Scalan – The Hidden Seminary in the Braes of Glenlivet
About 2.8 miles on foot.
Scalan is a plain old house at the head of the Braes of Glenlivet where, in the eighteenth century, young men were trained for the Catholic priesthood, hidden away among the hills.
The Glenlivet Estate's heritage trail walks out to it from Chapeltown across open hill country, then carries on up the burn, or stream, to a ruined farm. It's an easy walk into a quiet corner of the Cairngorms, with the Ladder Hills ahead of you.
- Time
- About an hour and a half: the Glenlivet Estate's Scalan Heritage Trail, 4.5 km from the Carrachs car park, with the old seminary about a kilometre in. An easy walk on open ground.
- The path
- Track and grass with a boardwalk at a ford and a stile; open, rough and wet in places.
- Where to start
- The Carrachs car park near Chapeltown, Braes of Glenlivet (grid reference NJ 243 201); free.
- Set off
- From November to January, set off by 1.30pm to be back in daylight.
- When to go
- All year in daylight; the estate shoots grouse from August to December and stalks deer on the Ladder Hills in October and November, never on Sundays. From November to January set off by 1.30pm.
- Dogs
- On a lead or under close control: sheep and cattle graze the trail, with calves in September and October. If cattle threaten, let the dog go.
- Children
- An easy walk for children who are steady near cattle.
- Toilets
- None known at the car park; the nearest public toilets we know of are in the Square at Tomintoul.
- Before you set out
- From August to December the optional climb to Tom Trumper may be closed while grouse are being shot; no shooting on Sundays. Red deer are stalked on the Ladder Hills in October and November: keep to the waymarked trail.
The walk
The trail starts at the Carrachs car park near Chapeltown, in the Braes of Glenlivet. It's a free gravel car park run by Crown Estate Scotland, beside ponds made in 2010 for wildlife. The Glenlivet Estate gives its Scalan Heritage Trail as 4.5 km, about an hour and a half, marked with orange arrows and a watermill sign. About a kilometre of track brings you to Scalan itself, a plain two-storey house with its old mill buildings beside it and the burn running past. The estate calls it one of the few places in Scotland where the Catholic faith was kept alive through the troubles of the 18th century.
The house is open to visitors all year, and the mill buildings only on certain occasions. The trail then goes on up the burn to the ruins of a farm before turning for home. The ground is track and grass, with a boardwalk at a ford and a stile, and it is wet in places, so wear boots. Sheep and cattle graze here, with calves in September and October: keep dogs on a lead, give cattle plenty of room, and let the dog go if they come at you. The trail has an optional climb to the top of Tom Trumper, and the estate says that part may be closed while grouse are being shot, from August to December.
There's no shooting on Sundays. Red deer are stalked on the Ladder Hills in October and November, so keep to the waymarked trail. From November to January, set off by 1.30pm.
If it rains
Open ground all the way, with no shelter but the house at Scalan: in steady rain keep it to the seminary and back, about two kilometres, and wear boots.
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 Scott K Marshall via Google