“…the Glory of Scotland is as elusive as the climax to human love.
Highland Holiday by F. Alex Wills (1947)
Your favorite glen, mountain, or sea-scape, may bring you as near the Deity as conscience permits, and your conception of this Glory of Scotland rests in your soul: your affinity with the Infinite.”
The final day of my June holiday in the Cairngorms had arrived (and my birthday I might add). Fresh off of five epic hikes in the Cairngorm mountain range and Speyside areas and a pub crawl in Inverness, I was looking to close out my trip with something a bit more broad to capture the essence of the Cairngorms. I hearkened back to a driving tour which I once did in County Meath Ireland which continues to have a special place in my heart. So, I decided to do the same in the Cairngorms. Besides, I reluctantly paid for a rental car upgrade and it was time to get my money’s worth.
The inspiration
A brewtiful drive through County Meath
It’s not always about the hike or the bike, sometimes a drive can really be brewtiful, especially in Ireland.
Continue reading A brewtiful drive through County Meath
So I pulled out a map, searched for distilleries and breweries and followed the most logical trajectory. This is what I came up with.
- Castle Roy
- Tomintoul Distillery
- Tomintoul
- Lecht Mine (Well of Lecht)
- Corgarff Castle
- Balmoral Bar (Ballater)
- Royal Lochnagar Distillery
- Balmoral Castle
- Braemar Castle
- Braemar Brewing Co.
- Devil’s Elbow Viewpoint
- Scenery Between Braemar and Glenshee
- Moulin Brewery
- Pitlochry
- Blair Athol Distillery
- Dalwhinnie Distillery
- Final Remarks
Castle Roy
If there is one thing you can expect on any brewtiful drive through Scotland, it is castles, and this drive does not disappoint. The oldest of the bunch is the first stop about 19km from Aviemore past the village of Nethy Bridge, Castle Roy, built around the mid-12th century.
After Castle Roy, you get the first taste of the type of scenery to expect on this drive. You will be frequently looking for places to pull over on the side of the road.
Tomintoul Distillery
About 27km from Castle Roy is the first of four distillery stops on the drive. Tomintoul Distillery offers tours (which I skipped) and thankfully sells dram-sized bottles in the gift shop. Souvenir number one.
Tomintoul
The village of Tomintoul is just a few kilometers later.
“The late Summer in this shire of Banff was bringing out masses of colours on the hills and braes, all prinked by pretty specimens of plant life and late blooms. The bees were busy; the birds were happy; and then Tomintoul dismissed all that.
Highland Holiday by F.A.Wills (1947)
Tomintoul is said to be the highest village in Scotland…”
In the middle of all of the scenery, the main road (Old Military Road or A939) runs directly through Tomintoul making it a popular stop for tourists. There are several shops, cafes, and a museum dedicated to the Tomintoul & Glenlivet distilleries to waylay the passerby. It was still quiet in the morning. I had a quick browse and moved on.
Besides the scenery, one of the big distractions of driving through Scotland are the curious houses that appear from time to time in a distant field like a ghostly apparition. Sometimes these structures are in ruins and other times intact but looking infrequently used like this one, as if it is an old outpost for the vast farmland that it sits on.
Lecht Mine (Well of Lecht)
Verge of the Scottish Highlands by William T. Palmer (1947)“In many Highland legends it is stated that His Satanic Majesty has a peculiar fancy for this spot: it is a desolate place indeed.”
Eight kilometers further is Lecht. Next to the road is an old well in which it was customary for travelers to toss three stones in order to appease the Devil. With apologies to Beelzebub, I didn’t actually see the well, which was camouflaged under a shroud of heather, while the Well of Lecht sign directs you to a parking area on the opposite side of the road. Here, there is a path leading to the ruins of an iron and manganese mine which I mistakenly associated with the well. The building sitting at the end of the long valley (about 800m from the parking lot) is the former crushing plant. The hike would be a beautiful one with more time. Horror movies have been based on lesser acts against the Devil than not paying a three-stone toll, so here’s hoping my birthday karma would protect me.
Corgarff Castle
Proceeding past Lecht, it is good to note that this is the second highest road in Scotland at well over 2000 ft. in elevation. This becomes quite evident as you start to descend and reach the Corgarff viewpoint.
“Corgarff Castle is a dreary-looking four-storied fortress, and was last occupied as a barrack.”
