Lugares de interés (POIs) del Mapa
0: Ben Bhraggie
 | Grade -  Distance - 9 km/ 5.5 miles Bog Factor -  Time - 2.5 - 3.5 hours Click for Ben Bhraggie walk description Click for more walks in Sutherland |
| Homecoming walk information - The Sutherland Monument A steep climb brings you face to face with the massive monument to the 1st Duke of Sutherland - the architect of some of the most notorious clearances in the Highlands. The 1st Duke of Sutherland was born George Granville Leveson-Gower in 1758. He is said to have been the wealthiest man of the nineteenth-century. Having moved up through the ranks of nobility he was created Duke of Sutherland in January 1833. The clearances undertaken at his command began in 1811 and went on until 1820. While some commentators have said that at heart he was an agricultural reformer wanting to better the condition and prospects of both his tenants and his land, the main consensus seems to be that he lacked mercy and carried out the forced evictions of his tenants, including the elderly, infirm and very young, with a ruthless conviction. He began with the glens in Assynt, forcibly removing tenants to coastal villages where there was insufficient good soil to support the new population which was unused to supporting themselves from the sea and had no assets to start new enterprises. When later evictions met with opposition this was cruelling repressed, with homes and churches being burnt even while people were sheltering in them. The massive monument, known as the Mannie, was erected on Ben Bhraggie in 1837. Subscriptions to pay for the monument were solicited from far and wide, including substantial contributions from the Estate's tenants. The monument is visible all the way along this section of coast and from the viewpoint on Ben Bhraggie it is possible, on a clear day, to see across to both west and east coasts as well as the tops of the mountains in between. The monument remains controversial, and in 1994 a Scottish National Party member proposed that it be demolished or relocated to nearby Dunrobin Castle. However despite this, and alleged plans to blow it up, the monument with its massive statue of the 1st Duke of Sutherland remains as a reminder of the power and wealth of one man. | |
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1: Creag Bheag
 | Grade - Distance - 7 km/ 4.25 miles Bog Factor - Time - 2.5 - 3.5 hours Click for Creag Bheag walk description Click for more walks in the Cairngorms |
| Homecoming walk information - Leaving for Sydney The Highland Clearances forced many inhabitants of Badenoch and Strathspey to emigrate. This walk retraces the steps taken by one group who wanted a final view of their beloved homeland before they left Kingussie on foot heading for Fort William where they boarded a boat bound for Sydney. The walk to the top of Creag Beag, overlooking Kingussie, was immortalised in Gaelic song by Donald Campbell. He recorded that they looked down on the land where they had always lived with "heart rending grief". Ten of the emigrants, many of whom belonged to the Clan MacPherson, were to perish during the long four month voyage before the arrival in Sydney harbour to start their new life in Australia. | |
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2: Boreraig and Suisnish
 | Grade - Distance - 17 km/ 10.5 miles Bog Factor - Time - 5 - 7 hours Click for Boreraig-Suisnish walk description Click for more walks on the Isle of Skye |
| Homecoming walk information - The Skye Clearances Retrace the route taken by the villagers of Boreraig and Suisnish when they were forcibly cleared from their homes in the mid 19th century. Amidst the stunning coastal scenery of the Isle of Skye, the remains of numerous stone houses can still be seen in these two settlements. As you wander between the buildings and old field boundaries imagine the panic spreading through the community as Lord Macdonald's agent read a notice ordering the eviction of his tenants. A matter of days later two entire villages were on the move, taking with them whatever they could carry. Once gone, their homes were burnt and profitable sheep were moved in to graze the pockets of green fertile grass. The geologist Archibald Geikie in the area at the time and wrote an eyewitness account of the clearance of Suisnish. Hew wrote 'A strange wailing sound reached my ears... I could see a long and motley procession winding along the road that led north from Suisnish... There were old men and women, too feeble to walk, who were placed in carts; the younger members of the community on foot were carrying their bundles of clothes... while the children, with looks of alarm, walked alongside.... A cry of grief went up to heaven, the long plaintive wail, like a funeral