to Abergeldie, but the
Privy Council found that these lands were " distinct
landes fra the Erledome of Marr ". In the beginning
of the sixteenth century Sir Alexander Gordon of Mid-

92 LOCHNAGAR.

mar, a son of the Earl of Huntly, received a charter of
the lands of Abergeldie and Estoun, and the property
is still in the possession of the same branch of the
Gordon family.

The Church of Crathie is passed nearly eight miles

AVI
CRATHIE CHURCH.

from Ballater. It stands on the right hand side of the
North road, and is a plain — almost barn-like — build-
ing erected in 1805-6, but the Queen has enriched it
with stained-glass windows in memory of the Rev. Dr.
Norman Macleod. Till within the last three years
Her Majesty worshipped regularly in this Church every
Sunday during her stay at Balmoral, but latterly the
behaviour of tourists from a distance compelled the
Queen to cease attending regularly. In consequence
Her Majesty has built a " worship room " in Balmoral
Castle, where some distinguished minister of the Church
of Scotland is invited to conduct the services. In the
month of October, however, the Queen attends Crathie
Church on the Sacrament Sabbath.

CHAPTER lll.'-( Continued,)
BALLATER TO BRAEMAR.

2, Crathie to Inver,

On to the gentle Lady's halls
Who wears old Scotland's crown.

THE site of the old Church of Crathie is on the left
side of the road, almost opposite the new building.

In olden times the Church of Crathie belonged to
the Abbey of Cambuskenneth. The ruins of the
ancient structure, now clad with ivy, stand in the
parish burial-ground nearly midway between the North
Road and the Dee, and the manse is close beside them.
They are on the right hand side of a road which leads
from the North road to a suspension bridge for foot
passengers over the river. This bridge superseded a
ferry at Clachantum, fully half-a-mile farther down the
river, and is about twelve feet in width. It is
inscribed : —

J. JUSTICE JUN^ & CO
DUNDEE

Crathie churchyard, thanks to the Queen, is very
neatly kept, and, like the whole district, it bears
evidence of Her Majesty's affectionate character and
of her kindly remembrance of faithful service. A
number of the gravestones are inscribed as having
been raised by the Queen in memory of servants in
the Royal household. Among these monuments the

94 LOCHNAGAR.

one that will attract most attention is the stone which
marks the grave of John Brown. The family of which
he was a member had belonged to the Parish for genera-
tions, as is attested by stones erected in 1827 and 1859,
as well as by a stone which Brown himself caused
to be raised in memory of his parents and other rela-
tions. The four " lairs " assigned to the Browns are
now enclosed within a neat iron railing. The stone
put up by the Queen is entirely in keeping with the
one erected by Brown. Musicians will note with
interest a stone inscribed to the memory of " William
Blair, house carpenter and violinist, who died at Bel-
nacroft, Abergeldie, Nov. 12, 1884, aged 90 years".
Willie Blair, the Queen's fiddler (as he was long termed
in familiar and kindly phrase), played at the festive
gatherings held in the old and new ballrooms at Bal-
moral Castle for more than thirty years ; and all over
" the country side " his powers were known, and his
fame was firmly established, a third of a century before
Her Majesty had made a home for herself under the
shadow of Lochnagar.

The Free Church of Crathie is half-a-mile to the
South of Crathie churchyard, on the opposite side of
the river. Its pretty spire is seen rising through the trees
when looked for from the road on the North side of
the Dee.

The Lochnagar Distillery stands a few yards West
of the Free Church of Crathie, within a mile of Bal-
moral Castle. One of the earliest of the " sma' still "
whisky makers, of whom distinct record remains in the
Lochnagar district, was " Strowan Robertson ". His
death in 18 12 at the age of 52 is inscribed on a table-
stone in the churchyard of Glenmuick, and it is there

BALLATER TO BRAEMAR. 95

Stated that he was ''some time miller at Mill of
Balmoral". Charles was his Christian name, and
the patronymic "Strowan" was assigned him from
the family property of the Robertsons (Dundonnachie)
in AtholL In 1825 James Robertson of Crathie —
an old smuggler — erected the first regular distillery
on Upper Deeside. It stood near the site of
the suspension bridge, and was an insignificant
building covered with wood. About 1838 the
distillery was removed to its present site. James
Robertson was succeeded by the laird of Abergeldie
himself, but he soon let it to one William Far-
quharson. The latter transferred his interest to the
firm of Begg & Buyers, and thereafter started another
distillery at Balnacroft, Abergeldie, which was not long
in use. The firm that succeeded Farquharson was by
and by solely represented by the senior partner, on
whose death the present occupant came into possession.
The Distillery being on the Abergeldie estate the dis-
tiller is a sub-tenant to the Queen.

Balmoral Castle stands on the South side of the
Dee, on a narrow strip of level ground, about equi-
distant from Ballater and Braemar. The site has
been found fault with, on account of its lowness and
proximity to the river; otherwise one would be in-
clined to say that the situation is perfection. Its sur-
roundings are magnificent. The Castle is embosomed
among birches, while pines rise above it on the slope
of Lochnagar (which it faces), and at its base on the
North side is the river Dee — its clear stream there
rushing briskly along. The building, the site, and the
surroundings are alike grand ; and no one who knows
them will wonder why Her Majesty spends such a con-

96 LOCHNAGAR.

siderable portion of the year on Deeside. The Castle
is in the Scottish Baronial style of architecture, but
with several deviations and innovations, which tend to
assure the greater comfort and accommodation of the
residents. Thus the building partly displays the char-
acteristics of an ancient stronghold and partly those of
a modem residence. Prince Albert (it is understood)
designed the main features of the Castle, and the plans
were supplied by Mr. William Smith, who has held
the appointment of City Architect of Aberdeen
for a long period. The Castle consists of two blocks
connected by wings ; a tower, which rises to the height
of one hundred feet, is situated at the Eastern extremity.
The building has an unusually bright appearance from
being built of finely dressed granite of a light grey
colour, obtained within a short distance. The granite
is treated with a severe yet elegant simplicity and
chasteness of design, with exquisiteness of workman-
ship. One writer says if you wish to see it in all its
splendour you must come in a clear moonlight night,
when it stands out in white relief from the dark mass
of the surrounding trees and the deep shadow of the
neighbouring hills, and when the particles of mica
which the stones contain sparkle like silver as the
cold stones are kissed by the chill moonbeams.
Many additions have been made to the Castle within
the past 30 years, and now the whole buildings afford
accommodation for about 120 persons. The furnish-
ings are plain, but in the finest taste.

The estate of Balmoral formerly belonged to the
Farquharsons of Inverey, a branch of the Invercauld
Farquharsons, from whom it was acquired by the Earl
of Fife. The Earl's trustees leased the property to the

BALLATER TO BRAEMAR. 99

Right Hon. Sir Robert Gordon, brother of the (Premier)
Earl of Aberdeen, in the second quarter of the present
century. Sir Robert Gordon added considerably to
the small " house " which he found on the estate, and
the "old castle" had latterly a somewhat imposing
appearance. When Sir Robert died in 1847 Prince
Albert acquired the reversion of his lease. For several
years the Prince had been looking for an estate in the
North of Scotland whereon a summer and autumn
residence for the Queen could be provided, and Upper
Deeside had been recommended by physicians and
others as the most suitable locality. On 8th Septem-
ber, 1848, Her Majesty first arrived at Balmoral,
after having landed at Aberdeen. Some years after-
wards Prince Albert bought the estate, which stretches
to the summit of Lochnagar. The price was j£^ 1,500.
As the old castle proved quite inadequate for the
royal requirements, the erection of a new structure
was resolved upon, and on 28th September, 1853,
the Queen laid the foundation-stone of the present
building, which was completed in August, 1856. As
is well known the estate is now the property of the
Queen, and Her Majesty increased its extent several
years ago on the West by purchasing Ballochbuie
Forest from Invercauld. Including Birkhall on the
East (bought for the Prince of Wales when he was
comparatively young, and lately acquired from him by
the Queen) the Royal lands on Deeside extend to be-
tween 40,000 and 50,000 acres. All this is private
property, and not in any sense a possession of the
Crown.

Reference has already been made to many
memorials erected by the Queen, and numerous

lOO

LOCHNAGAR.

Others could be mentioned. Perhaps two should be
specially noted here. The first is a cairn of pyra-
midal form on Creag an Lurachain (1437 ^"^^0 — one

PRINCE ALBERT'S CAIRN.

of the tops of Creag a' Ghobhainn (the blacksmith's
craig), better known as Craig Gowan, which rises
immediately to the South of Balmoral Castle. This
Cairn is a prominent object to the traveller passing
along the North Deeside road. A number of the stones
are marked with initials, representing all the members
of the Royal Family. The tablet is thus inscribed : —

TO THE BELOVED MEMORY
OF

ALBERT, THE GREAT AND GOOD
PRINCE CONSORT,

RAISED BY HIS BROKEN HEARTED WIDOW,

VICTORIA R.
August 21, 1862.

" He being made perfect in a short time, fulfilled a long

time:
For his soul pleased the Lord,
Therefore hastened He to take him
Away from among the wicked."

Wisdom of SolomoHy iv. 13, 14.

STATUE OF THE QUEEN AT BALMORAL.

BALLATER TO BRAEMAR. IO3

The Other memorial is a bronze statue of the Prince
Consort, by Theed, which stands on a high granite
pedestal in an enclosed planting East from the entrance
to the Castle, and may just be discerned among the
trees. Facmg it is a bronze statue of the Queen,
erected three years ago by the tenantry and the
servants on the Queen's Deeside estates and in the
Royal Household. Near these statues is an obelisk
raised to the memory of the Prince Consort soon
after his death by the tenantry on the estates of
Balmoral, Birkhall, and Abergeldie.

About a mile beyond Balmoral, to the North of
the road, stood the original house of Monaltrie, the
property of the Farquharsons. It was burned while in
the occupancy of Government troops, after the battle of
Culloden. Subsequently another house bearing the
same name was erected under the shadow of Craigen-
darroch, immediately at the East end of the Pass of
Ballater. The small "clachan" called the Street of
Monaltrie was built for some of the old Highland
soldiers on their return from the American wars. It
is about a mile Westward from the site of the old
house. Veins of fluor-spar in granite have been found
in this neighbourhood.

Cam na Cuimhue (the cairn of remembrance) is the
next object that will interest the tourist. It is a rough
cairn of small stones surmounted by a flag-staflf and
vane. A low stone dyke, within which are planted a
few trees, encloses th^ cairn, which is on the left-hand
side of the road and close to the North bank of the
river. " Carn na Cuimhue " was the " slogan " of the
Farquharsons. The story regarding it is that when each
clansman attended at the muster ground he brought

X04 LOCHNAGAR.

a stone which he laid down near the cairn. The
survivors, on their return from the expedition
to which they had been summoned, each removed
a stone from the subsidiary heap, and the stones left
in it answered to the number of the slain and were
added to the cairn. Opposite the cairn (on the South
side of the Dee) is the mouth of the Gelder Burn.
The ascent of Lochnagar, the Dee forded, may at
certain seasons be advantageously made from this
point, despite a modern guide-book's direction that
it "should not be attempted without a guide".
Lochnagar is well seen here. Towards Inver, to the
South- Westward of Carn na Cuimhue, the rocks are
quartzose gniess, hornblende rock, bluish gray gran-
ular limestone and granite.

Abont a mile West of Carn na Cuimhue the
Deeside road crosses the Feardar Burn at Mill of
Inver, along which burn, in an upward direction, is
the district of Aberarder. A quarter-of-a-mile farther
along the main road is the Invercauld Arms, better
known as Inver Inn. It is not a large building, but it is
a favourite resort for tourists during the season. A
former host, who rejoiced in the sobriquet of " Civil
Bonnets", was a well-known character in his day.
Opposite the Inn, on the South side of the Dee, is
Canup Hill (147 7 feet) which is surmounted by the
Princess Royal's Cairn. A few yards West of the Inn
a peep may be had of the rocky summits of Ben Avon.

CHAPTER 111,— (Conc/uded.)

BALLATER TO BRAEMAR.

J, — Inver to Castle ton.

The standard's on the Braes of Mar,

Its ribands streaming rarely ;
The gathering pipes on Lochnagar,

They're sounding lang and sarely.

WESTWARD of Inver Inn for about a couple of miles
the pine and birch bordered road runs through a
monotonously flat strip known as the Muir of Inver.
On the South side of the river the Ballochbuie Forest
affords shelter to deer and various kinds of game.
Passing a wooden bridge, a little below the 55th mile-
stone, which was thrown across the Dee for the pur-
pose of carting cut timber from the Forest, and which
now gives access from the North to the Danzig Shiel,
a small lodge of the Queen's situated in the recesses
of the Forest, the traveller will observe on his
left, and only a short distance from the road, the old
Bridge of Dee, which is 55 J miles from Aberdeen.
Here, according to Dr. Macgillivray, the bed of the
river is obliquely intersected by a broken ridge of
slaty rock, causing a succession of little falls and
rapids. The bridge was erected in 1752 by General
Wade, in connection with his military road from Blair-
gowrie by Corgarff and Grantown to Inverness. It
was built of stones obtained from Craig Clunie, on the
South side of the Dee, in the vicinity. The bridge is now
the property of the Queen, and connects the private

H

lo6 LOCHNAGAR.

road (formerly a part of the South Deeside turnpike)
with the North Deeside road. The public are
allowed the use of the bridge and the private road to
visit the Falls of the Garbh Allt (rough burn), and an
old retainer is stationed at the lodge at the North end
of the bridge to see that this liberty is not abused.

The Falls of the Garbh Allt are within the Balloch-
buie Forest, fully a mile South-East from the old Bridge
of Dee. They are well worth seeing, being generally
considered the most picturesque falls on Deeside,
although the burn is inconsiderable in volume, and
the falls, which are three in number, are by no means
remarkable for height. The bed of the burn is exceed-
ingly rocky, and its banks are overhung by pines and
birches; but the grandeur and solitude of the Falls are
marred, accordmg to some authorities on the picturesque,
by a cast-iron bridge with a bow arch thrown across
the stream just above the uppermost fall.

Above the Falls two burns (the Feindallacher and
the Allt Lochan an Eoin) unite to form the Garbh
Allt, and between these burns, up the Northern slope
of Lochnagar, stretches the " Smuggler's Shank", an
old route towards Glen Doll and Glen Clova in For-
farshire. This "Shank" received its name from
having been in former times much used by smugglers
to convey whisky on horseback- from Deeside to the
South. It is maintained by some that there is a right-
of-way by this route through the Ballochbuie Forest
to Lochnagar and the upper glens of the South Esk,
but the question is not now likely to be raised.
Mountaineers occasionally use this route when Her
Majesty is not in the district.

Smuggling has had to be frequently mentioned in

BALLATER TO BRAEMAR. I07

connection with Lochnagar and its glens. An anony-
mous writer in the beginning of the present century
(the author of A Summer Ramble in the North High-
lands) has some interesting remarks on the subject
He states that in the glens and mountain nooks bor-
dering on the rivers Dee and Don, illicit distillation
"is the chief dependence of the peasantry; consequently
in no quarter of Scotland does it prevail to a greater
extent". He declares that the natives themselves
assert that though the penalty were death they must
still risk it, as they could not otherwise raise money to
supply the exactions of their landlords. At the period
referred to, as readers scarcely need be reminded, it
was not deemed in any sense a reproach to speak of a
man as a smuggler or a poacher. In fact, so common
and so rooted was the custom of illicitly distilling
whisky in Upper Deeside, that even the female farm
and domestic servants had considerable interest in the
practice. The reason for this is obvious — it gave the
servant a common interest with the master in keeping
the "ganger" from making unpleasant discoveries.

