ACTIVE OUTDOORS: Walk up Dunbeath Strath adds to wonder of the past
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There is no shortage of history to unearth in the Dunbeath Strath – in fact, it’s hard to get going for the fascinating links to the past.
Even approaching the parking area below the modern road bridge that sweeps across the valley, the original Thomas Telford single-arch bridge marks the turning point to drive past the old meal mill to this peaceful spot.
It marks the start of the relatively short walk to Dunbeath Broch, one of the best preserved brochs in Caithness, though there are some longer options which allow you to explore much more of this breathtaking strath.
As I set off in the beautiful evening light, I wondered if I might just wander to the broch and back, but I was drawn ever onwards by my own fascination with this special place.
It had been years since I’d done this walk. Previously I had ventured past Loedebest to the Tutnaguail cemetery and onto Cnoc na Maranaich, but I wasn’t kitted out for such a trek this evening, and the light would be sure to fade if I went that far.
I headed along the well-made path that follows the Dunbeath Water upstream, through the shelter of the trees, with wildflowers filling the still air with a sumptuous spring aroma. The sun was glowing through the leaves and the bright yellow gorse, enticing me forwards.
Passing through a gate, you emerge into a more open area alongside a field, and you are soon struck by what seems to be a wall across the grass. This is part of the House of Peace, believed to once have been the site of a monastery. The mound beside the wall is known as Chapel Hill.
I don’t know if some of the stones for this came from the nearby broch, but it would seem to make sense.
Crossing the Houstry Burn via a rather wobbly suspension bridge ahead, go through the gate signed to the broch, and follow the path uphill to reach the protective wall that has been built around it. Heading into the enclosure, you can explore the remains of the Iron Age building inside and out, including a cell within the large wall at the back.
There was more I wanted to see, so I continued up the strath, reaching another rickety suspension bridge – this one over the Dunbeath Water itself – which I decided to cross and take a closer look at the ruined inn building and adjacent Milton settlement.
This is a fascinating place, and you can almost sense the atmosphere of this building when it would have been full of life, with a roaring fire inside and animals feeding outside. Today there are sheep in the surrounding field, and the path to the Braemore road continues up a clear track that bends right at the top to cross a cattle grid then join a road past a few houses.
Turn right at the top to follow the usually quiet Braemore road westwards, where the sun was lowering in the sky ahead, giving a special light to all it touched.
A few hundred metres beyond a junction, look out for a small gate in the wall opposite a property called Roselea. Go through the gate and follow the path through the heather towards the birch woods ahead.
There’s a blue gate to pass through as you descend into the trees – where a solitary deer darted across in front of me – after which a mowed grass path continues to make its way downhill, steeply in places and over a small boardwalk in one of the wetter areas, to eventually reach a bridge over the river.
Looking further inland, the Dunbeath Water passes through a deep gorge known as the Prisoner’s Leap. The name comes from a traditional tale of local lad Ian McCormack Gunn, who is said to have jumped the gorge to escape his captors, the Keiths.
Stone steps lead up to the bridge, which crosses above a calm pool in the river – although a marker on the rocks on the opposite side shows the height the water reached during a huge spate in October 2006, when the bridge crossed earlier on the walk was washed away. It was replaced by the estate the following year.
I clambered up to the top of a grassy mound on the north side of the river – the site of another broch hidden below the surface.
It’s possible to continue the walk to the Prisoner’s Leap and climb the steep slope to reach the Loedebest track, if you are prepared to explore into the upper reaches of the strath. This time, I was content to make my way back from the bridge, so I followed the grass path to the right of a stone wall then into the hazel woods.
Lichens hung off the trees here, and there were wildflowers in abundance. A cuckoo called from somewhere nearby, and this peaceful evening proved a wonderful escape into nature.
The path meanders alongside the water, and eventually you see the old inn again on the far side and the earlier bridge. I continued back past the first broch and over the bridge across the Houstry Burn, then back along the final stretch to the car park beside the mill, which is now home to a local publishing company.
Route details
Dunbeath Strath circuit
Distance 3.7 miles / 6km
Terrain Variety of path surfaces, including gravel, rock, earth and grass; minor road; two wobbly suspension bridges to cross – plus another bridge
Start/finish Old Meal Mill car park, Dunbeath
Map OS Landranger 17; OS Explorer 450
Exploring the Dunbeath Strath and Water on a circuit starting from a historic mill and visiting a broch and ruined inn
Click here to see the route in OS Maps