coronach, was resumed.. the sound re-echoed through the wide valley of Strath in one prolonged note of desolation'. The former inhabitants of Boreraig and Suisnish were mainly from the McInnes, Macrae and Matheson families. Many sought shelter in neighbouring towns and with relatives, whilst others emigrated, mainly to Canada. This 10 mile walk follows the excellent path from the ruined church of Cill Chroisd in Strath along an ancient route to the remains of the village of Boreraig. The route then dodges waterfalls as it passes beneath high cliffs and skirts the pretty coastline following the path villagers would have taken to the smaller settlement of Suisnish where sheep fanks are busy with the summer shearing but deserted for most of the year. After exploring the beautiful bay at Camus Malag, the walk returns along the road passing a loch renowned for its visiting Whooper Swans. | |
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3: Pananich Woods
 | Grade - Distance - 5 km/ 3 miles Bog Factor - Time - 1.5 - 2 hours Click for Pannanaich Woods walk description Click for more walks in the Cairngorms |
| Homecoming walk information - The Canadian Connection Trace the story of the Newfoundland lumberjacks who came to Ballater in 1940 by exploring the remains of their living and workplace, Glenmuick Camp at Dalmochie, visited on part of this walk in Royal Deeside. During the second world war, timber was desperately needed for the war effort, but was in short supply due to the number of men who had joined the armed forces and were not available to work felling trees and also because supplies from the Baltic States had been cut off. Reversing a tradition of emigration to Canada from the Highlands, many Newfoundlanders moved to a number of locations across the Highlands to work as lumberjacks. Many responded to radio announcements in Canada appealing for volunteers in November 1939. One of the camps was established just outside Ballater. When the men arrived, they first had to built the camp, consisting of log cabins with communal washing and eating facitilies, as well as a water supply and sewage system, stables and a blacksmiths. Approximately 60 Canadians lived at the camp, each receiving $2 a day from which $1 was compulsorarily deducted to be sent back to their families. By mid 1940 Newfoundland lumberjacks were felling trees across the Highlands at a rate of 3,000 a week, producing 10,000 cubic feet of timber - quite a contribution to the war effort. On this walk, which at first climbs high above Ballater to look down on the town and the River Dee, passes through the remains of the camp at Dalmochie, where the footings for the huts and other works can still be seen. Information boards show more information and photos of the men who lived and worked in sometimes bitter winter weather conditions many thousands of miles from home. | |
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4: Loch Affric
 | Grade - Distance - 18 km/ 11.25 miles Bog Factor - Time - 4.5 - 6.5 hours Click for Loch Affric description Click for more walks in Glen Affric and Loch Ness |
| Homecoming walk information - the homeland of Clan Chisholm Glen Affric is one of the most beautiful Highland settings - with the remains of fine pine woods, stunning lochs and wild mountain scenery. However life would have been hard for the people who lived on this land, the soil was poor and the farming would have been at subsistence levels. For centuries the population had supplemented their income by felling timber and in 1750 Roderick Chisholm built a sawmill in the Glen to try and keep up with the demands of the industrial revolution for wood to fuel the iron smelters and other expanding processes. From 1780 onwards the glen was systematically cleared of its population as sheep were introduced as a way to make more money from the lands. The Clan Chisholm suffered at the hands of their own clan chiefs who owned the land and many dispersed around the globe in the mass migrations. The sites of some of the settlements are passed on this walk that also allows you to appreciate the wild beauty of the area. | |
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5: Scone circuit
 | Grade - Distance - 9 km/ 5.5 miles Bog Factor - Time - 2.5 - 3 hours Click for the Scone circuit description Click for more walks in Perthshire |