Parenthetically a few sentences may be set down
here to indicate why Highlanders were so remarkable
for their distrust of strangers, and why they were so
extremely reticent in giving precise information regard-
ing localities and distances. When it became neces-
sary that the laws for collecting duty upon all
whisky manufactured should be strictly enforced, a
system of espionage was introduced which made opera-
tions with " sma' stills " doubly hazardous, and con-
sequently increased the precautions and the watchful-
ness necessary to evade detection. Of course the regular
" ganger " was well known in his own district, and his

Io8 LOCHNAGAR.

every movement was observed and informed about.
But there were "rangers" in addition, and these
" rangers " rode wherever they listed, and thus became
enemies against whom foresight could not always avail.
The inhabitants of the glens compared them to the
bloodhound, hunting silently and secretly ; pouncing
on their prey in the most sequestered spots and at the
most unlikely hours. The possible visits of these
officers created a prodigious antipathy to strangers
among the naturally hospitable peasantry ; and every
person whose face was not quite familiar, or whose
coat appeared cut in a fashion at variance with the
taste of the country tailors, was viewed with suspicion,
and often received treatment of the kind that Bailie
Nicol Jarvie described as " the North side o' friendly'!.
Returning to the old Bridge of Dee, the traveller
may observe opposite it, on the North side of the
road, the entrance gate to Invercauld House. Strangely
enough the Farquharsons of Invercauld are the only
survivors, albeit by the female line, of the old families
of Braemar. Befitting such an ancient Highland
family, the mansion-house is a princely building, both
externally and internally, and is unrivalled for situation.
The style of the building is the Scottish Baronial, the
principal feature being a tower, surmounted by battle-
ments, which rises to the height of about 70 feet. In the
year 1875 the house was greatly enlarged — indeed
almost reconstructed — but the old historic dining-hall
is still almost the same as in the time of the Stewarts.
The view from the house is superb. The Dee, winding
through a narrow valley carpeted with green, can be
followed for miles. To the South rise tree-clad rocks
and crags, discernible among them being the mist

<

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c

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o

4-1'

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f|

BALLATER TO BRAEMAR. Ill

over the Falls of the Garbh Allt, while above them
ascends Lochnagar with its storm-scarred peaks. On
the North-West Ben a' Bhuird rears its mighty form,
its corrie'd side showing the gashes and fissures resulting
from long-continued warring with natural forces. Alto-
gether it is a scene of mingled sweetness and wild-
ness, of verdure and bareness, of beauty and grandeur
scarcely surpassed in Scotland.

The chieftain of the Farquharson clan in 1715,
John Farquharson of Invercauld, was a leader, un-
willingly enough, in the rising of that year. But the
then all-powerful Earl of Mar involved him in the
action of the Jacobites, and appointed him to a post
of honour in their army. The Highland adherents of
the old dynasty met in Invercauld House to arrange
their plans, and from that mansion, for nearly the last
time in Scotland, the "fiery cross" was sent forth
through the hills and glens. In 1 745 the same Inver-
cauld chieftain was still alive, but he took no part in
the new rising, although the most of the Farquharsons
" went out" under the laird of Monaltrie.

Resuming the route to Braemar the traveller has
to cross (about 150 yards above the old bridge) the
new bridge which was erected at the expense of Prince
Albert on the shutting up of the Ballochbuie road.
It is a handsome granite structure, known as Inver-
cauld Bridge, and, with the road improvements, cost
about ;;^50oo. Crossing Invercauld Bridge to the
South side of the river the pedestrian will get, as he
leans on the Southern parapet, the last peep of Loch-
nagar obtainable on the journey to Braemar. At the
South-West end of the bridge a small bum, the Allt na
Claise Moire (the burn of the big hollow), enters the

112 LOCHNAGAR.

Dee. There is a " short cut " along this burn to
Auchallater at the mouth of Glen Callater.

Shortly after crossing the bridge a big stone may
be observed on the right hand side of the road. It is
known as the " Muckle Stane o' Clunie ", and it formed
in olden days one of the landmarks between the pro-
perties of the Erskines of Clunie and the Farquharsons
of Invercauld, but Clunie was long ago swallowed up
in the larger estate. The noted Craig Clunie is on the
opposite (left) side of the road. A recess (a little beyond
the 56th mile-stone) in this crag, about a third of the
way up, and rather difficult of access, is still known as
the " Charter Chest ", from the Invercauld titles and
papers having been concealed there in the troublous
times after the '15. Tradition has it that the laird
himself hid then in the cave there for some months,
and had more than once the mortification of hearing
the Government troops making merry about Inver-
cauld. Soon after passing Craig Clunie the Lion's
Face, another tree-clothed crag, is passed on the left
about 56f miles from Aberdeen. The rocks on the
upper part of the crag were fancied at one time to have
a resemblance to the features of the king of beasts, but
any likeness of that kind has long been unrecognisable
from the growth of the trees. There is a path by the
Lion's Face and Dubh Chlais (black hollow) to
Castleton and Glen Clunie. The hills on the South
side of the Dee, between Invercauld Bridge and Castle-
ton, including the Lion's Face and Craig Choinnich,
are composed of quartz rock, gneiss, mica-slate, horn-
blende rock, granite and limestone.

A short distance beyond the Lion's Face is Craig
Choinnich (Kenneth's Craig), so called from Kenneth

BALLATER TO BRAEMAR.

113

II., who, according to tradition, watched the chase
from its summit. At its foot on the opposite (the
North) side of the road is Braemar Castle, long the

^jittJir^riiifiaBi^ '

BRAEMAR CASTLE.

property of the Earls of Mar. After the Revolution
the then Braemar Castle was garrisoned with Royal
troops to keep the country in subjection ; but the
natives turned upon the soldiers, and compelled their
retreat, thereafter burning the Castle. In 17 15 the
whole of the Mar estates were forfeited. They were
afterwards purchased by Lords Dun and Grange, from
whom, in 1730, the John Farquharson of Invercauld,
already mentioned, bought the Castle and its lands.
In 1748 this same Farquharson leased the remains of
the Castle to the War Office, with 14 acres of ground,
for the space of 99 years, at the yearly rent of ;;^i4.
The Government then built the present Castle, and it

114 LOCHNAGAR.

served for many years as barracks for the soldiers
stationed there to keep the Highlanders in check. A
more peaceful "gathering of the Clans" than that of the
'i 5 or '45 has, for about half a century past, taken place at
the Castle, almost every year, under the auspices of the
Braemar Royal Highland Society, whose "games"
receive Royal and noble patronage. Racing up Craig
Choinnich was formerly one of the items in the pro-
gramme, but was given up at the request of the Queen,
after Her Majesty became aware that the great exer-
tion caused serious injury to the competitors.

About a furlong beyond Braemar Castle, a few yards
short of the 58th milestone, the tourist will pass, on
the right, the churchyard of Braemar. The old name
of the church and parish was St. Andrews, which was
changed in the time of Malcom Canmore to Kyndrochet
(Bridgend). About the close of Queen Mary's reign,
when the Earl of Mar became proprietor of the lands
in the district, the name of the parish was again
changed, this time to Braemar. The old church
stood in the burial-ground, and on its site now stands
the burial aisle of the Farquharsons of Invercauld.
The old Mackenzies of Dalmore (now Old Mar Lodge),
the predecessors of the Duke of Fife in this part of the
country, have burial ground close to the West end of
the aisle. John Farquharson of the '15 is buried in
the aisle, and is surrounded by his descendants. One
of the tombstones in the churchyard marks the last
resting-place of the oldest "rebel" in Scotland,
" Peter Grant, sometime farmer in Dubrach, who died
at Auchendryne, the nth of Feb., 1824, aged no
years ".

About half-a-mile further on is the village of

BALLATER TO BRAEMAR. II5

Castleton of Braemar. The first building reached is
the Invercauld Arms Hotel, where a historic rock
was blasted almost out of existence some years ago,
to allow for an extension of the hotel premises. On
that rock on. 6th September, 17 15, John Erskine, the
39th Earl of Mar, amid a great gathering of clansmen,
planted the standard of the Chevalier de St. George,
whom he had previously at Glenlivat proclaimed King,
by the title of James VIII.

The village of Braemar has grown up on both sides
of the Clunie, a tributary of the Dee from the South.
The portion on the right bank of the stream is
distinguished as Castleton, and is on the Invercauld
Estate, while that on the other side is called Auchen-
dryne, and belongs to the Duke of Fife.

In the first quarter of the present century the
village was one of the meanest of Highland clachans.
It then consisted of a number of low smoky thatched
cottages, which, overgrown with grass and noisome
weeds, were scattered in all directions without the
slightest attempt at regularity. There was then but
one inn, and, according to Mr. Grierson, it " was more
suitable for drovers and excise officers than any
higher description of travellers". On the return of
that mountaineering divine to Braemar in 1850 all
this was changed, and the village had become a
fashionable health resort. But even at that later
date Mr. Grierson remarked that certain of the old
cottages were " of the olden school, much resembling
Irish hovels ". Only one or two houses of that class
are now to be seen.

Unlike the village of Ballater, the village of Castle-
ton of Braemar is of great antiquity. Under the name

Il6 LOCHNAGAR.

of Kyndrochet it was in the olden time long the abode
of Royalty and of the nobles who delighted in being
near the King. Kenneth II. had here a hunting seat,
all trace of which has long disappeared ; but the ruins
of Malcolm Canmore's Castle are still to be seen at
the East end of the bridge over the Clunie. In later
days the Bruce was a fugitive in the district for a
considerable time, and at a more modern period
the Earls of Mar — some of whom scorned to think
themselves of lesser dignity than the King on the
throne — held high revelry in Braemar. The village is
now the fashionable capital of the Deeside Highlands,
and is resorted to by health and pleasure seekers from
all parts of the kingdom — ^it might be said of the globe.
The summer climate of Braemar is one of the
healthiest and most bracing in the British Isles.
From the mountaineer*s point of view it is a capital
centre from which to explore the great Deeside hills —
from Lochnagar on the East to the Cairngorms on the
West.

CHAPTER IV.
BRAEMAR TO LOCHNAGAR.

7. Castleton to Loch Callater.

Hail ! Hail ! to the land where the clouds love to rest
Like the shroud of the dead on the mountain's cold breast ;
To the cataract's roar where the eagles reply,
And the loch its lone bosom expands to the sky.

BRAEMAR is the most fashionable, as Ballater is
the most popular, point from which to commence the
ascent of Lochnagar. The distance from Castleton to
Cac Cam Beag is about 12 miles, a mile-and-a-half
less than from Ballater, but of the dozen miles from Brae-
mar only 5 can be driven (to Loch Callater Lodge, a
keeper's house), as against 9 when the ascent is made
from the East The mountain pony is, however, often
called into requisition from the lower end of Loch
Callater.

Leaving Braemar for Lochnagar, the route lies
Southward by Glen Clunie for two miles ; then South-
Eastward through Glen Callater to the lower end of
Loch Callater for three miles ; and afterwards by a
path in an Easterly direction to the summit. Glen
Clunie is drained by the Water of Clunie, which rises
on the borders of Aberdeenshire and Perthshire, near
the Cairnwell, and joins the Dee a short distance below
the village of Braemar, after a course of about 12 miles.
The Clunie is a capital stream both for trout and
salmon ; it belongs almost entirely to the Invercauld
estate. The Duke of Fife, the only other proprietor,

1 20 LOCHNAGAR.

owns the Western bank of the Clunie for about a mile
from its junction with the Dee. The road up Glen
Clunie is on the East side of the stream, and proceeds
by the Caimwell and Spital of Glenshee to Blairgowrie,
and thence to Dunkeld. Tourists from the South
frequently use this route, which for the most part is
rather wild and picturesque, and is preferred by some
because it saves a long journey going round by Aberdeen.
A four-in-hand coach regularly runs along it each way
during several months in the season. It may be noted
here that Braemar is approachable on wheels only from
the South and the East There are driving roads West-
wards from Braemar to the Linn of Dee, and to several
shooting lodges in the forest of Mar, but they are not
continuous with carriage roads from the Atholl Valley
or the Speyside district. The approaches to Braemar
from these localities are by mountain paths only.

When leaving Castleton for Lochnagar the tra-
veller's attention is naturally directed at first to two
hills, one on the right (Mor Shron — the big nose), and
the other on the left (Craig Choinnich). The former
has become popularly known as Morrone, and is
composed of quartzose mica-slate with some limestone,
with on the West side dikes of red felspar porphyry.
Morrone rises to a height of 2819 feet above sea level,
and occupies the upper angle formed by the Dee and
the Clunie. The natives maintain that the highest
cultivated land in Scotland is on its North-Eastem
slope, on a ridge called Tomintoul (a by no means
rare name in Gaelic topography), but this statement
has frequently been called in question. It is a pretty
stiff climb to the top of Morrone, but one is well reward-
ed by the "local" views obtained as the ascent is made,

BRAEMAR TO LOCHNAGAR. I 2 1

and by the panorama of mountains spread out on all
sides around the summit. The mountaineer will be
delighted most with the prospect to the North and
the North-West. The Cairngorms are visible from
the Feshie on the West to the Gairn on the East —
such a view of them is had from no other point
on Deeside.

Two miles South from Castleton, on the traveller's
right, and close to the confluence of the Clunie and the
Callater, is the large sheep form of Auchallater (the
field of the wooded stream). The prominent hill
immediately to the "South, between the Clunie and the
Callater, is Sron Dubh (the black nose). Here the
Lochnagar tourist leaves Glen Clunie, first crossing
the Callater, and then taking the road on the left
which leads through Glen Callater. Now, there is not
a " reekin' lum " in it, except the keeper's at Loch
Callater. The glen has thus rather a desolate aspect,,
more particularly as it is narrow and bare of trees.
The hills are over 2000 feet in height on both sides,,
and the view is consequently rather confined. The
monotony is, however, relieved by the lively burn,
which is constantly heard and rarely out of sight, as
it brawls and tumbles over its rocky bed, making a
series of miniature cascades. The rocks are mostly of
mica-slate and granite, mica-slate being quarried at
the lower end of the glen for roofing, while limestone
occurs at the lower end of Loch Callater. About mid-
way between Auchallater and the loch, the burn is
crossed by a wooden bridge, which, like the road itself,
is much in want of repair. It is understood that any
superficial repair the road has received during several
years past has been made by the hirers in Braemar,
I

122 LOCHNAGAR.

vfho are not unnaturally interested in preventing it
from getting utterly impassable for vehicles. This
bridge is a few yards above the junction with the
Callater of a short stream, the Allt Coire Ghiubhais,
from Loch Phadruig (Peter), a small sheet of water
named after a priest, of whom the traveller will hear
immediately. The loch itself will be seen as the
ascent is made by the path. This priest's name is
again met mth in Creag Phadruig — ^an eminence
rising to a height of about 2300 feet a little to the
South-West of .the Loch — and Allt Phadruig, a small
burn joining the Callater about half-way between the
wooden bridge and the lower end of Loch Callater.
Near the bridge is a round-topped green hillock which,
in the palmy days of superstition, was accounted a
resort of the " little folks". Indeed, Dr. Macgillivray,
writing in 1850, says that "on it a man still living has
seen fairies dancing, with a piper playing to them ".
The usual legend crops up here. On a certain
Christmas evening two men proceeding from Loch
Callater to Castleton heard beautiful music, and saw the
little folks dancing on the hillock. One of the men
fled precipitately, but the other stayed to feast his ears
and eyes, and Christmas came round again before he
was discovered as he had been left — standing, admiring
the antics of the fairies. At first he declined to leave,
as he " hadna been there but for an hour or twa", but
he was ultimately rescued from the fascinations of the
"green-clad folk".

Loch Callater, 1627 feet above the sea level, is 80
acres in extent and very deep in some parts, the water
being black-looking and tinged with peat. Its length
is about seven furlongs, and it has a breadth of about

BRAEMAR TO LOCHNAGAR. 1 25

one furlong. The loch is a rather tame, treeless, un-
interesting sheet of water, but the upper end is re-
deemed by a grassy haugh, and by the steep rocky
mountains, sharpish peaked, which seem to shut it in.
The Statistical Account says that the loch produces
" fine little salmon of about seven or eight pounds
weight and some eel ". Salmon are now found up to
fourteen pounds in weight, but they can only be caught
by the net. Trout and large pike are also plentiful.
The neighbourhood of the loch had m. former times
a fair population, as is evidenced by the ruins of houses
yet to be seen at both ends, and also by the "larachs"
of shielings about a mile above the head of the
loch. Highlanders in former times were always
careful to utilise a flat grassy bit of ground, whether by
a loch or along a burnside.

