Walking & Climbing in Invercauld Estate
Numerous walks start a short distance from Braemar - at the Linn of Dee, Inverey, Linn of Quoich, Glen Callater and the Keiloch. For further information please refer to "Walking in Grampian", "Short Walks and Cycle Routes Around Braemar" and Ordnance Survey "Landranger 43" - all available from the Tourist Information Centre, Braemar. A Hillphone service is also in use.

There are many kilometres of Estate tracks around Braemar which can be followed on foot or on bike. Many of these are ancient Rights of Way passing old crofts, mills and steadings and giving opportunities to delve into the rich history of the area. Several of the Estate tracks are suitable for cycling and for the more adventurous multi-day mountain bike routes can be planned overnighting at remote bothies. There are over 30 Munros in the immediate vicinity of Braemar giving weeks of pleasure to the more energetic walkers.

Rock climbing in the area boasts some of the earliest recorded climbs in Scotland. The mountain crags of the Cairngorms, Lochnagar and the Creag an Dubh Loch are justifiably famous for hosting superb, well protected granite slabs and cracks. Lower crags also are popular, with the Pass of Ballater offering excellent climbs in a roadside location. In winter the climbing really comes into its own; Lochnagar and the remote corries in the Cairngorms offering challenging ice and winter routes that are truly world renowned.

Ordnance Survey Maps
www.osmaps.co.uk

Landranger Series 1:50,000 scale
(2cm to 1km or 1 3/4 inches to 1 mile)

Explorer Series 1:25,000 scale
(4cm to 1km or 2 1/2 inches to 1 mile)

Harvey Maps
www.harveymaps.co.uk

Wild Camping

Camping wild in open country is one of the best ways to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of the hills. When done responsibly it has little impact on the environment but increased numbers of campers mean that we must all now take more care than previously. A little thought and effort can pre-empt many of these potential harmful impacts.

Plan ahead, and consider not only your own impact, but the repeated impact by others.

1. CONSIDER OTHERS
   People go to the hills for solitude. Keep groups small.
   Remember that people have to make their living from the land.
   Camp as unobtrusively as possible.
   Remember that noise travels from tents disturbing wildlife as well as humans.
   
   
2. SET AN EXAMPLE
   Minimum Impact Camping
   Commit yourself by following this code and encourage your friends to do likewise.
   Take personal responsibility for the care of our fragile environment.
   If you are in doubt about any of your actions, make an effort to find out what is right. Don't carry on wondering whether your present practice is right or wrong.
   Enjoy the freedom of wild camping without leaving a trace of your passage. Protect our country's outstanding scenery and biodiversity as well as the wilderness experience.
   
   
3. TOILET HYGIENE
   Always find a spot at least 30 metres from fresh/running water when going to the toilet.
   Bury excrement in a small hole (not under boulders). A trowel or ice axe can be used to lift a flap of turf. In areas of sensitive upland vegetation, such as the Cairngorm plateau, vegetation takes a long time to recover, so holes should not be dug at all.
   Be particularly careful to bury excrement properly when the ground is snow covered.
   Burying tampons and sanitary towels doesn't work as animals dig them up. Please carry them out.
   
   
4. LEAVE CAMP AS YOU FOUND IT
   Remove all litter (even other peoples!) Carry out what you carried in. Think ahead and only carry in tins, bottles or gas cylinders if you are prepared to carry them out. Do not bury or hide them under stones as it offends those who visit after you and can harm wildlife.
   Choose a dry site to pitch on rather than resorting to digging drainage ditches and removing vegetation and boulders. In replacing boulders, return them to the same place, same way up.
   
   
5. CAMPING AND THE LAW
   The Trespass (Scotland) Act of 1865 makes it an offence to encamp or light fires on private land without the consent of the landowner. It has not been used recently against hillwalkers or climbers, but the MCofS believes it should be amended so that responsible wild camping is no longer a criminal offence.
   The Criminal Justice and Public Order Act (1994) gives the police powers to deal with either an encampment which involves more than six vehicles or a smaller encampment where there is damage or a public order offence. It has not yet affected wild camping and appears unlikely to.
   The Road Traffic Act 1988 makes it an offence to drive a motor vehicle onto private land without lawful authority. No offence is committed, however, where a person drives within 15 yards of a public road for the purpose of parking. This does not imply that a person has a right to do so.
   
   
6. ROADSIDE CAMPING
   This is not Wild Camping
   Use an official campsite with sanitation facilities if there is one available.
   If you wish to camp near houses, seek permission before pitching.
   Remember vehicles have a great impact on vegetation. Park on hard ground or on a safe metalled area. It is better to walk to your car than to drive to your tent.
   Avoid sites which are at risk of being overused.
   Take particular care with toilet hygiene.
   Pitch late and leave early. Be unobtrusive.
   
   
7. PROTECT VEGETATION
   Camping on the same spot harms vegetation. Aim to move frequently.
   Vegetation is more sensitive at higher altitudes. Aim to camp lower down in glens where vegetation recovers more easily.
   Dead wood is an important habitat for insects and many small animals, so it is best to avoid fires even for cooking.
   Lighting fires poses a high fire risk on peaty soils and close to tinder dry grass. A high risk of fire can exist at any time of year, and not just in times of drought.
   
   
8. MINIMISE DISTURBANCE TO WILDLIFE
   Watercourses and loch sides are important sites for birds and animals. Avoid the temptation to camp immediately beside them. Look around for other sites if possible.
   Food scraps (even when buried) attract scavenging birds and animals which prey on more sensitive nesting birds. Carry all scraps of food out with you.
   Be prepared to move if you become aware that you are disturbing nesting birds or animals.