| Homecoming walk information - David Douglas, Father of Forestry From near the spot where the Kings of Scotland were crowned, explore the landscape that inspired a new generation of travellers and entrepreneurs. This walk gives the chance to examine the David Douglas memorial which sits in the churchyard of Old Scone Church. The church itself was moved, just over 200 years ago, when the village of Scone was relocated to its current position further from Scone Palace. The memorial commemorates, Douglas, who was born in Scone in 1799, the son of a stonemason. He worked as a gardener at Scone Palace before going on to study botany. During the 1820 he undertook a number of daring voyages and brought back over 240 different species of plant to Britain. The result of his work can be seen in the many garden herbs and perenials such as lupin, flowering current and penstemon, however it is on the general Scottish landscape that he had an even bigger influence, introducing forestry species such as the Sitka Spruce and the Douglas Fir named in his honour. At the young age of 25 David Douglas died having apparently fallen into a pit trap in Hawaii and been gored by a bull that had also fallen into the trap. This walk explores the area where he was brought up including two local landmarks with excellent views over Perth City and the surrounding countryside. | |
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6: The Birks of Aberfeldy
 | Grade - Distance - 3.5 km/ 2 miles Bog Factor - Time - 1 - 2 hours Click for the Birks of Aberfeldy description Click for more walks in Perthshire |
| Homecoming walk information - The Birks and Burns The Birks of Aberfeldy was a favourite place of Robert Burns who visited in 1787. The tumbling burn twists through a narrow gorge of birch and other trees. The beauty spot was popularised by Burn's song, The Birks of Abergeldie, and the landowner built a network of paths and bridges to cater for the growing number of visitors. Chorus: Bonie lassie, will ye go, Will ye go, will ye go, Bonie lassie, will ye go To the birks of Aberfeldy! Now Simmer blinks on flowery braes, And o'er the crystal streamlets plays; Come let us spend the lightsome days, In the birks of Aberfeldy. Bonie lassie, &c. While o'er their heads the hazels hing, The little birdies blythely sing, Or lightly flit on wanton wing, In the birks of Aberfeldy. Bonie lassie, &c. The braes ascend like lofty wa's, The foaming stream deep-roaring fa's, O'erhung wi' fragrant spreading shaws- The birks of Aberfeldy. Bonie lassie, &c. The hoary cliffs are crown'd wi' flowers, White o'er the linns the burnie pours, And rising, weets wi' misty showers The birks of Aberfeldy. Bonie lassie, &c. Let Fortune's gifts at randoe flee, They ne'er shall draw a wish frae me; Supremely blest wi' love and thee, In the birks of Aberfeldy. Bonie lassie, &c. | |
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7: Hallaig
 | Grade - Distance - 6 km/ 3.75 miles Bog Factor - Time - 2 - 2.5 hours Click for Hallaig description Click for more walks on Skye |
| Homecoming walk information - Hallaig and Sorley Maclean Visit the haunting remains of Hallaig, a fertile village on the Island of Raasay, near Skye. Here celebrated Gaelic poet, Sorley Maclean, set his epic poem about the heartbreak of having to leave the land here. The south of the island was cleared to make way for sheep and deer, the crofters having to resettle in the relatively barren northern tip of the island or on the rocky slopes of neighbouring Rona. The landlord even built a wall to keep the two parts of the island separate and at one point banned marriage on Raasay in the hope of depopulating it further. This walk sets out from North Fearns where in 1919, a group of crofters from Rona, including a number of soldiers returning from the first world war, returned here and tried to set up crofts. They became known as the Rona Raiders and although they eventually gave themselves up and were imprisoned, they publicised the plight of crofters after the Highland Clearances and the Government instigated the Napier Commission to look into the situation. This eventually resulted in crofters being given security of tenure. | |
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8: Signal Rock
 | Grade - Distance - 2.5 km / 1.5 miles Bog Factor - Time - 1 - 1.5 hours Click for Signal Rock description Click for more walks in Glencoe |
| Homecoming walk information - The Glencoe Massacre Visit the spot where the signal was given to begin the notorious Glencoe massacre. On the morning of 13 February 1692 the Campbells turned on their hosts, the MacDonalds all along the glen killing many and sending many more fleeing into the nearby countryside where many would perish in the harsh weather. The massacre took place because the MacDonalds had pledged an oath of allegiance to the King too late to meet a decreed deadline. Many believe that the massacre was carried out on the orders of the King himself to set an example to the Highlanders. It marked a key point in the assault on Highland culture that eventually reached its nadir in the Highland Clearances. | |
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