Verge of the Scottish Highlands by William T. Palmer (1947)
It is possible to visit the castle, but I was more interested to keep driving. From Corgarrf, some of the most beautiful scenery of this drive is found on the 35km from the viewpoint to the town of Ballater. There are several lonely places which just beg you to park the car, don some hiking shoes, and disappear into the horizon.
Balmoral Bar (Ballater)
“A century ago, according to Chamber’s Gazetteer of Scotland, Ballater was the most fashionable watering-place in the northern part of the kingdom, and at that time, in the summer and autumn months, the resort of an immense concourse of persons who flocked thither to enjoy the benefit of the mineral water, to indulge in match-making and innocent flirtations…”
Verge of the Scottish Highlands by William T. Palmer (1947)
I wasn’t in Ballater to visit a spa or partake in any Victorian Tinder activities. I was there to enjoy my first beverage of the drive at the Balmoral Bar. This was the perfect place to sip a beer from a brewery I would stop at later on, Braemar Brewing Co. Ballater is a charming town worth more time.
Royal Lochnagar Distillery
14km from Ballater is the Royal Lochnagar Distillery, which sits adjacent to the property of Balmoral Castle. The close association with the royal family led to the permission to use the term Royal in their name. They don’t normally offer tasting unless you take the tour, but they were kind enough to offer me a 2cl taste of their 12-year old single malt.
Balmoral Castle
Balmoral Castle is the natural next stop, but a proper visit would have consumed 2-3 hours, and I still had a long way to go. The crowds also were a deterrent. So, I passed it by and stopped at a quieter castle just down the road.
Braemar Castle
This castle, which sits right along the road, was built in its present form in the early 17th century. It was then burned down in 1689 by John Farquharsen during a Jacobite rising to prevent the government forces from using it. He later purchased the ruins and the land. Ironically, the castle was eventually restored as a military garrison. Today, the castle still belongs to the Clan Farqueharsen and is open for visits.
Braemar Brewing Co.
The delicious pale ale I savored in the Balmoral Bar is brewed in the village of Braemar at this family run business. The wife runs the patisserie while the husband takes care of the brewery. There is a small shop selling the main three beers, a golden ale, pale ale, and stout.
Devil’s Elbow Viewpoint
The Old Military Road going south from Braemar is one the most intense and thrilling driving experiences I have ever had. If you didn’t realize how high up you were by now, the white-knuckle descent will ensure you don’t forget. Along the way down, there is a pull-off called the Devil’s Elbow Viewpoint which gives some spectacular views.
Scenery Between Braemar and Glenshee
Past the Devil’s Elbow, the views continue to be amazing, tempting you to stop at every pull-off along the road. In one case, progress was interrupted by a few of the local residents.
Moulin Brewery
When you finally emerge from the Highlands, the drive heads towards Pitlochry. An interesting brewery can be found just before arriving to the city center. Here you can sample the Braveheart Ale or pick up a gift pack for the road.
Pitlochry
Pitlochry is a popular stop on any bus tour out of Edinburgh, and it sits just off the main highway from Edinburgh to Aviemore and Inverness. The town has all the charm and schmaltz you would expect for a village which thrives on the bus tour crowd. I have never had a proper opportunity to explore it, but I have passed through on a few occasions. It has two distilleries, Edradour and Blair Athol. Edradour is a nice walk from the city center, which I did back in 2016, but as of the latest information on the Edradour website, the distillery is now closed to visitors.
Blair Athol Distillery
Blair Athol Distillery is still open to the public and has a very nice visitor center with tasting possibilities. I enjoyed my final imbibition of the drive with a sample of their 12-year old single malt.
Dalwhinnie Distillery
From Blair Athol, the drive hops on the highway going north back to Aviemore. Dalwhinnie is the highest distillery in the Highlands and sits just off the highway. It is one of my favorite whiskies, so naturally I needed to pick up a souvenir dram glass to take home.
Final Remarks
Four distilleries, two breweries, and one pub. A brewtiful drive indeed! It was the perfect closing ceremony to a fantastic week in the Cairngorm National Park. It was a week where the term munro was added to my vocabulary, where the air was filled with the aroma of whisky malt and the yellow gorse, where the windy mountain tops defied the summer with gale force winds and sub-freezing wind chill, where vistas of breathtaking proportions leave you in no doubt of the concept of the Glory of Scotland. And meanwhile, the Devil found himself three stones short. Good deal.
itsabrewtifulworld 