Callater Burn

The Callater Burn is a small river in Aberdeenshire’s Grampian Mountains. It rises at Loch Callater, 501 metres above sea level, and winds north-west for two kilometres before turning north for another two and a half. After another three-kilometre stretch it joins the Clunie Water just south of Braemar. The burn passes rocky crags named Creag nan Gabhar, Creag an Loch and Meall an t-Slugain on its way. The valley it carves, Glen Callater, holds Loch Callater itself and its main tributary, the Allt na Loch. The glen leads toward the Tolmount on the Angus border. No houses line its banks, and the only crossing is Auchallater Bridge, a modern structure on the A93. Prince Albert admired the glen’s beauty during Queen Victoria’s final outing in 1861. Visitors find a quiet upland landscape of heather moor and rounded hills. The river’s clear water rushes over stones, and the loch reflects the surrounding crags. A path follows the burn upstream from the bridge, offering views of Creag nan Gabhar’s dark cliffs. The air carries the scent of bog myrtle and the sound of curlews calling over the moor. At dusk the light lingers on the water, turning the valley into a still, remote place.