Dufftown – An Old Kirk, the River Dullan and the Giant's Chair
About 2 miles on foot.
Dufftown is a granite whisky town built round a Clock Tower, and a signed walk of two miles sets out from the tower's door.
It passes Mortlach Kirk and the distilleries at the foot of the town, then slips down into the wooded glen of the River Dullan, where the water has carved a rock known as the Giant's Chair. It's a good leg-stretch, and you're back in the Square in an hour and a half.
- Time
- An hour and a half: a signed circuit of 2 miles, or 3.2 km, with about 60 m of climb.
- The path
- Tarmac, gravel and grass, up and down, with short steep sections, some flights of steps, a kissing gate and rough ground near the Giant's Chair.
- Where to start
- The free car park just off the Square in Dufftown, a few steps from the Clock Tower.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. The river is at its fullest after rain, when the ground by the Giant's Chair is at its roughest.
- Dogs
- On a lead on the town streets and through the kirkyard.
- Children
- A river glen with a rough stretch near the Giant's Chair: keep children close there.
- Toilets
- Public toilets by the Square, near the start.
- Before you set out
- Graded moderate by Moray Council. Some rough ground beside the Giant's Chair, short steep sections, flights of steps and a kissing gate.
The walk
Park in the free car park just off the Square in Dufftown, a few steps from the Clock Tower, where there are public toilets close by. The tower stands at the crossroads in the middle of the town, and the signed paths round Dufftown all start and finish at its foot, beside a map board. Its clock is known as the clock that hanged MacPherson, after a freebooter condemned at Banff in 1700. The Giant's Chair walk is two miles, or 3.2 km, with about 60 metres of climb, and Moray Council allows an hour and a half for it.
It leaves the town by Mortlach Kirk and its old kirkyard. The story goes that St Moluag founded a church here in 566, which would make it one of the oldest Christian sites in Scotland. Then come the distilleries, and after them the path drops into the glen of the River Dullan, under trees and close to the water. The Giant's Chair is a rock that the river has carved out in spate, and the roughest ground of the walk is right beside it.
The rest is a mix of tarmac, gravel and grass, up and down, with some short steep bits, a few flights of steps and a kissing gate at the far end. It's signed the whole way round. Wear boots after rain, and keep children close along the river.
If it rains
The Dullan is worth seeing after rain, and much of the walk is on tarmac and gravel, but the rough ground beside the Giant's Chair and the steps are slippery when wet. In heavy rain, walk as far as Mortlach Kirk and come back the same way.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
The nearest of ours is Callie Bothy, 15 miles away. Sleeps 2; next free Fri 16 Oct to Sun 18 Oct.
Where to eat
Sidings Cafe, a restaurant in Dufftown.
For further reading, before you go.