SCOTLAND


Left: Looking back towards Corrour from the route to Ben Alder Previous page: Dalwhinnie is the joint- highest distillery in Scotland


SCOTLAND Glasgow EDINBURGH


Doire-Uaine


Lochan na


DALWHINNIE STATION Dalwhinnie


BEALACH DUBH BEN ALDER


Loch Ossian CORROUR STATION 5 miles


Loch Ericht


BEN ALDER COTTAGE


in the snow for months; another year of press intrigue passed before he was identified as a French water board worker. In truth, Ben Alder is less a conventional


peak, more a plateau: an upland kingdom where winter’s reign is uncontested through much of the year. Crossing it, we encounter many species of snow. First: flurries of feather- soft snow that dust our backpacks and dew our paper maps. On the summit: vengeful snow that spits in our eyes as the windchill hits -10 C. For a few frightening hours, a whiteout sees snow and cloud coalesce into a single state of blankness. By evening, we make our exit — tracing


moonlit paths of lilac snow off the plateau, pitching camp by a pine forest and pushing accumulating drifts off our tent roof. Across Britain, holidaymakers craving a fix of winter snowfall are fleeing to Scandinavia or the Alps; meanwhile, up on the roof of the country, we are ensconced in this pocket Arctic, where the only footsteps are our own — though these too are soon erased by fresh flurries.


Fire from snow Hidden in the foothills north east of Ben Alder is a little body of water: Lochan na Doire-uaine. From the loch, a watercourse chunters for some miles eastward through the hills, supplying water for the Dalwhinnie whisky distillery. On our final day, we walk in parallel to its course, pacing a forester’s track by Loch Ericht. Eventually the chimneys of the distillery appear on the horizon. We arrive exhausted and exalted at our finishing line.


96 NATIONALGEOGRAPHIC.COM/TRAVEL


“Dalwhinnie in Gaelic means ‘the meeting


place’,’’ says distillery guide Peter Wemyss, as he leads us through warehouses full of stacked casks. “It was where old drovers gathered with their cattle before heading south. This has always been a place where people gather.” Dalwhinnie is also where our path meets the


railway line — Peter explains casks were once exported by rail from the station next door. We seek temporary sanctuary in the distillery, amidst hot copper stills that thaw our extremities, tasting single malts that warm our bellies. Feeling the slow fire of whisky in our throats, it’s curious to think this liquid began as snows that fell on the foothills of Ben Alder, many winters ago. It’s after dark when the southbound


Caledonian Sleeper hauls into Dalwhinnie. As we speed south, I lie in my bunk thinking of Bruce Chatwin’s classic book The Songlines. In it the legendary travel writer outlines his theory that man, in his true state, is a nomadic creature, destined and designed to walk the Earth on foot. But most intriguing is Chatwin’s evidence for our innate nomadism: that children still have to be rocked to sleep, and to soothe their young, parents recreate the motion of ancient ancestors who carried their offspring while walking to new pastures. Being on the move meant all was well. Soon I enter a deep sleep in my bunk, the


carriage rocking beneath my mattress, the train moving through the tangle of railway lines that bind this country. But I am still dreaming of the mountains and passes that lie in between.


GETTING THERE & AROUND Corrour is served by the Caledonian Sleeper service between London Euston, Crewe, Preston and Fort William, while Dalwhinnie is served by a sister service that runs between Euston and Inverness. Accommodation on board includes seats as well as private berths, available with and without en suite. Single berths from London to Fort William cost £140. sleeper.scot Dalwhinnie and Corrour are both served by daytime ScotRail trains from stations such as Glasgow Queen Street. scotrail.co.uk


WHEN TO GO The Corrour–Dalwhinnie crossing is a significant undertaking, appropriate for experienced hillwalkers with good fitness and navigation skills, who are comfortable with heavy packs. In winter, you’ll need to bring an ice axe and crampons and have the skills to use them; be aware of avalanche risk in passes like the Bealach Dubh. A good time to cross is late spring, April to May, after most of the snow has melted but before Scotland’s midge season.


WINTER COURSES For courses in Scottish winter skills try Glenmore Lodge in the Cairngorms or Scotland-based courses from the Plas y Brenin National Outdoor Centre. glenmorelodge.org.uk pyb.co.uk


WHERE TO STAY Loch Ossian Youth Hostel. From £23, shared room. hostellingscotland.org.uk Ben Alder Cottage. Free, donations accepted. mountainbothies.org.uk


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ILLUSTRATION: JOHN PLUMER


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