The principal feeder of Loch Callater is Allt an
Loch (the burn of the loch), which enters at the South-
East end, where the ground is flat and marshy. Allt
an Loch drains the Aberdeenshire side of the moun-
tains that here border on Forfarshire. Along that bum
and over the Tolmount (a mountain which tops the
glen), lies the famous route by Jock's Road to Glen
DolL As this picturesque " highway " is not yet too
well known — at least at the Callater end — it may not
be out of place to indicate such general directions as
should suffice for the ordinary pedestrian, who wishes
to visit one of the finest glens that a landowner ever
tried to shut up (happily without success). While at
the lower end of Loch Callater, Tolmount (some four
miles distant) will be readily recognised by its "saddle"
— a depression in the ridge to the East of the summit.
This "saddle" has to be made for — first up Loch

126 LOCHNAGAR.

Callater, keeping the water on the right, and then
ascending by the side of the bum, an intermittent path
occasionally assisting the tourist. About three-quar-
ters of an hour's stiff climb will be required for the
ascent of the " saddle " itself, and then, bearing a little
to the left, a deer fence will be faced. Crossing this
fence the track will be struck a little below. Soon
Loch Esk, one of the sources of the South Esk, will
be seen. The path keeps to the right for Glen Doll,
and through it to Glen Clova. The distance between
Braemar and Milton of Clova is about 20 miles. An
average " time table ", based on fairly easy walking,
with due allowance for halts, luncheon, &c., may be
given as follows : — Braemar to Loch Callater (keeper's
house), Dne-and-ahalf hours ; to track on summit of
Tolmount, two-and-a-half hours ; to Jock's Road, one-
and-a-half hours ; to lower end of Glen Doll, one-and-a-
half hours ; to Milton of Clova, one hour ; total, eight
hours.

This digression has led away from Loch Callater,
several surroundings of which may properly receive a
little more notice. A short path, beginning a few
yards East of the keeper's house, leads to a particularly
large boulder by the loch side at which is " the Priest's
Well ", a small chalybeate spring joining the loch.
Of course this well has a story associated with it.
According to legend, Braemar, at some remote period,
suffered from a frost of longer duration and greater
strength than even that wintry district had ever pre-
viously experienced. The month of May came, but
so hard was the ground that not a plough could enter
it. Famine being feared, appeal was made to Phadruig,
the priest already alluded to. The good man led his

BRAEMAR TO LOCHNAGAR. I27

anxious flock to this well, which, being of unusual
character, was then esteemed of saintly origin. Like
all others in the neighbourhood, however, its waters
were fast sealed up, but after repeated prayers the
well began to thaw. The first water drawn from it
was applied to holy purposes. Mass celebrated, the
priest resumed his supplications with the gratifying
result that the thaw became general. The mountain
on which the lowering clouds, intimating the advent of
rain, were first seen, was called Cam an t-Sagairt, the
Priest's Mountain, but in these degenerate days the
name has been corrupted to the more common-place,
if not euphonious, form of "Cairn Taggart ". Another
version of the tradition has it that both priest and
people went to Cam an t-Sagairt and remained there
until the desired thaw set in. Until a comparatively
recent period the Priest's Well — like many of its
kind — had considerable popularity, and the usual
offerings of coins, buttons, and '* preens " were thrown
into it.

Another tradition in connection with Loch Callater,
and the virtues of a well within two miles of its borders,
may not unfitly be narrated here. Sometime about
the middle of the seventeenth century there lived in
Castleton one Allan M*Hardy, who held the honour-
able position of arrow-maker to the Earl of Mar.
M*Hardy married, in middle age, a young girl- of the
district, of more beauty than principle, who seems to
have accepted him for his position. Previous to his
marriage, Allan had never suffered from a day's illness,
but a year or two after it he was seized by an unaccount-
able languor and wasting, which local skill and
remedies failed to arrest. At last he took counsel

128 LOCHNAGAR.

with a hermit who lived in the recesses of Aberarder.
The hermit directed M*Hardy to proceed to Cairn
Taggart, and to drink of a spring he would find there
and be cured. The hermit further told him that if at
any future time he should be severely stricken in battle,
his wound would be immediately healed if it were
washed with the water of that well. M*Hardy followed
the hermit's advice, and finding himself cured of
his illness resolved to leave Castleton and take up his
abode at Loch Callater, where he would be within
comparatively easy reach of the spring. For some ten
years M*Hardy had no occasion to put the water to
the test, but at the end of that period he received
what seemed certain to prove a mortal wound in a
clan fight with the Shaws of Rothiemurchus. At his
own request he was carried home, and his first
instructions to his wife were that she should bring him
water from the well on the Priest's Mountain. As the
story runs, the young wife had not been over-grateful
to the Aberarder hermit for his previous cure of her
husband, and she now resolved to take her own course.
She therefore contented herself with drawing water
from the AUt a' Chlaiginn (the burn of the skull),
which enters the Allt an Loch near the head of Loch
Callater. This water had no sooner touched her
husband's wound than, uttering the cry " Accursed
woman ! " he fell back dead. Thereafter the spring on
Cairn Taggart received the name of "the arrow-
maker's well ". It may readily be observed on the
Southern slope of the mountain a few yards above the
left side of the path, at a height of fully 3000 feet.
One of the eminences which rise above the head of
the loch, and which still retains the name of Creag an

BRAEMAR TO LOCHNAGAR. 1 29

Fhir-shaighde or Creag an Leisdhair (the arrow-
maker's craig), attaining a height of 2800 feet, is
believed to have derived its name from M*Hardy's
residence at Loch Callater.

Still another story — one even more tragic in its
character than that of the arrow-maker — is connected
with Loch Callater by the residence there, about the
beginning of last century, of a shepherd named
William Cameron. He had made his way to
Braemar from the country of Lochiel, and had his
house on the banks of the AUt a* Chlaiginn at the
head of Loch Callater. Cameron was a handsome,
brawny fellow, upwards of six feet in height, and in
trials of skill and strength had repeatedly shown his
superiority over the natives of the district. Further,
he had won the love of Elasaid Gordon, whose beauty
was famed in every glen in Upper Deeside. Elasaid
was the only child of an old shepherd who lived at
the Glasallt Shiel, near the head of Loch Muick, and
many were the wooers who had sought to gain her
favour before she yielded her heart to William
Cameron. Among his rivals perhaps the chief was
Ian Farquharson, who had proved himself no mean
antagonist in Highland sports, and who had also
seemed likely to gain the fair Elasaid before Cameron's
arrival Ian had consequently a special grudge
against the stranger, alike for his success in the field
of " war " and in the court of love, and his envious
thoughts regarding Cameron were shared by several
companions. The Lochaber man heeded them not,
for he was the accepted bridegroom of the flower of
Glen Muick, and he was happy. The marriage day
was at hand. Willie was paying his last visit to his

130 LOCHNAGAR.

sweetheart before he should come to be united to her
in wedlock, and naturally enough he stayed late.
Elasaid Gordon's father, who was regarded as possessed
of the second sight, urged him not to leave for Loch
Callater that night, warning him — " I see a red mist on
the Dubh Loch, and the croak of the raven is in my
ears". Cameron laughed at old Alasdair's warning,
reassured his betrothed that he would be perfectly
safe, as he knew every foot of the way alike in storm
and sun, and took a loving farewell. He had need
of his knowledge, for just as he reached the *' StuUan ''
Burn, about a mile from the shepherd's cottage, a
storm of wind and sleet came down with such violence
that Cameron was fain to take shelter in the " black "
bothy, well known to every man in the glens. There,
Ian Farquharson and Rob and Donald Macintosh
were hard at work. The smugglers gave Cameron a
hearty welcome, and the usquebagh was freely
circulated, both in friendship and in anticipation of
the approaching happy event. When the storm
cleared a little Cameron insisted on going home, and
his hosts, whose passions had shown signs of being
roused against him, hesitatingly allowed him to depart.
Soon, however, they gave chase, and Cameron was
overtaken nearly half-a-mile above the Dubh Loch —
about two miles from the bothy. The three men there
set upon him with their dirks, Farquharson offering him
his life if he would give up Elasaid. Cameron refused
to purchase life at such a price, and fell by the burn-
side pierced to the heart, but not before he had
inflicted a mortal wound on Farquharson. The
Macintoshes carried Cameron's body into a corrie on
the South side of the burn, between the Dubh Loch and

BRAEMAR TO LOCHNAGAR. I31

Cairn Bannoch, and concealed it in the moss. The snow
storm, which had been impending, came down with such
persistence that all traces -of the murderous struggle
were speedily effaced, and, as the Macintoshes kept
silence, Cameron's disappearance remained a mystery,
although the death of Farquharson gave rise to certain
suspicions. Donald Macintosh met his death by
violence in a distant part of the Highlands several
years afterwards, but before he expired he confessed
his share in the crime, and the search thereupon
made led to the recovery of Cameron's body. Elasaid
Gordon did not long survive the disappearance of
her lover, and, with her father, was buried in Glen-
muick churchyard, under one of the nameless, rough,
coffin-shaped slabs near the Western dyke of the
burial-ground. Cameron's remains were interred near
the same spot. This story of love and jealousy is now
little known, even amongst the oldest inhabitants of
the district, but the name of the place where the body
was found resulted from the events narrated, and is
marked in the Ordnance Survey maps as Coire
Uilleim Mhoir (Meikle Willie's Corrie).

BEANNACHD LEAT.

(A transUUion from the Gaelic; believed to have been written of
Glen Callatery in the beginning of the present century,)

The long Atlantic waves are saying ** Farewell "!

And the winds from the corrie are sighing " Farewell "!

And the bum where the speckled brown trout are dancing is

calling "Farewell"!
And my heart, my heart is weeping " Farewell "!

132 LOCHNAGAR.

Oh ! never, never looked the glen so fair,

Or the wind-beat loch, or the dark moor, or the cliffs where the

eagles are screaming.
For the round white moon is piercing the mist on the hill —
But not the mist on my heart,
On my heart that is weeping " Farewell, Farewell "!

The white sails are spread for the West,

And the sailors are chanting a merry song as they pull at the

ropes.
But my heart's song is sad.
And the sails of my desire are not for the West,
And my heart, my heart is weeping " Farewell "!

The sharp keel is slipping through the sea.
And the long shore and the fields and the hills are growing dim.
And my eyes are dim with tears for the land of the heather.
And my heart is weeping, is weeping ** Farewell "I

CHAPTER lY,'-( Concluded,)
BRAEMAR TO LOCHNAGAR.

2, Loch Callater to Cac Cam Beag.

Now to the mountain's peak,
Whence hills in glory spread,
Hasten, O nature's child!

THE real ascent of Lochnagar begins a few yards-
short of the keeper's house at Loch Callater, and pro-
bably the pedestrian will not be disinclined to exchange
the rough stony road along the glen for a mountain
path. The track first leads up, and then along, the
face of Creag an Loch, a steep ridge that overlooks
Loch Callater on its North-East side. Here, however,,
there is no path such as is described on the Eastern
side of Lochnagar. The path is simply a track — at
times somewhat indistinct, and in some places marred
rather than improved by the ponies that are not in-
frequently used by tourists. But no real difficulty will
be experienced in finding the way by it to Cac Carn
Beag. After going along the Southern face of Creag
an Loch for about a mile the path takes for nearly
another mile a North-Easterly course, and then (at
first in a South-Easterly direction) rounds Cairn
Taggart at a height of about 3100 feet — about 300
feet below the summit of that mountain.

The view to the South as one proceeds from Creag
an Loch to Cairn Taggart is very fine. Loch Callater,..
immediately below, gets included in a wider view, and
loses something of its bleak appearance. Nestling in

134 LOCHNAGAR.

the Eastern shoulder of Carn an Tuirc (the Boar's
Cairn), a mountain rising to a height of 3340 feet, the
sheet of water, named on the map Loch Ceann-mor —
the " lonely, lonely, dark Loch Candor " of Professor
Blackie — charms the eye, about a-mile-and-a-half to
the South of Loch Callater. It is situated in a magni-
ficent corrie, at a height of 2196 feet above sea-level,
with, according to Dr. Macgillivray, rocks 800 feet
high of micaceous slaty quartz, red felspar porphyry,
and hornblende slate and rock. Loch Ceann-mor,
according to some authorities, refers to Malcolm
Canmore and his residence in Braemar. It covers an
area of six acres, and contains trout, which have been
described as " lean and hungry fishes ". The tributary
stream to Allt an Loch, rushing headlong down from
it, well deserves the name by which it is now known,
" the Breakneck Fall ", a translation from the Gaelic ;
"the foxes' stone" — another translated term — is as-
signed to a particularly large block beside the Breakneck
Fall. Loch Candor corrie is famed among botanists all
over the country, for the great number of species of
Alpine plants it contains. A well-known botanical
authority writes of it that it is remarkable for its " rare
and characteristic plants, which of themselves would
make an herbarium valuable, particularly the Carex
vahliiy two tufts of which, at least, the situation of
which I would not show you, have yet escaped the
avaricious eyes and ruthless hands of vagabond botani-
cal vandals ".

So steep are the precipices of the corrie of Loch
Candor and the Breakneck Fall that occasionally some
of the sheep which pasture Glen Callater get into
positions from which they have to be rescued by a

BRAEMAR TO LOCHNAGAR. 1 35

shepherd let down by a rope. Some thirty years ago a
gentleman had a narrow escape from perishing among
these rocks. Admiral Jones, while temporarily residing
at Braemar, went on a botanical and geological ex-
cursion up to Loch Candor. Making a slip on the face
of a precipice, he got into a position from which he
was unable to release himself. His geological hammer
had providentially got wedged so tightly among the
stones that it gave him a grip for his hands, and thus
enabled him to maintain his footing. During part of
three days and two nights it required considerable
effort on the part of the Admiral to keep himself from
falling headlong down the rocks. Luckily he had
directed his servant to meet him at the keeper's house
at Loch Callater in the afternoon, and when night
came with no appearance of his master, the man gave
the alarm at Braemar. A large number of the villagers
set out in search as speedily as possible, and one of
their parties succeeded in effecting the rescue of the
exhausted scientist. The searchers refused all recom-
pense, but Admiral Jones showed his gratitude in
gifts to the poor of the district

Rounding Cairn Taggart, the mountaineer will
observe, at the distance of about a mile to the South-
South-East, the peak of Cairn Bannoch, which rises to
an altitude of 3314 feet, on the borders of the Counties
of Aberdeen and Forfar. The principal head stream
of the South Esk has its source a quarter-of-a-mile to
the West of the peak, while the same distance East,
between Cairn Bannoch and the Dubh Loch, is Meikle
Willie's Corrie.

From the East side of Meikle Cairn Taggart, the
track keeps a more direct course towards Cac Carn

136 LOCHNAGAR.

Mor along the Southern slope of flat-topped Little
Cairn Taggart. The Dubh Loch will be observed on
the right as Meikle Cairn Taggart is rounded. Recently
a sheep fence was put up here with a gate where it crosses
the path. Near the gate (on the East side of the fence)
will be observed a wooden hut, which was placed there
in connection with the erection of the fence. The
peculiar appearance of this hut will attract attention,
but it is easily explained — it was one of the shelter huts
used by the British troops in the Crimea, several of
which were brought to Invercauld by the late pro-
prietor. It stands at a height of about 3050 feet.

Between the two Cairn Taggarts the path crosses
two small burns (about a quarter-of-a-mile apart),
which may properly be regarded as the sources of the
Muick. The larger and more Easterly of these burns
is the Allt na Da Chraobh Bheath (the burn of the
two birch trees). This stream was so called from two
birches that grew upon its banks. Near them, accord-
ing to tradition, a Mowat of Abergeldie overtook two
Perthshire caterans on their way South with some of
his cattle, which they had " lifted ". The reivers were
summarily dealt with. The trees were " convanient "
as an Irishman would say, and the strangers were soon
pendent from their branches.

