History: Dunkeld to Aviemore

An early morning start from Dunkeld as today you will be travelling the southern part of “The Snow Road” through the Cairngorm Mountains. This road will take you over the Cairnwell Pass, the highest main road in the UK with a summit altitude of 670m, with incredible views and many opportunities to stop and explore. Take time to visit the Glenshee Pottery and Visitors Centre (PH10 7LP) and learn about the history and heritage of the area. Once over the summit you are on the long decent down into the valley of the Clunie Water and onwards to Braemar. There are two castles that in Braemar that point to the importance of this village in Scottish History.

Kindrochit Castle was built around 1390 and was used by King Robert 2nd, probably as a hunting lodge. The castle’s demise came when the occupants became infected by the plague and the Braemar villagers decide to take extreme measures by destroying the castle using cannon, trapping those inside!

Braemar Castle is just about a mile to the East on the banks of the River Dee, guarding an important River Crossing Point. It is an impressive tower house built in 1628 by the Earl of Mar, again as a Hunting Lodge. The 6th Earl of Mar raised the Jacobite Flag in Braemar starting the ill-fated Jacobite Rebellion of 1715. After the 1745 Rebellion the castle was used by government troops to quell the area and supress Jacobite support.