Burn o'Vat, 'MacGregor's Cave'

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Children will love the Burn o'Vat. 

Starting point: Burn o' Vat car park on the B9119 between Cambus o' May and Tarland

Distance:  short (0.5 miles / 0.8 km)

Climb: 30m, short steep parts

Difficulty: medium
Underfoot: mixed - good paths generally but slippery rocks to get into into the Vat
Estimated time to complete: 45 minutes
Scenic value: 10/10
Overall rating: 10/10

View Burn o' Vat in a larger map

Comments: If you've got kids who like scrambling over rocks then of all the walks on Deeside this is without doubt the one for you. A good one for anyone who fancies themselves as a modern-day Indiana Jones too.

In fact, if I was showing someone around Deeside and I had one walk to take them on - this is the one I would choose. 

On the down-side: the scrambling over rocks means comfortable shoes are a must. Those unsteady on their feet are not going to get the most out of it and please ensure you closely supervise over-enthusiastic children. This walk does involve clambering over rocks that can be slippery so please take extra-special care. 

The Ordinance Survey / Bing Maps view of the same area. 

Route  

The walk starts at the Burn o Vat car park off the B9119 between Cambus o' May and Tarland. 

Start at the car park.

The walk is essentially a circuit starting and ending at the car park. You can go either way but the sign-posts suggest you should start by following the path in front of the information lodge to the left of the car park so that's the way I'll guide you. 

Start by walking past the front of the information lodge. 

From the car park walk past the front of the Information Lodge. 

At the far side of the lodge the path leads into the trees. Follow it. 

Follow the path into the trees

First of all you'll pass some toilets. 

Continue past the toilets.

The path winds around down a slope until you get to a foot bridge over a brook. Cross the bridge. 

Cross the bridge over the brook. 

There are marker posts all the way. After a short distance you'll see another bridge to the right. Ignore it (for now) and keep walking in a straight direction following the little brook up the valley. 

Go straight ahead past the 2nd bridge to your right.

The path continues past pretty silver larch trees on both sides. 

Continue to follow the path up the valley. 

After a short distance you will come to a wall of boulders across the narrow valley. The path seems to suddenly come to a halt, or does it? 

Look closely, there is a gap in the rocks where one huge boulder has fallen over two others. Look down - what is that? The rocks in the water seem to have been arranged in a sort of line through the narrow gap in the rocks. The only question is: are you intrepid enough to step onto them and see what is on the other side? 

The path seems to end at a wall of tumbled down boulders  - or does it? 

Step carefully over the stones in the water. After a short distance the passage widens out into a huge cave with over-hanging rocks on either side and a water-fall at the further end. This is the "Vat", also known as "MacGregor's Cave". 

The Vat, "MacGregor's Cave"

The Vat was created 13,500 years ago by powerful streams of water carrying rocks and gravel towards the end of the last Ice Age. 

As the ice retreated the stream became less powerful and deposited  the gravel which covers the base of the vat. No-one knows how deep the gravel is and therefore how far the rock walls go down. 

No-one knows how deep the vat goes underneath the gravel. 

Not only is the Vat a geological marvel, in more recent times it was also the hiding place of bandits. In the 1600s a notorious cattle rustler called Patrick "Gilderoy" MacGregor and his band were rumoured to use it as their hide out. According to the arrest warrant issued by the Privy Council in 1636:

"they come in darkness of the night down to the country, fall unawares upon the houses and goods of His Majesty's poor subjects and spoil them of their goods...to the disgrace of law and order."

All landowners were charged to hunt, follow and pursue MacGregor and his gang "and never to leave off their pursuit til they be either apprehended or put out of the country."

However it wasn't for another 22 years, in 1658 that MacGregor was finally apprehended and hanged. 

The particularly intrepid can climb the waterfall and follow a narrow foot path that leads further up the little valley, however for this walk I suggest retracing your steps through the stone tunnel and back onto the path. Follow it until you come back to the little bridge to one side. 

Cross the bridge which is now on your left as you go down the valley. 

This time cross the bridge. 

On the far side of the bridge a path leads up the side of the valley. 

Follow the foot path up the side of the valley on the opposite side of the bridge. 

At one point there are steps set into the earth. 

Now, continue to follow the path as it leads along one side of the valley, back down hill towards the car park.  

After a short distance the path reaches a T junction. Follow the directions on the marker post and turn right, heading down the valley. 

Turn right at the T junction. 

After another short distance you'll come to a viewing point constructed on the spur of the side of the valley. In front of you is a panoramic view over Loch Kinord and the Dee Valley towards Dinnet and Aboyne. 

Take a moment at the viewing platform built on the side of the valley. 

Continue to follow the path as it twists left and right and then leads down through the trees back to the car park where you began. 

A short distance later the path returns to the car park. 

Congratulations! You have completed the walk up Burn o' Vat.