The routes to Lochnagar from the South naturally
converge about the Allt na Da Chraobh Bheath. A
few words may now be given about them, so as to
indicate how the tourist who wishes to strike out a path
for himself, and who does not feel it necessary to
restrict himself to the shortest walking route, may
reach the summit of Lochnagar. From Glen Clova
(not taking into account the Capel Mounth route

BRAEMAR TO LOCHNAGAR. 1 37

which has already been mentioned), the mountaineer
may proceed up the South £sk by Bachnagaim to
Cairn Bannoch, from which the Loch Callater track is
about a mile-and-a-half distant. Preferably, the South
£sk may be left at Bachnagaim, whence a path leads
Northwards to Broad Cairn and Loch Muick. On
leaving the main stream of the £sk at Braedownie,
where it is joined by the White Water, the pedestrian
may go up Glen Doll till he reaches a point on Tol-
mount near the source of the White Water (the stream
flowing through the glen), and then keep on the ridge
Northwards towards Cairn Bannoch. The route by
Glen Prosen requires that Mayar (a mountain 3043
feet in height at the head of that glen) should be
placed on the left, and when the watershed is thus
reached a Northerly course will be steered to Cairn
Bannoch. From Alyth a way can be found along Glen
Isla and Canness Glen to Tolmount. From the vicinity
of the Caimwell, Glas Maol (ar mountain 3502 feet in
height at the junction of the three Counties — Aberdeen,
Perth, and Forfai^ should be made for. Glas Maol is
about a mile-andna-half East of the road at Caimwell,
and the route from that mountain lies along the water-
shed in a North-Easterly direction to Caim Bannoch
by Tolmount.

From the Allt na Da Chraobh Bheath an ascent of
about 400 feet leads to the plateau of the White
Mouiith. Coire Lochan an Eoin will be passed on the
left, but a short halt may well be made to inspect what
is the largest corrie on Lochnagar. It is almost as
interesting as its companion on the East, from which it
is about a mile-and-a-half distant. It has three lochans
(one comparatively large, and two small) within its

K

138 LOCHNAGAR.

crags, and there is another, fully half-a-mile to the North,
at the mouth of the corrie. In the Ordnance Survey
maps the latter lochan and the large one within the
corrie are misnamed. Lochan an Eoin is the name of
the large lochan within the corrie (marked Dubh Loch
in the O.S. maps). Its two small neighbours lying to
the West are named respectively Lochan na Feadaige
(the lochlet of plovers) andjLochan an Tarmachan (the
lochlet of ptarmigan) — these birds being common on
Lochnagar. The loch at the mouth of the corrie is
named the Sandy Loch, probably from the fine sand
on its banks, but in the O.S. maps it is erroneously
marked " Lochan an Eoin ". Stuc Lochan an Eoin is
the name of the highest part of the rocks that overtop
the lochan a little to the South-West The " Stuc "
divides the corrie into two parts, Lochan an Eoin
occupying the Eastern division, and Lochans Feadaige
and Tarmachan the Western. Lochan an Eoin lies at
a height of 2950 feet, and covers an area of 18 acres ;
the Sandy Loch is about 350 feet lower, and covers
about 15 acres. There are no trout in either of these
lochs, which are drained by the Garbh AUt. On the
South side of the corrie. North of the path, is the Caim
of Corbreach (the caim of the speckled corrie), some-
times in old publications referred to as the Quarry of
Corbreach. It is extremely likely, however, that the
proper name is Cairn of Corbroc (the caim of the
badger corrie). Badgers did at one time abound on
Lochnagar, and even yet their footprints are occasion-
ally seen. Cam a' Choire Bhoidheach rises on the
South side of the path, opposite Cairn of Corbreach —
but neither is distinguished by a " cairn ".

" Lochan an Eoin " means the lochlet of birds, and

BRAEMAR TO LOCHNAGAR. 1 39

has probably been so named from the sea-gulls that
formerly frequented its banks. Some have erroneously
supposed that the name was derived from the eagle.
Eagles certainly had at one time eyries on Lochnagar —
as already observed, one of the crags by the Dubh Loch
derives its name from the king of birds — but now not
one has a habitation on the mountain. Eagles have
not, however, entirely forsaken the range, for no fewer
than five were recently observed together over the
summit. A short time ago a couple bred on a tree
near Abergeldie Castle, and two of the young birds
were taken to Balmoral Castle, near which they are
now housed. They are noble-looking birds, and need
not a little attention, as a considerable amount of game
has to be provided for them. Their voracity may be
judged from the fact that they can dispose of a hind
in three weeks.

Cairngorm stones were at one time frequently
found on Lochnagar, the best crystals being discovered
near Lochan an Eoin. The search for such stones
was even regarded as a considerable local industry.
A writer in 1830 says that he met with parties of
"topaz-diggers" in search of the topaz, beryl, and
rock-crystal. The Statistical Account says that " what
is remarkable, amethysts only are to be found on
Lochnagar". A small rent was paid the landowner
for the liberty of searching — as was done about the
same period on the Cairngorm mountains. Consider-
able sums are believed to have been made by these
"diggers". Cairngorms are now very scarce on
Lochnagar, hardly any being found on the surface of
the mountain. On the East side of the road near
Moine Bad nan Cabar (the mossy thicket of trees), in

140 LOCHNAGAR.

the upper part of Glen Gelder, lies the " Meikle Stane
o' Badachabait ", below which, metal, even more
precious than Cairngorm stones in their best days, was
firmly believed to be hidden. More than one of the
natives, acting on the popular belief, have dug for the
gold the fairies have concealed there, but without
success. They had failed to take the precaution of
propitiating the "little green folk", and the fays did
not allow their treasures to be molested.

Allt Lochan an Eoin flows through the Sandy
Loch in a North-Easterly direction. This stream has
a tributary on its right bank called the Black Shiel
Burn, from a shepherd's shiel that occupied a site near
its source. Between these bums lies Meall na Tionail,
a name signifying "the gathering hill". This refers
back to the time when Lochnagar was pastured by
sheep. When the flocks were collected at the end of
the season a general meeting place was appointed for
both sheep and shepherds, and animals that had
strayed were restored to their respective flocks, as is
yearly done yet in several hilly districts. Cattle were
grazed on Lochnagar as late as 1877 by a Glen Muick
farmer, whose lease entitled him to that right. On
Meall na Tionail is a " knap " called " Cnap
Nathaireachin " (the adder's knap). From this it
may be inferred that adders were formerly more
numerous on Lochnagar than they are now. Their
scarcity has resulted from the regular burning of
the heather, which is thereby prevented from growing
to any great height, and consequently affords less
shelter than formerly. In a recent season, however,
an adder measuring over four feet in length was
observed among the heather. White heather, by the

BRAEMAR TO LOCHNAGAR. I4I

way, is rather scarce on the summit and by the paths
on Lochnagar, but it is fairly plentiful in localities that
obviously need not be pointed out here.

Resuming the track to the summit from Lochan
an Eoin, in a little over half-a-mile the tourist will have
the source of the Glas Allt close to his right. In this
neighbourhood, at a height of from 3250 to 3500 feet
above sea level, fir tree roots are to be found. The
ancient Caledonian Forest, which occupied the greater
part of the North of Scotland, stretched across all the
Grampian range of mountains, including Lochnagar.
In the beginning of the century the timber grown in
Braemar was famed for its excellent quality. This was
occasioned by its slow growth, on account of the
barrenness of the soil and the elevated situation.

While the mountaineer has the source of a burn
noted for its "falls" on the right (the Glas Allt), there
are on the left the sources of the Garbh Allt, a bum
equally remarkable for its cascades. The highest
source of the Garbh Allt is a spring a few yards South-
West of Cac Carn Beag, which peak has been for
sometime prominently in the view of the mountaineer.
The spring will be found very conveniently situated
for the thirsty traveller, and with a very little labour an
excellent well could be formed. It is not generally
distinguished by a particular name, but the name
" Poacher's Well", which the writer heard given to it
a good many years ago, appears not altogether
unsuitable. It is told that in the last decade of the
eighteenth century, two poachers, cousins, were out on
the White Mounth after ptarmigan in Christmas week.
The younger man accidentally fell and broke his leg in
the neighbourhood of the Cac Cams. His cousin left

142 LOCHNAGAR.

him by this well till he should get assistance from the
vicinity of Balmoral, but by the time help arrived a
heavy fall of snow had smothered the helpless poacher.
Shooting ptarmigan and grouse was a favourite form of
poaching on Lochnagar, and was much engaged in by
the natives of the glens, mainly from a natural love of
sport. When the Earl of Aboyne, the head of the
Gordon family, parted with Abergeldie, including a
a considerable portion of Lochnagar, he retained the
right of occasionally shooting on the White Mounth.
This right was mostly used in the ptarmigan season,
and was naturally rather inconvenient for the Balmoral
and Abergeldie estates when the Prince Consort came
into occupation, and accordingly, it is understood, the
Marquis of Huntly's right on Lochnagar was bought
up.

From the source of the Glas Allt the path to the
summit rises in a North-Easterly direction about 300
feet, after which the mountaineer will find himself at
Cac Cam Mor, a quarter-of-a-mile to the North of
which is Cac Carn Beag. I'his is said to be a com-
paratively modern name for the highest point of
Lochnagar, the ancient name being stated to be
" Tacheern", a word indicating the point where " two
lairds' lands meet".

CHAPTER V.
ON LOCHNAGAR.

Ye crags and peaks, •

How high you lift your heads into the sky,

How huge you are, how mighty and how free !

THE mountaineer who has reached the summit of
Lochnagar will now naturally wish to learn what
is to be seen from the highest points of the moun-
tain. The weather is often fickle at such heights,
even when a cloudless day might be expected ; but
let it be presumed that the climber has been fortunate,
and that the atmosphere is clear. Under these con-
ditions the prospect from the top of Lochnagar is
wide and pleasant. The extent of the view to the sea
horizon from the Cac Cairns is about 80 miles ; but
hill-tops may be seen to a greater distance according
to their elevation above sea level and the state of the
atmosphere.

The tourist will probably first betake himself to
Cac Carn Beag, the natural pinnacle-like top that has so
long towered above him from whatever side of the moun-
tain the ascent has been made. There, one is almost
exactly at the centre of the mountainous mass which
has become known as Lochnagar. The Mither Tap
(though not the highest point) of Bennachie bears
pretty much the same relation at a distance to the
mountain of the Garioch as does the Cac Cam Beag
to Lochnagar. Standing on the rock which forms the
culminating point, and looking Dee-wards (to the

146 LOCHNAGAR.

North), the summit of the mountain sinks in an un-
dulating line along the West side of Glen Gelder
towards Balmoral Castle and the river. The Castle
itself is not seen, Craig Gowan intercepting the view.
To the right is the loch (Lochnagar), hemmed in on
the East side by the Meikle Pap, which, although over
3000 feet in height, has now sunk into comparative
insignificance. Beyond Meikle Pap is the Conach-
craig range and the glen of the Muick. To the left
(still facing the Dee) is the other great Corrie of
Lochnagar, Coire Lochan an Eoin, with its three
lochlets. The line of the streams that converge from
this corrie leads the eye over the Falls of Garbh AUt,
in the direction of Invercauld, while more to the West
of the corrie are Cairn Taggart and Glen Callater.
Turning right round, facing the South, the mountaineer
has the elevated tableland of the White Mounth
immediately in front. It is drained on the South side
by the Dubh Loch and the Glas Allt, the loch
separating peaked Cairn Bannoch and the very
appropriately named Broad Cairn from the mountain
on which the tourist has taken his stand. Cuidhe
Crom and the Little Pap will now be on the left, to
the South of the Meikle Pap.

Having thus briefly noticed the immediate sur-
roundings, so as to enable the mountaineer who has
made the ascent for the first time to understand
his position, the writer may direct attention to the
more distant views. These extend from beyond the
Moray Firth on the North to beyond the Firth of
Forth on the South, and from the German Ocean on
the East almost to the Atlantic on the West. On
this point there can be no better authority than that

ON LOCHNAGAR. I47

observant mountaineer Dr. Macgillivray, who, writing
in 1850, said: — "From it [Cac Cam Beag], as well as
from some other parts of the summit, is obtained a
most extensive view of the country around, as far as
the Lothians, Stirlingshire, the Southern Grampians,
many of the Perthshire mountains, those of the upper
extremity of Aberdeenshire, beyond them some of the
great prominences , of the Counties of Argyle and
Inverness; ridges and hills even beyond the Moray
Firth, as well as the lower Eastern tracts, extending
from thence to Aberdeen, and onwards to the Lammer-
muirs. The mountains of the adjoining part of
Forfarshire were much lower, less rugged, and more
verdant. The Grampians from Aberdeen to Dunkeld
appeared to form a continuous range, broader to the
West of Lochnagar, and not affected by the apparently
insignificant valley of the Dee. . . Viewed from
this peak, the greater part of the country seems moun-
tains ".

The first ascent, of which particular record re-
mains, was that made in 1810 by the agriculturalist-
parson, the Rev. George Skene Keith, D.D., minister
of Keithhall and Kinkell. In addition to writing on
agriculture — on which subject he was an authority —
he was a mighty climber of mountains, and a measurer
of their altitude. It says not a little for his accuracy
as a mountain-surveyor that he found the height of
the highest peak of Lochnagar — ^which by the way he
calls Ca Cuirn — to be " almost exactly 3800 feet", a
difference of only about 14 feet from that obtained by
the Royal Engineers with all their costly modern
scientific instruments. He made a stay of three hours
on the summit, enjoying a capital view. The party

143 LOCHNAGAR.

had scrambled up " the Ladder" without incident, but
in the descent several awkward tumbles were made,
the spirit level being lost, and one gentleman rolling
down nearly a hundred feet. The reverend gentleman
'* felt a considerable inflammation in the pleura from
the great rains and exertions of yesterday", and
accordingly he considered it judicious to lose about
eight ounces of blood !

Mr. Grierson was also fortunate in his view from
the summit in 1852. He distinctly saw Ben Nevis
and Ben Cruachan to the South-West, Schiehallion, Ben
Lawers, Ben More, the Ochils, the Lomonds, and the
Pentlands over Ben Arti, close to West Lomond to the
South. He saw also the Sidlaw Hills, the sea at
St. Andrews, Montrose, Aberdeen, and the mouth of
the Moray Firth, Bennachie, Ben Rinnes, and all the
nearer mountains, with the most of Deeside.

The lighthouse on the Island of May has, according
to keepers, been seen from Cac Carn Beag with the
naked eye. The following mountains within a radius
of 28 miles are also among those seen from the
summit — the situation being given only of such of
them as have not been already particularly mentioned: —
Mayar (Glen Doll), Beinn a' Ghlo (Glen Tilt), Broad
Cairn, Mount Blair (between Shee Water and River
Isla), Glas Maol (between Caimwell and Canlochan),
Tolmount, Ben lutharn Bheag (Glen Ey), An Sgarsoch
(Glen Geldie), Morrone, Beinn Bhrotain (on the
South side of Glen Geusachan), Ben Muich Dhui,
Cairngorm, Beinn a' Bhuird, Ben Avon, Meall na
Gaineimh, Culardoch, Brown Cow (near head of
Strathdon), Corryhabbie (Glen Fiddich), Buck of
Cabrach (near head of Deveron), Morven, Mount

ON LOCHNAGAR. 1 49

Keen, Kerloch (Glen Dye), and Mount Battock
(between Glen Dye and Glen Esk).

The far-famed loch, with its encircling precipices,
is, of course, the principal attraction in the vicinity of
the summit. The upper parts of the crags are to be
seen at considerable distances, and in many places the
precipices are steep enough to send a shudder through
almost any mountaineer, so that the tourist, whose head
is not absolutely free from " lightness ", should never
venture too near the edge. The loch lies at a height
of 2575 feet above sea level, and covers an area of 32
acres, the crags above standing at from about 3500 to
3700 feet above sea level. The precipices seem, in
some cases, ready to hurl down their rocky pinnacles
into the loch below. Indeed, some of these pinnacles
have the appearance of being built up artificially of
loose blocks, and look

As if an infant's touch could urge
Their headlong passage down the verge.

There are several fissures known as " spouts ",
between the precipices, which may be descended with
comparative safety. " The Red Spout " is to the South
of the loch and may be descended by a party;
but the "Black Spout" (which may have been
observed from Glen Muick), nearer Cac Cam
Beag, will only admit of one person at a time,
because if there were two, the second man could not
avoid inadvertently dislodging stones that must fall
upon the first. The descent to the loch can,
however, be easily and safely made from Cac Cam
Beag by keeping the crags well on the right. On
reaching the lower end of the loch, the ascent may be

150 LOCHNAGAR.

made up the Meikle Pap, towards the beaten path.
The loch swarms with trout of a very fair size, but
they are generally stiffish to take, unless a slight
breeze agitates the water. Permission to fish is of
course necessary. The trout are so numerous that at
times the surface of the loch has the appearance of
"boiling" with them. They were first placed there
in 1 85 1. Snow is generally found in the gullies above
the loch till late in the season. As recorded in the
Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal iox 1830, some
gentlemen on a geological excursion found here, in
the month of August, a mass of snow, 30 yards square
and several feet deep, from its appearance evidently
a year or two old, the interior being granular like the
ice of glaciers.

