Spectacular Badenoch views await on family’s first outing
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A BOARD at the Uath Lochans car park describes this forest as "Strathspey’s best kept secret". Judging by the number of people here on a dreich weekend, Strathspey isn’t very good at keeping secrets.
It’s a fair way off the beaten track — the car park lies a few miles down the B970 from Rothiemurchus near Aviemore, taking a left turn shortly after the turn-off for Kincraig and Loch Insh — but plenty of people had made the journey on this day, despite the rainy weather.
From walkers to mountain bikers, this area is fantastic for outdoor fun, and that’s what we wanted to introduce our little baby girl to on her first mini adventure!
When we set out from the car, we weren’t sure if the pushchair would make it all the way around this walk, but the tracks and paths are in good condition and we managed just fine.
With blankets and raincover on, we headed out the far side of the car park following the green and red marker post onto a good vehicle track that swings towards one of the four lochans.
As it skirts round to the right, take a narrower track right that heads directly away from the lochan.
The trees here are mostly part of a large plantation but they are mixed with ancient Scots pine. It makes for some fantastic views, especially through an area of young trees where the Monadhliath mountains come into view over to the right.
It felt like we’d hardly started going when we arrived at the next track junction, where the red markers direct you up left at a fork.
There’s a short climb up the hill here but it’s nothing near to "strenuous" as the board back at the car park warns. We happily pushed the pushchair up the hill without any real strain as a family with young mountain bikers pedalled past.
On reaching an open area you join up with the Badenoch Way, getting a glimpse of the view you will soon enjoy in full from the top of Farleitter Crag, and the path gets a little narrower and winds its way uphill a little further.
You drop down to another junction where you turn left to remain on the Badenoch Way, going down a wee dip before climbing again. A little further on, the Badenoch Way route heads off to the right as you continue straight ahead then follow a few bends in the track between lines of trees.
When you arrive at another junction, go left past a large rock. The green and red routes split a little further along the track, with the green route heading right and our red route continuing ahead.
Looking at the OS map earlier, the path here looks less obvious and we were prepared to take the pushchair along the shortcut on the green route, but we were all able to continue to the fine viewpoint on the red route thanks to the well-made hard surface, making this perfect for our first family walk in the wilds.
Ahead we saw through a narrow gap in the trees a fine view over the hills where the track skirts sharply right then left up to a cairn which sits proud above the path on the right.
Just ahead, a huge rock — with a nice bench hidden just behind it — provides the perfect spot for a view over the green forests and Loch Insh below to the magnificent Monadhliath mountains. The low-hanging clouds meant our view was hindered but it somehow looked more dramatic in this veil of mist.
The rain was pouring by now so we quickly continued round to the right where the excellent path dips and rises quite steeply, with a huge drop over the edge of the Farleitter Crag close by to our left.
As we continued we enjoyed spectacular views down to the four Uath Lochans which we had parked beside. On a good day I reckon you’d be able to see over them and across Glen Feshie to the Cairngorm summits of Sgurr Gaoith and Sgoran Dubh Mor, and maybe even Braeriach from here, a superb mountain we had climbed last year with Peter Evans along with Sgor an Lochain Uaine (Angel’s Peak).
Now we were on our way down from the crag, meeting the green route again and turning left to follow a good vehicle track which passes the white route — a gentle but soggy stroll around the lochans that I don’t think we would have got the pushchair around!
We soon met our outward route just round the corner from the car park, and found our way to the fantastic teashop at Inshriach Nursery on our way home. Well, we’d earned a good slice of cake after that walk, even if it wasn’t as strenuous as had been suggested.
