Glenmulliach – A Viewpoint over Tomintoul and the Cairngorms
About 3.4 miles on foot.
Glenmulliach is a forest in the hills just outside Tomintoul, and the Glenlivet Estate's walk through it climbs on a forest road to a viewpoint at the edge of the moor.
From the stone indicator there you look over the village to the high tops of the eastern Cairngorms. Beside it, old pine stumps in the peat are what is left of a forest that grew here some 3,000 years ago.
- Time
- About two hours: the Glenlivet Estate's Glenmulliach Viewpoint walk, 5.5 km from the forest car park to the viewpoint and back by a forest loop. An easy walk with a steady climb.
- The path
- A forest road climbing steadily, then moorland track and a loop on forest tracks; deer-fence gates.
- Where to start
- The Glenmulliach Forest car park, about two miles south of Tomintoul off the A939 (grid reference NJ 193 168).
- Set off
- From November to January, set off by 1pm to be back in daylight.
- When to go
- All year in daylight. From November to January set off by 1pm. In winter the track can lie under snow.
- Dogs
- The estate says livestock are unlikely here; on a lead on open hill ground from April to June.
- Children
- A steady climb on a wide forest road.
- Toilets
- None known at the car park; free public toilets in the Square at Tomintoul.
- Before you set out
- The viewpoint is open to the wind; in winter the track can lie under snow.
The walk
The walk starts from the Glenmulliach Forest car park, about two miles south of Tomintoul off the A939. The Glenlivet Estate gives it as 5.5 km and about two hours, marked with green arrows and a dragonfly. A forest road climbs steadily to the edge of the moor, where a stone table names the hills in front of you: Tomintoul in its strath, and the long, high skyline of the eastern Cairngorms beyond. The pine stumps in the peat beside the viewpoint are the only trace of the Caledonian forest that stood here some 3,000 years ago, and the moor round them is being restored as peatland.
Look out for mountain hares, which turn white for the winter. The viewpoint is where the walk turns, and the way back is a loop through the forest. The small reservoir by the track is kept as an emergency water supply for helicopters fighting forest fires. The estate says you're unlikely to meet livestock on this walk, which makes it an easy one with a dog, and there are deer-fence gates to open and close behind you.
The top is open to the wind, and in winter the track can lie under snow. From November to January, set off by 1pm. The nearest public toilets are in the Square at Tomintoul.
If it rains
The forest road gives some shelter, but the viewpoint is the point of the walk and it goes in low cloud: keep this for a clear day.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Li-ying Chang via Google