The Queen's first ascent of Lochnagar was made
on 1 6th September, 1848, by the Ballochbuie Forest
and the " Smuggler's Shank". The excursion turned out
to be by no means of the pleasant nature of Her
Majesty's later ascents, and indeed had rather a
disagreeable termination. A brief account of it is
given in Leaves \ — ** We went through that beautiful*
wood [Ballochbuie] for about a mile, and then turned
and began to ascend gradually, the view getting fiper
and finer; no road, but not bad ground — moss,
heather, and stones .... The view of Beinn
a' Bhuird, and indeed of all around, was very beautiful ;
but as we rose higher we saw mist over Lochnagar
. . . . It became cold and misty when wt were
on Lochnagar .... It was quite soft, easy
walking, and we looked down on two small lochs
called Lochan an Eoin, which were very striking,
being so high in the hills . . . The ascent com-

ON LOCHNAGAR. 151

menced, and with it a very thick fog, and when we
had nearly reached the top of Lochnagar the mist
drifted in thick clouds so as to hide everything not
within a hundred yards of us. Near the peak . . .
we got off and walked, and climbed up some steep
stones to a place where we found a seat in a little
nook, and had some luncheon. But, alas! nothing
whatever to be seen ; and it was cold and wet and
cheerless. At about twenty minutes after two we set
off on our way downwards, the wind blowing a
hurricane, and the mist being like rain, and everything
quite dark with it. When we had gone on about an
hour-and-a-half the fog disappeared like magic, and all
was sunshine below — about looo feet from the top, I
should say. Most provoking ! and yet one felt happy
to see sunshine and daylight again". A side-light
is thrown on this account by an anonymous writer
in Taifs Magazine the following year. He states that
the morning of this ascent of the Queen's was
particularly fine, although it was the day following
that upon which himself and others were nearly storm-
staid on the summit. In the course of the forenoon
of the day on which Her Majesty made the ascent the
mist came down very thick on the hills, and after noon
a heavy drizzling rain b^an to fall in the glens. Con-
siderable anxiety was felt at Balmoral Castle for the
Royal party. The Queen had been expected back
by about one o'clock, but did not reach the Castle
till after six. There can be no doubt, says this writer,
that Royalty was literally lost on Lochnagar for part
of a very disagreeable day, the guides having, accord-
ing to his statement, lost their way in the thick mist.
It may thus be seen that even under the most

152 LOCHNAGAR.

auspicious circumstances Lochnagar will at times cause
trouble and inconvenience to its worshippers. And
this notwithstanding the &ct already mentioned that
there is a track across the mountain from Glen
Muick on the East to Glen Callater on the West
There is no path, however, between the Cac Cairns —
Cac Cam Beag lying about a quarter-of-a-mile to the
North of the track — and this slight deficiency has
been enough at times to lead the unwary astray.
More than once the writer has seen parties, on
descending, thoughtlessly making for the Braemar, in
place of the Ballater track, or proceeding towards the
source of the Glas Allt, under the impression that they
were going directly towards Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge.
The surest way for strangers is to return from Cac
Carn Beag to Cac Cam Mor near where the Braemar
and Ballater tracks meet, and then make a careful
start for their destination. A caim just below Cac
Cam Mor guides tourists crossing from the East to
the West, or vice versa^ the caim being in line with
what may be described as the through route over
Lochnagar. The way once thoroughly lost on a
mountainous mass it is useless to wander backwards
and forwards, upwards and downwards, in search of
the track ; the only course left, short of remaining out
on the spot till daybreak — ^and that is generally to be
deprecated — is to keep by the first burn that is touched
on and follow it till a house, or other sure indication
of the neighbourhood, is reached. A compass, a
good map, and, if possible, an aneroid should be
carried; and with ordinary carefulness all risk is
reduced to a minimum, and the mountains become
safer than the crowded streets of a city.

ON LOCHNAGAR. 153

Even experienced hillmen, however, have lost
their way on Lochnagar ; reference need only be made
to a party that, a year or two ago, had to spend a
cheerless night in the open. A start was again made in
the early morning, but it was not till after several hours'
walking that the belated mountaineers found that they
were proceeding along the South Esk ! A not unusual
hallucination had seized the wanderers at an early
hour the previous evening — they fancied that their
compass had gone wrong, and that the needle was
pointing Southwards !

Lochnagar has, moreover, claimed more than one
life. Just to the North of the loch, on the South-East
of Meall Coire na Saobhaide (the corrie hill of the
foxes' den), is the Coire na Saobhaide. Between the
latter and Cac Carn Beag a man fell down a shelving
rock some half-dozen years ago and was killed. He
was engaged at Balmoral as a joiner, and had made
an excursion to Lochnagar with several companions.
He had let his knife slip down the rocks, and in
trying to recover it lost his life. About thirty years
ago a man threw himself over the precipice above the
loch, and was of course killed. A clergyman met his
death a few years ago near Loch Callater ; but his
was a case of exhaustion following on a weak state of
health. On the " Smuggler's Shank " there is a stone
(visible from Cac Cam Beag) erected to the memory
of a gentleman who died there while out from Inver-
cauld grouse-shooting. He drank of water near by
when heated, and did not rise again. The inscription
runs : —

154 LOCHNAGAR.

IN MEMORY OF

GEORGE HOUSTON ESQ^. YOUNGER

OF

JOHNSTONE CASTLE

Who Died on this spot while out Shooting

14*!^ September 1843

Take ye heed^ Watch and Pray :for
ye know not when the time is.

MARK XIII, 33 Verse

About 1830 a party of country folks made the
ascent of Lochnagar by Loch Muick and Lochan
Buidhe. The party included a Tarland farmer, who,
by some means or other, fell over the crags at the
summit and was killed. An article in Taifs Magazine
(1849) says: — "The glance downwards to the
deep, dark tarn at the bottom of these stupendous
rocks is terrific. With a high wind blowing from the
West, or a light head, it is dangerous. An over-
anxious curiosity has proved fatal in more than one
instance. Not very long ago, an individual in a
pleasure party, buoyant in spirits, and trusting to a sure
foot and a steady eye, in utter defiance of remonstrances
by the guides, went too near the edge, lost his balance,
and was destroyed ".

About* three miles East of Ballater, on the South
side of the Dee, is the farm of Ballaterach, near where
the Pollagach Burn enters the Dee. Here Lord
Byron spent some of the early years of his life, the
recollection of which, according to his own statement,
gave birth to his stanzas on Lochnagar (quoted below).

ON LOCHNAGAR. 1 55

He alludes, in the fourth stanza, to his "maternal
ancestors, *the Gordons*, many of whom fought for
the unfortunate Prince Charles, better known by the
name of the Pretender. This branch was nearly
allied by blood, as well as attachment, to the Stewarts.
George, the second Earl of Huntly, married the
Princess Annabella Stewart, daughter of James the
First of Scotland. By her he left four sons : the third.
Sir William Gordon, I have the honour to claim as
one of my progenitors". The young poet's wooden
" box-bed " was shewn at Ballaterach until a few years
ago, when it was accidentally burned.

LOCHNAGAR.

Away, ye gay landscapes, ye gardens of roses !

In you let fhe minions of luxury rove ;
Restore me the rocks, where the snow-flake reposes,

Though still they are sacred to freedom and love :
Yet, Caledonia, beloved are thy mountains,

Round their white summits though elements war ;
Though cataracts foam 'stead of smooth-flowing fountains,

I sigh for the valley of dark Lochnagar.

Ah ! there my young footsteps in infancy wander'd ;

My cap was the bonnet, my cloak was the plaid ;
On chieftains long perish'd my memory ponder'd,

As daily I strode through the pine-cover'd glade.
I sought not my home till the day's dying glory

Gave place to the rays of the bright polar star ;
For fancy was cheer'd by traditional story.

Disclosed by the natives of dark Lochnagar.

** Shades of the dead ! have I not heard your voices
Rise on the night-roUing breath of the gale"?
Surely the soul of the hero rejoices,
And rides on the wind, o'er his own Highland vale.

156 LOCHNAGAR.

Round Lochnagar while the stormy mist gathers,

Winter presides in his cold icy car :
Clouds there encircle the forms of my fathers ;

They dwell in the tempests of dark Lochnagar.

"lU-starr'd, though brave, did no visions foreboding

Tell you that fate had forsaken your cause " ?
Ah ! were you destined to die at CuUoden,

Victory crowned not your fall with applause :
Still were you happy in death's earthy slumber,

You rest with your clan in the caves of Braemar ;
The pibroch resounds, to the piper's loud number.

Your deeds on the echoes of dark Lochnagar.

Years have rolled on, Lochnagar, since I left you.

Years must elapse ere I tread you again :
Nature of verdure and flow'rs has bereft you.

Yet still are you dearer than Albion's plain.
England ! thy beauties are tame and domestic

To one who has roved o'er the mountains afar :
Oh for the crags that are wild and majestic !

The steep frowning glories of dark Lochnagar !

The Author desires to express his acknowledgments
to the Proprietors of the Peoples Journal for the
use of the Zinco-blocks for the illustrations given in the
preceding pages. " Lochnagar" appeared in serial form
in that paper during the summer of 1891, but has been
considerably extended and carefully revised for this
volume.

CHAPTER VI.

ITS GEOLOGY AND BOTANY-

The adamantine rock, the fragile flower,
The equal work of an Almighty power.

GEOLOGY.

( Communicated, )

LOCHNAGAR, with the hills and lower tracts of
country immediately around it, consists of granite,
which is continued on the range of hills on the South
side of the Dee for about 30 miles to the East This
granite tract in Braemar is flanked on the North, the
West, and the South by other rocks, such as gneiss,
mica-slate, quartzite, limestone, &c. ; and some of these
rocks intervene between the two granite tracts of Loch-
nagar and the Cairngorms.

The following paragraphs have been compiled from
the authorities quoted, and from the facts given much
can be learned, in studying carefully the superficial
rock phenomena of Lochnagar and vicinity, of the
principles of geology, physical and chemical.

According to Professor W. Macgillivray, LL.D.
(in his Natural History of Deeside and Braemar^ a
work printed in 1855 soon after his death, by command
of the Queen, for private circulation, and to which we
have more than once had occasion to refer), Lochnagar
rises majestically above all other mountains on the
South side of the Dee, and has more dignity than any
other Scottish mountain except Ben Nevis. Along
with its projections and dependencies, some extending

158 LOCHNAGAR.

miles into the surrounding tract, it consists of granite,
rather coarse-grained, reddish, with a little mica.
The felspar is pale flesh-coloured, in irregular con-
cretions or imperfect crystals; the quartz, dark brownish
grey; and the mica, brownish black, in very small
scales. The granite is similar to that composing
the Cairngorm or Monadh Ruadh (red) mountains.
The rock is easily frangible, and has decomposed
very extensively in the abrupt crags of the corries
of the mountain. In the great precipice the fissures
of the rock are nearly vertical, with transverse
rents, giving the appearance of stratification; while
the rude parallel horizontal joints of the weathered
rock look like cyclopean masonry. It is only in the
upper ruin-like parts that the rock is thus split into
tabular fragments or plates. Further down it is more
distinctly fissured, and on the unbroken surface of the
upper part of the mountain it is solid and massive.
The aspect of the precipice viewed from the base of
its talus near the lake is singular and most imposing,
the rock being fissured by perpendicular chasms, and
having a vast accumulation of enormous blocks near
the base.

Some of the tremendous granite precipices, says
Mr. T. F. Jamieson, F.G.S. (in the Quarterly Journal
of the Geological Society^ i860), so common in the
Central Highlands of Braemar, and mostly on the
Eastern flanks of the higher mountains, as in the case
of Lochnagar, rear a vertical front of 1000 or even
1500 feet above their base, which is often 2200 or
2500 feet above the sea. The rocks and corries of
these Highland mountains remind one of the iron-
bound coast so well depicted by Professor Forbes in

ITS GEOLOGY AND BOTANY. 1 59

"Norway and its Glaciers". They resemble ancient
sea cliffs in a sea full of floating icebergs.

Lochnagar (says Sir Archibald Geikie, Director-
General of the Geological Survey of the United King-
dom, in his Scenery of Scotland^ 1887) shows how frost
splits solid rocks into separate blocks, and how it
disintegrates their surface by the freezing of water
between their particles. The grim precipice, nearly a
mile long, and 300 to 500 feet in vertical depth,
yawns below as we look from the crest of the moun-
tain N.N.E. into the valley of the Dee. There,
sheltered from the sun, the snow lingers long into the
summer, and frost finds its congenial home. Inch by
inch the vertical joints of the granite of the precipice
are being opened further into the face of the cliff.
Along the edge can be seen the process in all its
stages, the fine rift just starting like a crack in a
window pane up to the loose pillar, now standing
gaunt and alone in front awaiting its eventful hurl into
the gulf below. Far down between the base of the
precipice and the little tarn, which lies gleaming in the
shade of the mountain, can be seen the grey slopes,
encumbered with debris, which appear from the height
of the spectator mere trails of sand, but they are
really avalanches of granite blocks, many of them
hundreds of tons in weight, now travelling slowly to
the plains, still a prey to rain and frost, sun and
storm, and slowly breaking up into loose fragments as
they descend.

Portions of the felspar of the granite debris, by the
action of air and water containing oxygen and car-
bonic acid, are decomposed. The alkali in the
mineral is dissolved out, leaving a powdery substance

l6o LOCHNAGAR.

called kaolin, the basis of clay, and composed of
silicate of alumina. The more indestructible quartz
grains fall apart to form the coarse sand on the hill,
the grains being about the size of swan shot No. i.,
partridge shot, and sparrow hail. The qu^tz particles,
with those of the felspar, which resist chemical action,
will in time, by attrition in running water, be reduced
to fine sand grains in their course down the Dee, and
be finally washed ashore on the Aberdeen beach, and
blown inland by the wind on the already existing
sand dunes along the coast.

The top of Lochnagar (continues Sir Archibald
Geikie) at a level of 3500 feet above the sea, is one
of those remarkable flat-topped moorlands which, in
the Eastern Grampians, rise to 3000-4000 feet above
the sea. It is a broad undulating moorland upwards
of a mile-and-a-half long, gently sloping Southward to
Loch Muick, and ending in the North at the edge of a
range of granite precipices, at the base of which is one
of those moraine tarns, or small sheets of water like
those around the Cairngorm mountains, which have
been ponded back by some of the vast masses of
angular rubbish disengaged by frost and ordinary
atmospheric waste from cliffs, crags, and steep slopes,
falling on glaciers, and sped by them as they melted
away in their final disappearance. Such tarns occur
in hundreds in the Scottish Highlands, generally at
the head of the glens or at the mouths of corries.

According to Mr. Lionel Hinxman, B.A., of the
Geological Survey of Scotland, an interesting feature
connected with Lochnagar is the stream of moraines
issuing from the great corrie, and flowing over the
lesser hills down into Glen Muick at Birkhall.

ITS GEOLOGY AND BOTANY. l6l

BOTANY.

THE FLOWERING PLANTS AND FERNS OF
LOCHNAGAR,

AS DEFINED IN THIS WORK,

By John Roy^ LL.D,^ Aberdeen,

( 77ie Species are arranged under their Classes and Natural
Orders,)

Class. I. — Dicotyledonous or Exogenous
Flowering Plants.

Ranunculacese —

Thalictrum alpinum^ L., Alpine Meadow Rue.

Anemone nemorosa^ L., Wood Anemone.

Ranunculus peltatus, Fr., Water Crowfoot.

R. heterophyllus^ Sibth., Water Crowfoot.

R, hederaceus, L., Ivy Crowfoot.

R, Flammula, L., Small Spearwort.

R, auricomuSy L., Wood Crowfoot.
- R, acris^ L., Upright Meadow Crowfoot, Butter-
cup.

/?. repens^ L., Creeping Crowfoot.

Caltha palustris^ L., Common Marsh Marigold.

Trollius EuropceuSy L., Mountain Globe-Fiower.

