Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve

Cairngorms Walk

Loch side walk + the Vat

Walk Route Description

Click image to see photo description.

Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve offers a wide range of habitats including dry heath, raised bog, woodland, and two lochs: Loch Kinord and Loch Davan. The reserve provides a habitat for flora and fauna. One of its most notable features if the Vat where you can make your way through a crack to stand in a cavern and hear the echoes of water which seems to pour out of the rocks.

The circular walk starts from Dinnet car park (grid ref. NO459987) at the junction of the A93 and A97. After parking walk to the rear of the carpark and join the path running to the left of a playground. Continue past a row of boulders and follow the path into trees. Continue along path marked with orange arrows past chalets. The path continues across a footbridge and then bears left along Clarack Lock. Keep following path on the right with water on the left. Head left through trees to join a stony path. Climb a bank and walk roughly parallel with a row of poles. Go through gates and across a track (grid ref. NO450989) to join path signed to Lock Kinord (Point A).

The walk continues in an anticlockwise direction around the loch. The path is waymarked with white duck waymarks and follows the 'blue walk - Loch Kinard Trail'. Reaching a path junction at the northeast corner of the loch (grid ref. NO446997), bear left following the duck waymarks and bear left by a bench to reach the edge of the loch. Continue beside the loch to reach the stone with Celtic markings. Head for bench above the stone cross to join a grassy waymarked track. Turn left at arrows (grid ref. NJ439001). Stay on the undulating waymarked path. Cross a clearing near a road, follow waymarks and continue past a metal barrier. Keep right at fork and shortly after left along a narrower path. Turn right to cross the road to the Burn o' Vat Visitor Centre.

To continue, pass to the right of the visitor centre and join the waymarked 'red walk – Vat Trail'. Follow path uphill heading left and then sharp left up the viewpoint. Turn right and follow path. Opposite a 'car park sign' turn left down stone steps and then follow path right. After more steps cross a footbridge and turn right and continue over rocks in the stream through a ravine to reach the Vat. Return down towards the bridge but do not cross. Follow level path with the stream on your left and continue back towards the road. Cross the road near car park entrance and turn right to rejoin the 'blue walk – Loch Kinard Trail'. Following the duck waymarks, cross a footbridge and continue ahead for 1.5 kilometres. The path reaches the edge of the loch and continues around a small promontory before veering away from the loch to cross a footbridge and the point where you first joined the walk around the loch at point A. Retrace your steps back to the carpark.

Walk GradingMore Cairngorms Walks

Other walks nearby

Walk 2181	Invermark Castle, Loch Lee & Falls of Unich	mod/hard	10.7 miles
Walk 1771	Ladder Hills Circular from Chapeltown, Glenlivet	mod/hard	9.5 miles
Walk 3108	Creag Choinnich circular from Braemar	easy/mod	4.0 miles
Walk 2706	Morrone (Morven) from Braemar	moderate	7.4 miles
Walk 3081	Bennachie and Mither Tap from Bogend	moderate	6.0 miles