Dufftown and the Giant's Chair

Dufftown stands on high ground above the deep valleys of the River Fiddich - peat stained from the ancient moors from which it springs - and its tributary the Dullan Water, whose soft water bubble from the peaks above Glen Rinnes. The town was founded by James Duff, 4th Earl of Fife, to ease unemployment following the Napoleonic Wars. In 1817, leaseholders were granted a plot of building land and three acres - enough to graze one cow.

The clock tower is the main focus of the town. It was built in 1839 as the town jail. The clock came from Banff and it is known locally as 'The clock that hanged MacPherson'. Jamie MacPherson of Kingrussie, was a Robin Hood character sentenced to death in Banff in 1700. Villagers who had benefitted from his redistribution of wealth raised a petition for his reprieve. This was granted, but the villain of the tale, Lord Braco, Sheriff of Banff, had the clock put forward one hour and the pardon arrived too late to save MacPherson.

The walk heads downstream to the handsome stone buildings of Mortlach Distillery, one of the oldest in the country. It was founded in 1823. In that year, an Act of Parliament set out to encourage legal distillation, effectively ending the illicit trade. According to local legend, this distillery was built on the site of a thriving illegal still.

The Dullan Water hurries along the boulder strewn bed between ash and alder trees on banks that, in spring, are carpeted with sweet cicely, which fills the air with a smell of aniseed. Where the path winds uphill, the woodland floor is covered with glossy hummocks of the giant woodrush and dotted with wood anemone, dog violet, foxgloves and tangled bilberry.

A tiny footbridge crosses the Linen Apron Waterfall, whose light spray nurtures delicate green mosses, lemon scented ferns and liverworts. Along the riverbank, ash, gean and whitebeam shelter dense thickets of hazel, blackthorn and juniper. A path leads to the Giant's Chair, a natural limestone seat which overlooks a deep, dark, moss fringed pool. The guarded drop overhangs a deep ravine of limestone cliffs that have been worn into huge potholes by spring meltwaters. The Chair is one of the biggest formations, and makes a surprisingly comfortable seat, complete with footrest, though the giant who sat here must have been a slender example. Further upstream is a larger pothole, the Giant's Cradle.

Look back as you cross the footbridge and leave the woods behind, and you will see Meikle Conval, an outlier of Ben Rinnes which is the source of Dullan Water. Ben Rinnes towers 2,755 feet (840 metres) high.

Next up on the walk is Dufftown Distillery which beckons the return into town but rather than heading back to the centre the walk veers off to the left about 200 metres after passing Mortlach Parish Church to follow a series of grassy lanes between fields in order to reach Princess Royal Park, a tree covered hill incorporating Meg’s Widd. Up and over the park leads to Conval Road which is followed eastwards back into town and the starting point of the walk.

Incidentally, back at Mortlach Parish Church is the Battle Stone. the seven foot tall monolith commemorates King Malcolm II's defeat of the Danes in a battle of the early eleventh century. However, the stone is much older. Also, within the church, is the Elephant Stone, which was uncovered in 1923. It is adorned with mythical and mysterious animal symbols of Pictish origin.