Aquilegia vulgaris^ L., Common Columbine.
Fumariaceae —

Fumaria officinalis, L., Common Fumitory.
Cniciferae —

Arahis petrcea, De Cand., Alpine Rock Cress.

A, hirsuta, Br., Hairy Rock Cress.

Cardamine pratensis, L., Common Bitter Cress,
Ladies' Smock, Cuckoo-flower.

1 62 LOCHNAGAR.

C hirsuta^ L., Hairy Bitter Cress.
Nasturtium officinale^ Br., Common Water Cress.
CochUaria officinalis^ L., Common Scurvy Grass.
Draba vema^ L., Common Whitlow Grass.
Teesdalia nudicaulis^ Br., Naked Stalked Tees-

dalia.
Sisymbrium Thalianum, Hooker, Thale Hedge

Mustard.
Subularia aquatica^ L., Water Awl-Wort. Rare.
Capsella Bursa Pastotis^ De Cand., Common

Shepherd's Purse.
Lepidium Smithii^ Hooker, Mithridate Pepper

Wort.
Sinapis arvensis, L., Charlock Mustard.
Raphanus Raphanistrum, L.,Wild Radish. Jointed

Charlock.

Cistacese —

Helianthemum vulgare, Gaert., Common Rock
Rose.
Violaceae —

Viola palustriSy L., Marsh Violet.

V, canina^ L.(K Riviniana^ Reich.), Dog's Violet.

F. tricolor y L., Pansy Violet or Heartsease.

F. lutea^ Hudson, Yellow Mountain Violet.

Droseraceae —

Drosera rotundifolia, L., Round-leaved Sundew.
Z>. anglicay Hudson, Great English Sundew.

Rare.
Parnassia palustris, L., Common Grass of Par-
nassus.
Polygalaceae —

Poly gala vulgaris^ L., Common Milkwort.

ITS GEOLOGY AND BOTANY. it)^

Elatinacese —

Elatine hexandra^ De Cand., Hexandrous Water-
wort, Water-pepper. Very Rare.
Caryophyllaceae —

Silene acaulis^ L., Moss Campion, Dwarf Silene.

S, inflata^ Smith, Bladder Campion.

5. tnaritimay With., Sea Campion.

Lychnis Flos-cuculi^ L., Ragged Robin, Meadow
Lychnis.

Z. diuma, Sibth., Red Campion.

Sagina procumbensy L., Procumbent Pearl-wort.

5. saxatiiisy Wimm., Alpine Pearl-wort.

5. subulata, Wimm., Awl-leaved Pearl-wort.

S. nodosa^ L., Knotted Pearl-wort.

Arenaria serpyUifolia^ L., Thyme-leaved Sand-
wort.

Stellaria media, With., Common Chickweed.

5. hoiostea, L., Greater Stitchwort.

S. graminea^ L., Narrow-leaved Stitchwort.

S. uliginosa^ Murr., Bog Stitchwort.

Cerastium triviaky Link., Mouse-ear Chickweed.

C. glomeratum^ Thuil., Mouse-ear Chickweed.

C alpinum^ L., Hairy Alpine Chickweed.

Paronychiaceae —

Spergula arvensis, L., Com Spurrey.

Spergularia rubra^ St. Hilaire, Field Spurrey.
Linaceae —

Linutn cathartieum^ L., Purging Flax.

Hjrpericaceae —

Hypericum puichrum^ L, Small upright St. John^s

Wort.
H. hirsutum^ L., Hairy St John's Wort.

164 LOCHNAGAR.

Geraniacese —

Geranium sylvaticumy L., Wood Crane's Bill.

G, pratense^ L., Blue Meadow Crane's Bill.

G, Robertianum^ L., Herb Robert.

G. Molle, L., Dove's-foot Crane's Bill

G, dissecium^ L., Jagged or cut-leaved Crane's
Bill.
Oxalidacese —

Oxalis Acetosella^ L., Common Wood Sorrel.
Aquifoliaceae —

Ilex aquifolium^ L., Holly.

Leguminosse —

Ulex Europceus^ L., Furze, Whin or Gorse.

Genista Anglica, L., Needle Gorse, Petty Whin.

Spartium scoparium^ L., Common Broom.

Anthyllis Vulneraria^ L., Common Kidney-vetch.

Trifolium repens^ L., White Trefoil or Dutch
Clover.

T, pratense^ L., Purple Clover.

T, medium^ L., Zigzag Clover.

Zofus corniculatus^ L., Common Bird's-foot Tre-
foil.

Vicia sepium, L., Bush Vetch.

V. Cracca, I.., Tufted Vetch.

V. sylvatica, L., Wood Vetch.

Lathyrus pratensis, L., Meadow Vetchling.

Z. macrorrhizus^ Wimm., Tuberous Vetchling.

Lupinus perennis, L., Lupin.

Rosaceae —

Frunus communis, Hudson, Common Plum.

P, Padus, L., Bird Cherry.

Spircea Uimaria, L., Meadow-sweet

ITS GEOLOGY AND BOTANY. 1 65

Dryas octopetala^ L., White Dryas. Rare.

Gtum rivale, L., Water Avens.

G. urbanum^ L., Common Avens. Rare.

Ruhus Idceus^ L., Common Raspberry.

R. saxatilis^ L., Stone Bramble.

R. Chamcemorus, L., Mountain Bramble or Cloud-
berry.

Fragaria vesca^ L., Wood Strawberry.

Comarum palustre^ L., Purple Marsh Cinque-foil.

Potentilla anserina, L., Silver-weed Cinque-foil.

F. alpestrisy Hal., Orange Alpine Cinque-foil.

F, Tormentilla, Sibth., Tormentill.

F, Sibbaldia, L., Procumbent Cinque-foil.

Alchemilla vulgaris^ L., Common Lady's Mantle.

A, alpina, L., Alpine Lady's Mantle.

A, arvensis, Sm., Field Lady's Mantle.

Rosa spinosissima^ L., Burnet-leaved Rose.

R. tomentosa^ Sm., Downy-haired Rose.

R, villosa^ L., Villous Rose.

R, mollis^ Sm., Soft Rose.

R. caninQy L., Dog-Rose, including many so-called
varieties.

Fyrus Aucuparia, Gaert., Rowan-tree.

Onagracese —

Epilobium angustifolium^ L., Rose-bay Willow-
herb.

E, monianum, L., Mountain Willow-herb.

E, obscurum^ Schreb., Square-stalked Willow-herb.

E, palustre^ L., Marsh Willow-herb.

E, alsinifolium^ L., Chickweed-leaved Willow-
herb.

E, alpinum^ L., Alpine Willow-herb.

1 66 LOCHNAGAR.

Haloragaceae —

Mynophyllum altemiflorum^ De Cand., Water-
MilfoiL
Portulaceae —

Montia fontana^ L., Water Blinks.
Crassulacese —

Sedum Rhodiola^ De Cand., Rose-root Stonecrop.

5. villosutfiy L., Hairy Stonecrop.

Saxifragaceae —

Saxifraga stellarisy L., Starry Saxifrage.

S. nivalis, L., Alpine-clustered Saxifrage. Rare.

5. oppositifolia, L., Purple Mountain Saxifrage.

5. rivularis, L., Alpine Brook Saxifrage. Rare.

5. aizoides, L., Yellow Mountain Saxifrage.

S. hypnoideSy L., Mossy Saxifrage.

Chrysosplenium oppositifoium, L., Common
Golden Saxifrage.
Umbelliferae —

Sanicula Europcea, L., Wood Sanicle.

Pimpinella saxifraga, L., Common Burnet-
Saxifrage.

Bunium flexiiosum. With., Common Earth-nut

Meum athamanticum, Jacq., Bald Money, High-
land Micken.

Angelica sylvestris, L., Wild Angelica.

Heracleum sphondylium, L., Common Cow-Par-
snip.

Anthriscus syhestris, Koch, Wild Beaked-Parsley.
Cornaceae —

Cornus suecica, L., Dwarf Cornel.
Araliaceae —

Adoxa Moschatellina, L., Tuberous Moschatell.

ITS GEOLOGY AND BOTANY. 1 67

Caprifoliacese —

Lonkera Penclymenum^ L., Common Honeysuckle

or Woodbine.
Linnaa borealis^ Gronov, Two-flowered Linnasa.
Rubiaceae —

Galium verum^ L., Yellow Bed-straw.
G, saxatiUy L., Smooth Heath Bed-straw.
G, palustrty L., White Water Bed-straw.
G. bareaky L., Cross-leaved Bed-straw.
Sherardia arvensis, L., Blue Field-madder.
Asperuia odorata^ L., Sweet Woodruff.
Valerianaceae —

Valeriana officinalis^ L., Great wild Valerian.
Dipsaceae —

Scabiosa succisa^ L., DeviFs-bit Scabious.
Compositae —

Apargia autumnalis, Willd, Autumnal Hawk-bit.
Hypochaeris radicata, L., Long-rooted CatVear.
Mulgedium alpinum^ Less., Alpine Blue Sow-

Thistle. Very Rare.
Crepis paludosa^ Moench, Marsh Hawk's Beard
Sonchus aruensis, L., Corn Sow-Thistle.
Ltontodon Taraxaaim^ L, Common Dandelion.
Hieracium Pilosella^ L., Common Mouse-ear

Hawk-weed.
H, alpinum, L., Alpine Hawk-weed.
H. holosericeum^ Back., Silky Hawk-weed. Rare.
H, calenduliflorum^ Back., Marigold Hawk-weed.

Rare.
H, nigrescensy Willd., Black-haired Hawk-weed.
H, senescenSy Back., Gray Hawk-weed.
H, chrysanthuniy Back., and var. micranthum

Back., Golden-flowered Hawk-weed.

l68 LOCHNAGAR.

H, anglicum^ Fr., English Hawk-weed.
H, Iricuniy Fr., Irish Hawk-weed.
H, argenteum^ Fr., Silvery Hawk-weed.
H, muroruniy L., Wall Hawk-weed.
H. vulgatum^ Fr., Common Hawk-weed.
H, prenanthoides, L., Rough-bordered Hawk-
weed. Rare.

If, corymbosum, Fr., Clustered Hawk-weed.
Lapsana communis^ L., Common Nipple-wort.
Saussurea alpina^ De Cand., Alpine Saussurea.

Rare.
Carduus crispus, L., Curled-leaved Thistle. Rare.
Cnicus lanceolatus^ Willd., Spear Plume Thistle.
C palustris, Willd., Marsh Plume Thistle.
C arvensis, Hoffm., Creeping Plume Thistle.
C. heterophylluSy Willd., Melancholy Plume

Thistle.
Centaur ea nigra^ L., Black-discoid Knap-weed.
C Cyanus^ L., Corn Blue-bottle.
Artemisia vulgaris^ L., Common Mugwort
Antennaria dioica^ Gaert., Mountain Everlasting.
Gnaphalium sylvaticum^ L., Highland Cudweed.
G. Norvegicum^ Gunn, Norwegian Cudweed.

Very Rare.
G, supinum^ L., Dwarf Cudweed.
Filago minima^ Pers., Least Filago.
Tussilago Farfara^ L., Colt's-foot.
Solidago Virga aurea^ L., Common Golden-rod.
Senecio vulgaris^ L., Common Groundsel.
S. Jacohcea^ L., Common Ragwort.
5. aquaticuSy Hudson, Marsh Ragwort.
Bellis perennisy L., Common Daisy.

ITS GEOLOGY AND BOTANY. 1 69

Chrysanthemum Leucanthemum^ L., Great White
Ox-eye.

C segetum^ L., Corn Marigold or Yellow Ox-eye.

Matricaria inodora^ L., Scentless Feverfew.

Achiiicea millefolium^ L., Common Yarrow.

A, Ptarmica^ L., Sneeze-wort.
Campanulaceas —

Campanula rotundifoliay L., Harebell.
Lobeliaceae —

Lobelia Dortmanna^ L., Water Lobelia.
Vacciniaceae —

Vaccinium Myrtillus^ L., Blaeberry.

V. uliginosum^ L., Bog Whortleberry.

V. Vitis Idcea^ L., Red Whortleberry, Cranberry
of this district.

V, OxycoccoSy L., Marsh Whortleberry, Cranberry.
Rare.
Ericaceae —

Erica Tetralix, L., Cross-leaved Heath.

E, cinerea^ L., Fine-leaved Heath.

Calluna vulgaris^ Salisb., Common Ling, Heather.

Loiseleuria procumbenSy Desv., Trailing Azalea.

Arctostaphylos Uva-ursi^ Sprengel, Black Bear-
berry.
Pyrolacese —

Pyrola secunda^ L., Serrated Winter-green.

P, rotundifolia^ L., Round-leaved Winter-green.
Very rare.

P, media^ Swartz, Intermediate Winter-green.

P. minor^ L., Less Winter-green.
Gentianacese —

Gentiana campestris^ L., Field Gentian.

Menyanthes trifoliata^ L., Buckbean.

M

I^O LOCHNAGAR.

Boraginaceae —

Myosotis rtptnsy Don, Creeping Water Scorpion-
grass.
M, ceBspitosGy Schultz, Tufted Water Scorpion-

M, arvensis, Hoffm., Field Scorpion grass.
M, versicolor^ Lehm., Yellow and Blue Scorpion-
grass.
Scrophulariaceae —

Veronica serpyllifolia^ L., and var. humifusa,

Dickson, Thyme-leaved Speedwell.
V, aipinuy L., Alpine Speedwell Rare.
V. scuiellata^ L., Marsh Speedwell.

V. Beccahunga^ L., Brooklime.

V. cfficinalis^ L., Common Speedwell.

V. Chamcedrys^ L., Germander Speedwell.

V, hederifolia^ L,, Ivy-leaved Speedwell.

V. agrestis^ L., Field Speedwell.

V. arvensis, L., Wall Speedwell.

Euphrasia officinalis^ L., Common Eyebright.

Rhinanthus Crista-galli^ L., Common Yellow-
rattle.

Melnmpyrum pratense^ L., Common Yellow Cow-
wheat.

M, sylvaiicum^ L., Lesser-flowered Yellow Cow-
wheat.

Pedicularis palustris^ L., Marsh Louse-wort.

P. sylvaiicay L., Pasture Louse-wort.

Scrophularia nodosa^ L., Knotted Figwort.

Digitalis purpurea^ L., Purple Foxglove.
Labiatse —

Mentha arvensis^ L., Field Mint.

Thymus Serpyllutn, L., Wild Thyme.

ITS GEOLOGY AND BOTANY. I 7 1

Teucrium Scorodonia^ L., Wood Germander.

Ajuga reptans^ L., Common Bugle.

Galeopsis Tetrahity L., Common Hemp-nettle.

G, versicolor, Curtis, Large-flowered Hemp-nettle.

Lamium purpureuniy L., Purple Dead-nettle.

L. amplexicaule, L., Henbit-netde.

Stocky s sylvatica^ L., Wood Woundwort.

S. palustris, L., and var. ambiguay Marsh Wound-
wort.

Nepeta Gkchomay Benth., Common Ground-Ivy.

Calatnintha Clinopodiuniy Benth., Common Wild
Basil. Rare.

Prunella vulgaris , L., Common Self-heal.
I.entibulariacese —

Finguicula vulgaris^ L., Common Butterwort.

Utricularia vulgaris^ L., Greater Bladder wort.
Primulaceae —

Primula vulgaris^ Hudson, Common Primrose.

P, verisy L., Common Cowslip.

Trientalis Europcea, L., European Chickweed
Winter-green.

Lysimachia netnoruniy L., Wood Loose-strife.
Plumbaginaceae —

Armeria maritima^ Willd., Common Sea-pink.
Plantaginacese —

Plantago maj^r^ L., Greater Plantain.

P, lanceolata, L., Ribwort Plantain.

P. maritimay L., Sea-side Plantain.
Chenopodiaceae —

Chenopodium album, L., White Goose-foot.
Scleranthaceae —

Scleranthus annuus, L., Annual Knawel.

172 LOCHNAGAR.

Polygonaceae —

Polygonum viviparum^ L., Viviparous Bistort.

P, Aviculare^ L., Common Knot-grass.

P, Convolvulus^ L., Climbing Polygonum.

P, Persicaria^ L., Spotted Polygonum.

Rumex crispus^ L., Curled Dock.

R, obtusifoliusy L., Blunt-leaved Dock.

R, aquaticus^ L., Grainless Water Dock.

