Hidden Scotland
Sign in
Loch Callater lying in its glen between heather slopes and hills.
Aberdeenshire

Loch Callater

A good track up a quiet glen south of Braemar to a high loch hemmed in by mountains.

Welcome

Loch Callater lies in a high glen south of Braemar, a long sheet of water hemmed in by mountains, and the walk to it is one of the gentlest ways into the big hills of the Cairngorms.

It starts from the car park at Auchallater, by the bridge over the Callater Burn on the A93, and follows a good track up the glen. This is the start of Jock's Road, the old drove route over the hills to Glen Doll, and a famous name in the long fight for the right to walk in Scotland. The burn tumbles beside the track in a string of small falls, the heather turns the slopes purple in late summer, and the glen opens out to the loch.

The round trip is about 11.5km (7.25 miles) with little climbing, three hours or so. A longer circuit goes right round the loch, though it means wading the river at the far end. There is a charge for the car park.

A short drive awayFarquharson's Bar and KitchenBraemar's village pub, in an old grocer's shop, with a beer garden over the Clunie Water.6 min by roadSee itThe white front of Farquharson's in the middle of Braemar.
Before you go

About 11.5km (7.25 miles) there and back from the car park at Auchallater, with little climbing.

There is a charge for the car park.

Start
Auchallater car park, A93.
Distance
About 11.5km.
Time
Three hours or so.
Where it is

Braemar.

Close byAround Braemar.
  1. A path through the heather towards the wooded slopes of Creag Choinnich above Braemar.Creag ChoinnichThe little hill above Braemar, home of a hill race said to date back to 1064, with a view over Deeside.5 miles 7 min by road
  2. Saltire flag flies above the Fife Arms Hotel's stepped gablesBraemar5 miles 6 min by road
  3. The Bothy's wood-lined café room in Braemar, a dog at the big windows over the river.The Bothy Braemar5 miles 6 min by road
  4. The Flying Stag, AberdeenshireThe Flying Stag5 miles 7 min by road
  5. Bertie's Whisky Bar, red velvet chairs among walls of bottles in lamplight.Bertie's Whisky Bar5 miles 7 min by road
Directions
The white front of Farquharson's in the middle of Braemar.BarsFarquharson's Bar and Kitchen4.6 miles
Gordon's glass counter of cakes under its chalkboard sign in Braemar.CafeThe Gordon’s Tearoom Braemar4.7 miles
The Duke of Rothesay Highland Games Pavilion at Braemar, green timber under red roofs and a white clock tower.AttractionsBraemar Highland Games Centre4.9 miles
Sitting room with white fireplace, portrait and framed prints, sofas draped in floral coversAttractionsBraemar Castle5.3 miles
Devil’s Elbow Viewpoint, AberdeenshireAttractionsDevil’s Elbow Viewpoint6.1 miles
The deep trench of the Lairig Ghru between steep hillsides.AttractionsThe Lairig Ghru8.7 miles
Glen Shee from the road, heather and hills under a wide sky.AttractionsGlenshee10 miles
River tumbling over rocky rapids through pine forest under grey skiesAttractionsLinn of Dee11 miles
Stone church with spire and rose window at end of tree-lined driveAttractionsCrathie Kirk14 miles
The Daily for 17 October, from Scotland with love. A wide waterfall churns over rock ledges, autumn trees lining the gorge.

The Daily

Arrives at 5am every day.

A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

Stay nearby

Places to stay near Loch Callater, and when each is next free.

A landscape view of Faunoran House from the garden, the terrace and its white table, the house reflected in the long pond.Faunoran House
  • Sleeps 10
  • In Crathie
  • 9 miles from Loch Callater
Free 17–19 OctA grand stone house with multiple gables and chimneys stands on a lawn at dusk, a Land Rover parked in the drive under a stormy sky.Gairnshiel Lodge
  • Sleeps 16
  • In Glengairn
  • 13 miles from Loch Callater
Free 18–20 OctA wooden table and chairs with green cushions stand on a stone patio beside a gabled stone house, a lawn stretching in front.Laggan Cottage
  • Sleeps 8
  • In Ballater
  • 13 miles from Loch Callater
Free 18–20 OctTwo grey linen sofas face each other across a dark wooden coffee table, checked roman blinds at the windows and a framed landscape print on the wall.Old School Cottage
  • Sleeps 7
  • In Ballater
  • 13 miles from Loch Callater
Free 17–19 OctPlaces to stayEvery stay in AberdeenshireAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

Every photograph commissioned, every word written by somebody who went. Printed twice a year, made in Scotland.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Find out more

For further reading, before you go.