Walk 34

Thursday 9th October

Loch Crannach - Enochdu

Strenuous

Distance:  12km/8miles, 410m ascent
Start:  Royal Hotel, Blairgowrie. 09:00

Finish:  Enochdu car park 15:00, bus to Strathardle Inn for refreshments.  Bus leaves for Blairgowrie at 16:00
Limit: 25
Notes: Strenuous.  Hillwalking gear required. Packed lunch required.

Maps: Landranger 43, Explorer 387

About the walk:  

Beginning at Bridgend near Straloch in Strathardle this walk takes us up the lower section of Gleann Fearnach before striking up hill to Loch Crannoch. From here the route passes between two hills,  Creag Bhreac and Elrig. The latter means a deer trap or enclosure.  An elrig is usually a small hill close to a larger one, so that a col forms between them. 

In a mediaeval deer hunt there were no guns or weapons capable of killing accurately at a distance. Nor could a horse keep up with a deer in the rough terrain. So all the men and boys of the district would have formed a huge extended chain of  beaters to sweep the red deer from the glen and drive them towards the trap. 

Stop before you reach the highest point of the col. Imagine the scene here where the laird and his guests wait excitedly in ambush, with spear in hand and hunting dog on leash, for the rush of deer. Then the dogs are off, the deer run in panic and the hunters close in rapidly on the unfortunate beasts brought down to finish them off with spear, sword or arrow.

After all that excitement, its down to the Lunch Hut (see walk 20) for a rest and a sandwich before following the Cateran Trail down to Enochdhu.