R. Acetosa^ L., Common Sorrel.

-/?. Acetosella, L., Sheep's Sorrel.

Oxyrta reniformis^ Hooker, Kidney-leaved
Mountain-Sorrel.
Empetracese —

Empetrum nigrum, L., Black Crowberry.
Ruphorbiaceae —

Mercurialis perennisy L., Perennial or Dog's
Mercury.

Euphorbia Helioscopia^ L., Sun Spurge.

E, Peplus, L., Petty Spurge.
Callitrichacese —

Callitricke stagnalis, Scop., Starwort.

C. vema, L., Vernal Water Starwort.

C. hamulata, Kg., Starwort.

C, autumnaliSy L., Starwort. Rare.
Urticaceae —

Urtica urens^ L., Small Nettle.

U, dioica, L., Common Nettle.
Myricaceae —

Myrica Gale, L., Sweet Gale, Bog Myrtle.
Betulaceae —

Betula glutinosa, Fr., Common Birch.

B. nana, L., Dwarf Birch. Common between
2000-3000 feet altitude.

ITS GEOLOGY AND BOTANY. 173

Ainus glutinosa, Gaert., Common Alder.
Salicaceae —

Saiix Caprea^ L., Great Round-leaved Willow.

S. aurita^ L., Round-leaved Willow.

S, Lapponuffij L., Downy Willow.

S, repensy L., Creeping Willow.

5. nigricans^ Sm., Dark-leaved Willow.

S. herbacea^ L., Least Willow.

aS. reticulata^ L., Reticulated Willow. Rare.

Populus tremula^ L., Trembling Poplar or Aspen.
Cupuliferse —

Quercus Robur^ L., Common British Oak.

Corylus Aveiiana^ L., Common Hazel.
Coniferae —

Finns sylvestris^ L., Scotch Fir.

Juniperus communis^ L.,and var. nana^ L.,Common
Juniper.

Class II. — Monocotyledonous or Endogenous

Flowering Plants.
Orchidacese —

Malaxis paludosa^ Sw., Ejog Orchis.

Listera ovata, Br., Common Tway-blade.

Z. Nidus-aviSy Rich., Bird's-nest Orchis. Very
Rare.

Z. cardata^ Br., Heart-leaved Tway-blade.

Goody era repens, Br., Creeping Goodyera.

Orchis maculata, L., Spotted palmate Orchis.

Gymnadenia conopsea^ Br., Fragrant Gymnadenia.

G. albida. Rich., Whitish Gymnadenia.

Habenaria viridis^ Br., Green Habenaria.

H. chlorantha^ Bab., Great Habenaria.

174 LOCHNAGAR.

Juncacese —

/uncus communis^ Meyen, Common Rush.

/, triglutniSy L., Three-flowered Rush.

/ trifidus, L., Trifid Rush.

J. acutiflorus^ Ehrh., Sharp-flowered Rush.

J, lamprocarpuSy Ehrh., Shining-fruited Rush.

J, nigritellus, D. Don, Black-headed Rush.

y. supinus^ Moench., Upward Rush.

J. squarrosus^ L., Heath Rush.

J. bufonius, L., Toad Rush.

Luzula sylvatica^ Bich., Great Hairy Wood-Rush.

Z. pilosa^ Willd., Broad-leaved Hairy Wood-Rush.

Z. campestris^ Willd., Field Wood-Rush.

Z. multiflora^ Lej., Many-flowered W^ood-Rush.

Z. spicata^ De Cand., Spiked mountain Wood-
Rush.

Z. arcuata. Hooker, Curved mountain Wood-
Rush. Very rare.

Nartheciuni ossifragum, Hudson, Bog-Asphodel.

Juncaginaceae —

Triglochin palustre^ L., Marsh Arrow-grass.
Typhaceae —

Sparganium minimum^ Fr., Small Bur-Reed.
Naiadacese —

Pbtamogeton lucens^ L., Shining Pondweed.

P, heterophy litis ^ Schreb., Various-leaved Pond-
weed.

P, natans, L., Sharp-pointed Broad-leaved Pond-
weed.

P. polygonifolius^ Pourr., Many-angled Pond-weed.
Cyperaceae —

Schmius nigricans^ L., Black Bog-rush.

ITS GEOLOGY AND BOTANY. 1 75

Rhyncospora alba, Vahl, White-beak-rush. Ver>'
rare.

Elcocharis palustris, R. Br., Creeping Spike-rush.

Isolepts setacea, R. Br., Bristle-stalked Mud-rush.

Scirpus pauciflorus, Lightf, Few-flowered Club-
rush.

S. oBspitosuSy L., Scaly-stalked Club-rush.

Eriophorum vaginatum, L., Hare-tail Cotton-
grass.

E, angusHfolium, Roth., Narrow-leaved Cotton-
grass.

Carex dioica, L., Dioecious Carex or Sedge.

C. pulicaris, L., Flea Carex.

C paudflora, Lightf., Few-flowered Carex.

(7. kporina, L., Hare's-foot Carex.

(7. helvola, Blytt., Pale red Carex. Very rare.

C, lagopina^ Wahl, Hare's-foot Carex. Very rare.

C canescens^ L., White Carex.

C stellulata^ Good., Prickly-headed Carex.

C. atrata, L., Black Carex.

C vulgaris, Fr., Common Carex.

C. rigida. Good., Rigid Carex.

C, flava, L., Yellow Carex.

C, Oederi, Ehrh., Oeder's Carex.

C.fulva, Good., Tawny Carex.

C binervis, Sm., Green-ribbed Carex.

C. vaginata, Tausch., Short brown-spiked Carex.
Rare.

C, panicea, L., Pink-leaved Carex.

C. pallescens, L., Pale Carex.

C captllaris, L., Dwarf capillary Carex.

C. rariflora, Sm., Loose-flowered Carex.

C, glauca. Scop., Glaucous Heath Carex.

176 LOCHNAGAR.

C pracoxy Jacq., Vernal Carex.

C. piiulifera, L., Round-headed Carex,

C, ampullacea^ Good., Slender-beaked Bottle

Carex.
Graminese —

Anihoxanthum odoratum, L., Sweet-scented

Vernal-grass.
Nardus strictay L., Common Mat-grass.
Alopecurus pratensisy L., Meadow Fox-tail-grass.
A, alpinuSy Sm., Alpine Fox-tail-grass. Rare.
A, geniculatusy L., Kneed Fox-tail-grass.
PMcum alpinuniy L., Alpine Cat's-tail-grass. Very

rare.
CalamagrosHs Epigejos^ Roth., Wood Small-reed.

Very rare.
Agrostis vulgarisy With., Fine Bent-grass.
Aira ccespitosa^ L., Tufted Hair-grass.
A. alpinuy L., Smooth Alpine Hair-grass. Very

rare.
A.flexuosa^ L., Waved Hair-grass.
A, setacea^ Hudson., Bristle-stalked Hair-grass.
A, caryophylUay L., Silvery Hair-grass.
A, pracoxy L., Early Hair-grass.
Molinia cceruleay Moench, Purple Molinia.
Melica nutanSy L., Mountain Melic-grass.
Hokus mollisy L., Creeping Soft-grass.
H, lanatusy L., Meadow Soft-grass.
Koeleria cristatay Pers., Crested Koeleria.
Poafluitansy Scop.^ Floating Meadow-grass.
P, pratensisy L., Smooth-stalked Meadow-grass.
P, triviaiisy L., Rough Meadow-grass.
P. alpifMy L., Alpine Meadow-grass. Rare.
P, laxQy Hoenke, Wavy Meadow-grass. Very rare.

ITS GEOLOGY AND BOTANY. 1 77

P, minor^ Gaud., Smaller Meadow-grass. Very
rare.

P. mmoralisy L., Wood Meadow-grass.

P, annua, L., Annual Meadow-grass.

Triodia decumbenSy Beauv., Decumbent Heath-
grass.

Briza media^ L., Common Quaking-grass.

Dadylis ghnuratay L., Rough Cock's-foot-grass.

Cynosurus cristatuSy L., Crested Dog's-tail-grass.

Festuca bromoidesy Sm., Barren Fescue-grass.

R ovina^ L., Sheep's Fescue-grass.

Bromus commutatuSy Schrad., Altered Brome-

B. tnollisy L., Soft Brome-grass.

Avena pratensis^ L., and var. alpina^ Sm., Narrow-
leaved Perennial Oat.

A. elatiory L., False Oat-grass.

Triticum repens, L., Creeping Wheat or Couch-
grass.

Lolium perennCy L., Perennial or Beardless Rye-
grass.

Class III. — Acotyledonous or Cellular Plants.
Polypodiaceae —

Poiypadium vulgarty L., Common Polypody.

P, Phegopterisy L., Pale Mountain Polypody.
Beech Fern.

P, DryopteriSy L., Tender Three-branched Poly-
pody. Oak Fern.

P.alpestrty Hoppe, Alpine Polypody. Rare.

Aspidium LonchitiSy Sw., Rough Alpine Shield-
fern. Holly Fern. Rare.

1 78 LOCHNAGAR.

A. Oreopteris^ Sw., Heath Shield-fern.

A, FiliX'tnaSy Sw., Blunt Shield-fern. Male Fern.

A, dilatatum, Willd., Prickly Shield-fern.

Cystopteris fragilis^ Bernh., Brittle Bladder-fern.

Asplenium septentrionale, Hull., Forked Spleen -
wort. Very rare.

A. Ruta-muraria, L., Wall-rue Spleen-wort.

A, TrichomaneSy L., Common Wall Spleen-wort.

A. viride, Hudson, Green lanceolate Spleen-wort.

A, Adiantum-nigrum, L., Black-stalked Spleen-
wort.

A, FiltX'fosmina, Bernh., Short-fruited Spleen-
wort. Lady Fern.

Pterts aquilina^ L., Common Brake-fern.

Cryptogramme crispa^ Br., Parsley Fern.

Blechnutn boreale, Sw., Northern Hard-fern.
Ophioglossaceae —

Botrychium Lunaria, Sw., Common Moon-wort.
Lycopodiaceae —

Lycopodium clavatum^ L., Common Club-moss.

Z. annotinum^ L., Interrupted Club-moss. Rare.

Z. selaginoides^ L. , Lesser Club-moss.

Z. aipinum, L., Savin-leaved Club-moss.

Z. Selago, L., Fir Club-moss.
Marsiliaceae —

Isoetes lacustrisy L. , European Quill-wort
Equisetaceese —

Equisetum praiense, Ehrh., Meadow Horse-tail.
Rare.

E, arvensty L., Field Horse-tail.

E. syivaticum, L., Branched Wood Horse-tail.

E, limosum, L., Smooth Naked Horse-tail.

E. palustre, L., Marsh Horse-tail.

LOCHNAGAR. 179

THE CORRIE FLOWER.

By the Author of '^ The Rival Giants ",
" The Key o' Bennachie ", ^c,

I.

The Lady Anne was good and true,

And fair as fair could be ;
Her face revealed not grief nor care,

Sweet as a flower was she.

She knew not the River of Woe —
Oh, sad, and joyless theme !

And to her the Stream of Sorrow
Was but an empty dream.

Her cheek was like the blush-red rose ;

And on her lips, a smile
Lit up her face, Madonna-like —

A face all free from guile.

Her eyes, sweet mirrors to her soul,
Shone clear, like beacons bright ;

No mariner in wildest storm
Would pray for truer light.

In her ear "the old, old story "

Of young, unsulUed love
Was breathed by one of gentle blood,

Who fain his troth would prove.

Oh, lithe of form and limb was he,
An arm both sure and strong ;

His sword ne'er rusted in its sheath,
But leaped to right the wrong !

And he has vowed his love is true.
But she, with doubts and fears,

Ties her silk scarf about his arm,
And whispers through her tears :

l8o LOCHNAGAR.

•* A flower grows by the Loch so weird,
In dark, sequestered spot ;

A harbinger of faithful love —
The sweet Forget-me-not.

" At dead of night, be't dark or light.
Now prove thy love for me, —

Go, pluck it, and V\l meet thee
By th' Allt na Guibhsaich tree ".

** Enough, Sweet, 'tis as good as done,
I'll pluck the flower for thee ;

And, Love, thou'lt come and meet me
By th* Allt na Guibhsaich tree ".

With courtly mien he kissed her hand,
And raised his plume on high,

** Till midnight, dear, ** he gaily cried,
"Till then, my Love— Good-bye ".

n.

Within proud Abergeldie's Halls,
The music throbs and swells ;

But none is there to say, ** they play
Two loved ones* fiin'ral knells ".

The stately minuet is danced,
With wealth of old-world grace,

And in the throng of gallants gay
Is many a smiling face.

But Lady Anne is ill at ease,
Her bosom heaves, and sighs

She fain would stifle move her breast-
The mist stands in her eyes.

And aye a voice was whispering :
** Pve plucked the flower for thee.

Sweet Love, then come and meet me
By th* Allt na Guibhsaich tree ".

LOCHNAGAR. l8l

She heeds not now the honeyed words

That flow from courtly lips,
And she withdraws her hand from one

Who*d kiss its finger-tips.

"Go saddle me a horse", she cries,

" Through bracken and o'er root.
This night I ride to Lochnagar,

And climb the hill on foot ".

Out on the night so black and grim,

Is heard the distant sound
Of gathering storm. The moaning wind

Sobs eerily around.

Yet, 'spite the dark and lowering night.

On, on through dub and mire
She rides, and pauses not to think.

But seeks her heart's desire !

But, aye the voice kept whispering :

"I've plucked the flower for thee.
Sweet Love, now come and meet me

By th' Allt na Guibhsaich tree ".

Soon is she at the trysting tree.

And hastily dismounts ;
While the tardy laggard moments

Impatiently she counts.

" Why does my Love, the brave Sir James,

Thus keep his tryst with me " ?
She looks beseechingly to heaven,

Then bends to kiss the tree.

E'en, while she speaks her thoughts revert

To that secluded spot.
Where she has told her Love he'll find

The sweet Forget-me-not.

1 82 LOCHNAbAR.

She thinks she sees the comes grim

Stand out in frowning pride ;
** Great God ! he may be dead ", she screams,

** Would I were by his side "!

Then, as she ran to climb the hill,

From out the sullen North,
The storm that had been gathering,

Impetuously broke forth.

The lightning flashed from peak to peak,

The thunder pealing deep ;
The wind, with loud and threatening howl,

Adown the corries steep

Rushed, with a great and mighty noise ;

The rain and blinding sleet
Dashed 'gainst the crags with hissing sound

In one huge crashing sheet.

Up to the precipice she climbs,

All panting, wet, and worn ;
And peering through the darkness, she

Seeks traces of the morn.

Now, trembling kneels she on the brink.

Amid the storm's wild shriek.
Her arms outstretched in mute appeal,

So child-like and so weak.

'* Come back, come back, my Love ", she cries,
" Comeback, come back to me";

The wind with mocking laugh replies,
** He'll ne'er come back to thee ".

And, as she kneels in mute despair,

"With cruel, searching flash,
The lightning plays adown the Loch ;

And, ere the thunder's crash

LOCHNAGAR. 1 83

She sees her faithful Lover stretched,

Within his hand the flower,
The pale-blue, sad Forget-me-not,

That's now to be her dower.

She sees him but for an instant —

For God is ever kind —
Yet, the flash that reveals the Lover

Has struck the loved one blind !

'Tis said, when nights are eerie,
When wind drives from the North,

A sobbing and a wailing.
Out on the air break forth ;

And a voice is heard to whisper :
"I've plucked the flower for thee,

Sweet Love, then come and meet me
By th' Allt na Guibhsaich tree ".

INDEX.

Dark figures (thus 104) denote the page referring more particularly to the
subject.

Page.

