Glen Calvie Lodge to Braeantra Track
Start location: Glencalvie Lodge (NH 464 892)
End location: Braeantra, Strath Rusdale (NH 567 781)
Geographical area: Ross and Cromarty
Path Type: Rural Path, Drove Road
Path distance: 16.5km
Accessibility info: Suitable for pedestrians
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Route DescriptionFrom Braeantra, the right of way continues up Strath Rusdale by the private road on the north side of the Abhainn Glac an t-Seilich. Cross the col at the head of the glen to reach Lochan a’ Chairn and continue northwest along the track beside the Salachie Burn for 2km before bearing west over a col at 437m to descend quite steeply into Glen Calvie. Go down this glen past Glencalvie Lodge to The Craigs in Strathcarron.
OS Landranger 20 (Beinn Dearg & Loch Broom) & 21 (Dornoch & Alness)
Heritage Information
This is a good example of an old track that traverses a large part of Scotland. It is said to be part of an ancient drove road between Alness and Ullapool.
The route appears in the Ordnance Survey's 1st edition 6" to the mile map from the mid 19th century as a double lined track so it must have been fairly well made. No old maps seem to show the track as being very well populated so it was possibly a relatively quiet road. However, the Clearances reached Glen Calvie in 1845 - 90 people from 18 families were removed from their homes and replaced with sheep. This may account for the route looking little used when the OS surveyed it not that long afterwards.
The Old Parish Church at Croick lies 2km up Strathcarron from The Craigs. The people cleared from Glen Calvie in 1845 sheltered in the churchyard due to bad weather. Many of their names can still be seen scratched on the window panes of the church.
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