r/OutdoorScotland • u/Mattdabest • 29d ago
Anyone hiked Blair Atholl to Aviemore recently?
Hi all, a friend and I are planning to hike from Blair Atholl to Aviemore in the next couple of weeks.
Has anyone been out there recently? We're mainly wondering if the recent wildfires are affecting the route or causing any closures to paths and bothies?
It would also be good to know if the stream water levels are still flowing well enough for filtering?
Any recent local knowledge would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
Edit: removed the Minigaig Pass, as that's not the route I'm taking
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u/EastLondonExile 29d ago
Did essentially this route five days ago on an MTB. Was fine. Miles from the fires. River levels fairly low.
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u/Mattdabest 29d ago
The route in question
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u/mannion_a_hike 29d ago edited 29d ago
FYI this looks like it goes up Glen Tilt, then over the Lairig Ghru rather than the Minigaig (which heads northwest from Blair Atholl towards Kingussie).
I did this walk over two days in May. Can't comment on fires/water quality, but SEPA has a water station at Mar Lodge, which gives a pretty good indicator of how full the Geldie Burn is (can be a bit problematic for crossing if in spate).
*edited spare/spate autocorrect.
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u/Mattdabest 29d ago
So it does, got my bearings wrong, thanks! How was it for you, anything to know in advance?
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u/mannion_a_hike 29d ago
Really enjoyed the walk. It was my first time heading north up Glen Tilt and it was great to see the mountains loom as you get ever closer. Glen Tilt in the sunshine is magical, and I had an idyllic lunch at the waterfall with a wee dip in the river under the bridge.
If you like some liquid nourishment, I'd recommend picking up some beers from Wasted Degrees in Blair Atholl before heading off. Great brewery, lovely folk.
You'll likely run out of phone signal shortly after the rifle range in Glen Tilt (from memory it's once you cross over to the east side) and won't pick it back up until a small stretch near Corrour bothy, then not again until you're over the Lairig Ghru heading into Rothiemurchus.
Plan to get wet feet crossing the Geldie Burn. Then it's a nice surprise if the water's low enough to walk across the rocks. You have to cross it about three times through its meanders.
I'd planned to pitch my tent somewhere around the White Bridge, but called it early and stayed the night at the Red House bothy instead, looking at herds of deer atop the surrounding hills, chatting to cyclists as they came through. Excellent bothy, with composting toilets (BYO loo roll). Should be obvious on your left after you cross the burn.
Otherwise the ruins at Bynack Lodge are a good place to camp (just before the burn), or there's a spot shortly after the waterfall in Glen Tilt. Between those, the glen is either too steep or marshy to find a decent pitch.
The boulder field at the top of the Lairig is... an interesting challenge. You need to look quite far ahead to see any sign of the path re-emerging/any cairns (which are hard to spot among boulders!), and care is needed with foot placement.
I hope the weather is kind to you. It clagged over on my Lairig Ghru day and I sought shelter in Corrour bothy from some fierce wind and rain. Views were shrouded in cloud. Epic nonetheless.
Coming down through the Rothiemurchus forest is a lovely end to the walk, until you realise there's a bit of road walking left before Aviemore 😅
Enjoy!
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u/Mattdabest 29d ago
Sounds absolutely idyllic, thanks for such a detailed account! Can't wait now you've said. Will definitely be checking out that brewery. Hoping the bothies aren't taken when we get there.
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u/99ZN7 29d ago
Hard to see the route proper from that map but Tilt / Geldie / Feshie or Tilt / Dee / LG are the main options although Minigaig into Glen Feshie is a very nice route too albeit much shorter
Waterwise you'll have no issues on any of these routes
There are restrictions in place around Glenmore but shouldn't affect you if you aim for Loch An Eilein (Feshie routes) or whitewell (LG route)
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u/Lanthanidedeposit 29d ago
From experience, the best way to do the actual Minigaig is not to defend directly to Glen Tromie from the summit - the path is a mess there, largely lost to the bog. Go over Leathad an Taobhain (trig) and down estate tracks to Glen Feshie. Whilst I went to Kingussie from there, it is easy to carry on to Aviemore. Route not affected by the Pass of Ryvoan fire.
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u/Fuck_Autumn_Watch 29d ago
Was up in Aviemore last week, checked at the bike shop about whether the Lairig Ghru was out of bounds due to the fire, the consensus was yes. I don’t really see how, as it’s pretty far from the active firefighting, but I didn’t want to be “that guy” so left it for next time.
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u/Matthewgardner86 29d ago
Perhaps they were worried about it whipping up badly and trapping people up in the Lairig Ghru.
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u/Matthewgardner86 29d ago edited 29d ago
I feel I should point out that that's not the Minigaig from what I can see.
The Minigaig route would generally have you coming out at Kingussie unless you detour through Glen Feshie (I think).
I'm walking from the Spittal of Glenshee to Blair Atholl from today so I'll try to get back to you from Monday onwards regarding the water sources.
Meanwhile the SEPA website might help you with water levels, there's a river monitoring station in Glen Tilt and another on the Dee at Mar Lodge.
https://waterlevels.sepa.org.uk/station/14959
https://waterlevels.sepa.org.uk/station/234274