Our first task on Thursday morning was to cross the Allt a' Chaoil-réidhe. This had abated a lot since yesterday afternoon, but was still a formidable river, so it was a great relief that the footbridge was in good repair, if a little rickety! We were very glad there hadn't been a frost the previous night, as ice on the planks might have been just a bit too much!

The path downstream was in good condition. The valley was opening out into a wide, peaty plain with occasional traces of past forestation as stumps and branches loomed from the bog. We spent some time looking backwards with fondness towards the Ben Alder range as we were leaving the area.

As we rounded Meall Beag towards Loch Ericht, the scenery became much more domesticated. We saw trees for the first time since Loch Ossian, developing into mature parkland around Ben Alder Lodge

The lodge itself was a wondrous construction in crenellated and castellated stone, with towers and turrets galore

From here, the going was easy. The estate road is metalled (the first tarmac we'd stepped on since Euston!) and snugly follows the shoreline of Loch Ericht. I'm sure that the view up the loch is magnificent - when you can see it!