Sunday 2nd June 2024 – Jock’s Road (Glen Clova to Auchallater)
It had been many years since the club had last walked this famous drover’s road over the Mounth. At 22 Kms and with considerable height gain and steep descents, it is one of the more challenging local walks. Over the years it has seen tragedy and drama and for those unaware of its history it is well worth looking up on line.
The walk was planned to be a joint outing with the local Ramblers Group and proved to be very popular with thirty-one walkers involved in total. Twenty-five walked (A&B route) Jock’s Road and 6 walked a less demanding but nevertheless enjoyable route from Glen Clunie (A 93) to Auchallater.
The weather was ideal for walking Jock’s Road, fine, lots of sunshine with great views but with a chilly breeze, the walkers had packed enough liquid to avoid dehydration had the weather been hotter and calm. Rucksacks were heavy!
The A/B route started in Glen Clova and took the walkers through the local plantations and then steeply uphill, past the memorial to five Glaswegian walkers who perished in blizzard conditions in 1959, and up onto the high moorland, Eventually the track drops steeply down into Glen Callater, alongside the loch before reaching the estate lodge with its well-appointed bothy, under the care of the Mountain Bothy Association.
From that pleasant spot the route follows the estate track for the 4 Kms down to the car park at Auchallater,
Those that walked from Glen Clova/Glen Doll were treated to an abundance of mountain flowers with some first sightings this year of dwarf cornel and heath spotted orchid.
Moorland birds also made an appearance with highlights of a sandpiper flitting over Loch Callater and the lonely call of golden plover on the moor near the highest point of Jock’s Road.
The C party walked from the A93 at a point close to Baddoch and headed due east up to the bealach between Creag nan Gabhar and Creag an t Sean-ruigh, from the high point the group could see the Lochcallater Lodge bellow and followed the sketchy path down to it. From there the walkers took the same track down to the car park that would be walked sometime later by the main A/B party.