Aberarder Z04, laS

Abei:geldie, . -84, 87, 89, 91

Aboyne, Earl of, . 142

Adders, 140

Agricultural Survey o/A berdten-

«/uV« (Keith s), . .14,88

Allt a' Chlaiginn, . . za8, 129

„ Choire Bhoidheach, . . 19, 65
„ Mhaide, .... 50
an Dubh Loch, . .63, 67

„ Loch, .... 125
„ Lochan Buidhe, . 19, 63

„ t-Snechda, ... 28

Coire Ghuibhais, . . 122

Darrarie, • 3** 7^

Lochan an Eoin, . 106, 140

na Claise Moire, . . 11 1

,, Da Chraobh Bheath, 19, 66, 136
„ Guibhsaich, 20, 50, 74-6, 8r

„ Phadruig, .... 122
Alltan Dearg,^ .... 57
Alltnaguibhsaich Lodge, a6, 39, so-a, 57,
61, 66, 72, 73
An t-Sron, . - ... 57
Arrowmakcr's Well, .128

Auchallater, . . .112, zaz

Auchendryne, • "5

Aucholzie, 44

Autumnal Rambles among the
Scottish Mountains (Grierson's), 54

Bachnagaim 66, 67

" Badachabait, Meikle Stane o' ", 140

Badgers, 138

Ballater, 22, 33

„ Bridge of, ... 24
„ Pass of, .... 8s

Ballaterach, 154

Ballochbuie Forest, . 83, 99, 105, 150
Balmoral, . . 83, 87, 92, 95, 97
Barracks (Ballater). ... 84
„ (Braemar), . . .114
" Barrone of Brachlie, The", 27

Beannachd Leat, . • i Ji

Ben a' Bhuird, . . . . iii

Ben Avon 77> 104

Bennachie, .... 81, 145

Birch Wine,
Birkhall,

,45, 48, 87, c

25, 39, 44, 4;
Birks o' Abergeldie, The ",

Black Bum 54, 56, 66

„ Hijl, 54

,, Shiel Bum 140

„ Spout, The, '149

Blackie, Professor John S., . 134

Blaeu's Map, 17

Blair, William, . . -94

" Blue Drammer, The ", 91

Bo^.gi!Jio;. : : • • "

Botany,
Braemar,

„ Castle. .
„ Churchyard,
,, Royal Highland Society,
Braes of Glasallt, .
Braichlie,
Breakneck Fall, .
Bridge of Ballater,
„ „ Clunie,
,, ,, Dee (Invercauld),
Gaira,

„ I, .,. Muick,

Broad Caim,

Brown, Barbara, .
„ John,

Brace (Exciseman),

Byron, Lord,

Ca Cuim,

Cac Cam Beag, .
,,. J. Mor, .

Caim Bannoch.
„ o' Mounth, .
„ ofCorbreach,
„ „ Corbroc, .

^»i Taggart .

Cairngorms, The, .

Caimgorm Stones,

Caledonian Forest,

Callater Bum,

Cameron. William,

Cameron s Well, .

CanupHill, .

T16,

. 161
ZZ5, 119

in
114
114
57
. 24, J7
• 134
24
. X16
Z05, X08
. 85, 86
25, 36. 37. 39
64, 146

78,

It

17, 77, X54

18, &c.

64. 135, 146

19, «38

. Z38
127, 128, 133
121, 139, 158

. 139
141

16, zaz, T22

129

76

. 104

INDEX.

i8s

Page.
Capel Mounth, . 13, 31, 33, 50, 67

Carn a' Choire Bhoidheacn, . 18, 138

an t-Sagairt B«ag,
„ „ „ Mor,
„ „ Tuurc.
„ na Cuimnue,
Castleton, ^ .
Cattle grazing,
Causey Mounth, .
Ceittc Scotland (Skene's),
Charter Chest, . ,
Ciche Beag,

,, Mhor, .
"Civil Bonnets",
Clachanturn,
Clashrathan.
Clashrathan s Cairn,
Clova, Milton of, .
Clunie, Bridge oif,
„ Glen,
„ Mill on the,
„ Muckle Stane o'
„ Water of, .^
Cnap Nathaireacbin,
Coillecriech,
Conachcraig,

Little,

. 19,20
X9, ao, 127
. 134
. X03
114, 119, lao
52, 140

12
XO
112

ao

. JO, 79

104

88,93

77

; .S

116

112, X19

. X18

X12

t6, 1x9

X40

86

ao, 26, :ii, 75, 77

16.

Copkuid, Samuel,
Coire an Daimh Mhoile,

„ Lochan an Eoin,

,, na Ciche, ^ .

„ „ Saobhaidhe,

„ Uilleim Mhoir,
Corrie of Lochn^ar,

„ Flower, The,
" Couper " Glass,
Cojrles, The,
Craig Choinnicb,

„ Clunie,

,, Gowan,

„ nam Ban,
Craieendarroch, .
Crathie Church, .
„ Churchyard,
„ Free Church,
Crawford, Earl of,
Creag a' Ghlas-uillt,

„ „ Ghobhsdnn,

,, an Dubh-Loch,

„ „ Fhir-shaighde,

„ „ Leisdhair,

,, „ Loch,

„ „ Lurachain,

„ Bheag, ^ .

„ na h-Iolaire,

„ „ Sithinn, .

,j Phadruig, .
Cuidhe Crom,
Culardoch,
Danzig Shiel,

Dee, Bridge of (Invercauld),
„ Foordsof;

61

• 137
79

• 153
. 13X
81, 144

• J79
33

16, 39. 47

», 1x4, 120

X05, iia

xoo, 146

. 24, «5

92
93
94

• 19. 63
xoo

129

133
xoo

; li

122
19. 26. 74, 76, 8x
77
los
los

Douglas (Home's),

" Drumthwacket, Muir of",

DubhChlais,

DubhLoch, . . . .

Duchess of Kent, .

Duke of Edinbttigh, .

» . » Fife,
Eagles.
Earlof Aboyne, .

,, ,, Crawford, .

.. „ Fife, .
Huntly,

Page.

112

• 58, ^3-5

. 87

66

114,115,1x9

. 48, 64, 139

. 142

43

. . . 85, 96

.. ^, - . 27, 43. 44. 9«, 15s

,, „ Mar, . 43, 9x, 111, 113-6, 127

Blaster Balmoral, ... 77, 31

,. Micras Bum, ... 86

Edinbttigh, Duke of, . 66

Edinburgh New Phil. Journal^ 24, 150

Emi>ress Eugenie, . . .78, 88

Fairies, .... 122, 140

Falls of Alltan Dearg, 57

„ „ GarbhAUt, . 106, xxi

„ „ GlasAllt, . 52,61,66

„ ,, Muick, . . . 25,39,48

Farquharson, Colonel, ... 27

„ Ian, ... . 129

., John, m, 113, X14

Feardar Bum, . . . 104

Feindallacher Bum, . 106

Fife, Duke of, . . 114,115,119

r.-" J^"" ?*"' • • • • • ^5. 96

Fir Mounth, 13

,. Roads, 54

Flower, Th^ Corrie '179

FoordsofDee, .... 12
Forbes, Arthur, • • • • 43
Ford of Inschnabobart, . 26, 28

Fox Caim Well, .... 79
Frankie, Peter, .... 88
Gaim, Bridge of, . .85, 86

Garbh AUt, . . . zo6, 138, 141
„ „ Falls of, . . . X06, ixi

Geallaig, 86

Geikie, Sir A., LL.D., F.K.S., . 159

Colder Bum, . 74, 77, 79, 80, 104

Geldie.Bura, .... 87

Geological Society ^ Quart.. J ou.o/y 158

Geology, . . . . .157

Gmiock, Strath, . • 31, 78, 86

Glas Allt, . .19, 6z, 66, 141

„ „ Falls of, . 52,61,66

„ „ Tongue of, . . . 6i

Glasallt, Braes of, . • • • 57

„ Shiel, 52, 58, 59, 62, 66, 129

Glass " Couper ", ... 33

Glen CaUater, 112,119,121

„ Qova, . . 106, ia6

„ Clunie, . . 112, 119

„ Doll, .... 106, 195

„ Gelder, . .20, 62, 74

" «, '» , ^****'' '•'79

,, Muick,. . . 25

Glengaira, Church of, . 85

1 86

INDEX.

Page.

40

39

• 25, »7

36, 40, 131

as, "B, 29

130

43

34

129

87

Glenmuick Church (new),
„ (old),

„ Churchyard,

„ House,

Gordon, Alasdair,

„ Alexander,

„ Donald,

Elasaid,

HughM.,

,, Sir Robert, ... 99

Gordons of Abeigeldie, 40, 43, 44, 50, 61,

63, 88

Grampians, The, . • 9, "

Grant, Peter, • "4

Gricreon, Rev. T., 51, 54, 75, 115, 148

Heather, White, .... 140

Home, John, X3

Houston, George, ... 154

Hinxman, Lionel, B.A., , 160

Huntly, Earl of^ . 27, 43, 44, 92, 155

,, Marquis of, . . X43

"Hut, The", . . . 50,75,88

Illustrations —

Lochnagar. (fix>m the N.),

Ballater . ( „ S.),

Glenmuick House ( „E.N.E.;,

Bridge of Muick ( „ E.)

Knock Castle

Birkhall .

Glasallt Shiel .

Dubh Loch . ,

AUtnaguibhsaich Lo.(

Abergeldie Castle (

Crathie Church . (

Old Balmoral Castle(

Prince Albert's Cairn,

Statue of Queen,

Invercauld Hou.se

Braemar Castle .

Mill on Clunie . {

Loch Callater . (

Lochnagar (corrie) (

Inschnabooart,

„ Foiti of,

Inver, ....

„ Muir of,
Invercauld Bridge,
„ House,
Jamieson, John, .

T.F., F.G.S.,
Jock's Road, .
Jones, Admiral, .
Justice Junr & Co. , J . ,
Keith, Rev. G.S.. D.D.,
Kent, Duchess of,
Knock Castle,
Kyndrochet, .
Ladder, The,

Liufy of ike Lake, The (Scott'
Laird's Bed, The .
Leaves (The Queen's),

J5-), "3
N.E.), III

39, 43, 43

1X4, "6
74, 76. 81
s), . 56
47
56, 150

Linn Wood, The, .
Lion's Face, The, .
Little Cairn Tag^art,

„ Conachcraig,

.„ Pap, .
Littlejohn's Bridge,
Loch Callater, 119,

„ „ Lodge,

,, Candor, >

„ Ceann-mor, .

„ Muick, .
„ Phadruig,
Lochan Buidhe, .

„ an Eoin, .

„ Dubh, .

„ na Feadaige,

,. „ Tarmarnan,
Locnend,
Lochnagar^
Boundaries of, .
Corrie of, .
Deaths on .
Distillery, .
Extent of, .
Height of, .
Illustrations,
Loch of, •
Lost on.
Meaning of,
Routes to —

Ballater,

Braemar,

Dubh Loch, .

GlenGelder, .

Smuggler's Shank,

South, .

Strath Gimock,
Situation of,
Snow on, .
Stanzas on.
Summits of,
Time of ascent, .
View from, .
Lome, Marquis of,
"Loupin'-on Stane ",
MacgiUivray, Prof. W., LL.

M 'Hardy, Allan, .
Macintosh, Donald,
,, Rob, .
Mackenrie, Sir Allan, .

,. ., James T.,

MacKenae, W. A.,
Mackenzies of Dalmore,
Mackinnon, Prof. D., M.A.,
Mar, Earls of, 43, 91, xii
Marquis of Huntly,

„ J, Lome,
Meall Coire na Saobhaidhe,
„ Dubh,
,, na Gaineimh,

xaa.

52,53,

19)

Page

25f39

112

o, X36

20, 20

75
"3, 133
119
134
134
67, X26
56,76

X22
62

138

16

8x, 144

153

94

16

18

8,144

17, 146, 149

»53, 153

»7

23

23, "9

53

77, «04

106

136

78,86

9, 14

14, 150

155

18

74

145

64

26

105, X22,

134, 147, J57

X27

130

130

. 25,67

. 27, 28

68
114
x8
j-6, 127
142
64
X9,X53

77

INDEX.

187

Page.
Meall na Tionail, .140

Meikle Cairn Taggart, ... 20

»» ?*P' • . «• ,^9\ ^» 3*» 75. 76, 79
„ Staneo Badachabait, 140

„ Willie's Corrie, , X3X, 135
Micras,

126
40
139
103
103
57.62

Mill of Stern, ■ 25, 39,

„ on the Clunie,

Milton of Clova, .

Mitchell, John, .

Moine Bad nan Cabar,

Monaltrie House, .
„ Street, .

Monelpie Moss, .,.,

Mor Shron 120

Morrone,

Morven,

Mount Keen,

Mounth, The,

„ The White, .

Mowatof Abereeldie, .

Muckle Stane & Clunie,

Muick, Bridge of,
„ Falls of, .
„ Spiulof, .

" Muir of Dnunthwacket ",

„ „ Inver, ....

Natural History o/Deeside and
Braemar (Macgillivray's), . 157

"Nether Lochaber", ... 18

Orygvnall Cronykil of Scottand
(Wyntoun's), . . . 11

" Pack Merchant's" Cairn, . 34

Pannanich, 23

Pass of Ballater, .... 85

Pennant, Thomas, ... 49

People's Journal^ .156

Phsulruig, Priest, 122, 126

Poacher^ Well, .... 141

Poetry—
The Spectre Stag, ... 68
Beannachd Leat, • 131

Lochnagar, . 155

The Corrie Flower, . 179

Priest's Well 126

Prince Albert,

13. 76. 77. 81
. 9, II

9
87, 136

112

25, 36. 37. 39
• 25, 39. 4«
26. 3«. 55
12

105

SI, 52, 61, 79, 83, 96, 99,
100, 103, III

ICO

44, 47, 88, 99
50

„ Caun,

Pnnce of Wales, The,
Prince's Drive, The,

Princess Louise, .... 64

„ ^ Roval's Cairn, 104

Ptarmigan Shootinz, . -141

Quarry of Corbreacn, . .138

Quarterly Journal of Gtol. Soc., . 158

Queen, The, 10, 24, 25, 44, 47, 49-53,

56-8, 61, 62, 64, 73, 78, 84,

87, 88, 92, 93, 95, 99, 102,

103, 10s, 114, 150, 157

Red Spout, llie 149

Robson, G. Fenwell, ... 24

Routes to Locbnagat^-
Ballater, .
Braemar, .
Dubh Loch,
Glen Gelder, .
Smuggler's Shank, .
South, 136

Page.

21

23, ««9

53

77, »04

106

Strath Gimock, .
Roy, John, LL.D.,
St. Andrews (Braemar),
St. Columba's Chapel, .
St. Nathalan's Church,
Sandy Loch, . . , .
Scenery of Scotland (fjfSkvt'&\ .

„ „ the Grampian MouK'

/a>u (Robson's),
Scotland, Celtic (Skene's), .
Scott, Sir Walter, . .

Scottish Dictionary (Jamieson's),
Scurry Stane ....

Sheep,

Skene, W. F., D.C.L., LL.D., .
Slug Mounth, ....
Smith, William,

Smuggler's Shank,

. 78, 86
161
114
91
■ 25, 27
. 138
159

24
xo

56

14

36

140

10, 12

13
96

X06, 150, 153

Smugglina;, . 35, 64, 75, 79, vA, 130
Snow on Lochnagar, . . 14, 150

26, 3x, 55

. 149

149

121

68

61,65

39, "5, 139

25, 39, 44

18

34

44

31, 78, 86

• 94

. 138

.63, 67, 130

Souter's " Cairn,
South Esk, . . .3
Spectre Stag, The,
Spital of Muick, .
Spout, The Black,

„ ,, Red, .
Sron Dubh, .
Stag, The Spectre,
Stags, ....
Statistical Account, The,
Stem, Mill of,
Stewart, Rev. A., LL.D.,
Stewart's Cairn, .
Stiren, ....
Strath Gimock, .
" Strowan Robertson ",
Stuc Lochan an Eoin,
"Stullan, The". . . v^, v

Summer Ramble in the North

Highlands, A,
Tacheera, .
Tait's Magazine, .

Teetabootie, . . . a6, 32, 35

Time of ascent (Lochnagar), . 74
Tolmount, . • • 13, 125

Tomintoui, 120

Tongue of the GlasAllt, . 61

Tullich a3, 28

View from Lochnagar, . •145

Water of Clunie, . . 16, 1x9

„ The White, . • '37

Well, Arrowmaker's, . .128

„ Cameron's, .... 76

„ FoxCaim, ... 79

. T07
• J42
151, 154

1 88

INDEX.

Well, Poacher's, .

,, Priest's,
Wells of Pannanich,
White heather, .

Page.
141
126

140

Page

White Mounth, The, .

9

„ Mounu, The, .

14

„ Water, The,

137

XI

THE END.

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