THREE YEARS AGO I WROTE ABOUT A visit to Gorton bothy, a former shepherd's cottage occupied until the late 1950s.
The idea then was not to climb a hill, but just spend a night in the bothy. There was enough time in the late afternoon to gather wood for the fire and visit the site of the old Gorton signal box and halt on the nearby railway line.
A few weeks a
go we did not even walk in, never mind climb a hill. With me were Mark Stephen and Ian Nimmo. Mark is the presenter of Past Lives, BBC Radio Scotland's popular history series. "We have been all over Scotland and as far afield as Montreal and Malawi," he told me. "This time we were going to Gorton as a bit of fun." Why Gorton? "One of our contributors threw a dart into a map of Scotland and Gorton is where it landed." It's the second time they've done the dart thing – to prove "you can make a history programme anywhere in Scotland".
Chairman of the Robert Louis Stevenson Club and a former newspaper editor, Ian Nimmo is the author of Walking With Murder: on the 'Kidnapped' Trail, following the footsteps of David Balfour and Alan Breck. Ian's contribution was to talk about Rannoch Moor – and to drive us to the bothy.
A car? Surely not! But transport was, in fact, essential. Mark was travelling that day by train across Rannoch Moor and only reached Bridge of Orchy station at lunchtime. By the time we were underway it was well past 2pm. I should stress that vehicles are not permitted on the track to Gorton; Blackmount Estate gave special permission only to the BBC.
You will need Ordnance Survey map 50, Glen Orchy and Loch Etive. We headed for Achallader farm, by the top end of Loch Tulla. The public can use the track as far as a parking area at map ref 322443, near the remains of a stronghold used by a party of Campbells in 1692 before heading for Glen Coe. Head north-east to the ford over Allt Coire Achaladair.
Three years ago the ford was a foaming torrent. I had warned the others about this possibility so we walked down to have a look. In fact, despite recent rain, the crossing posed no difficulty. Ian returned to the car, then casually drove over. If you visit during a dry spell, you will wonder what all the fuss is about. One tip is to take Wellington boots, leaving them on the far bank, though on return and close to the car, wet feet do not matter.
The track crosses the Water of Tulla and continues opposite Crannach Wood with its ancient pines, beautiful remnants of the old Caledonian Forest. On our trip we had glorious weather and the fresh greenery contrasted with the white-topped crags of Beinn a' Chreachain beneath a cloudless sky.
From Gorton bothy, a good place for a refreshment stop, a newish track goes to a bridge at map ref 380481, or rather a bridge of sorts, for much of the decking has been washed away. Cross with caution. The track continues south-east, leading to a larger-than-usual cattle creep under the railway and so to the remains of Gorton halt beneath the broad northern slopes of Beinn a' Chreachain.
We had ample time to muse about the family that once lived there. A carriage body on the island platform was used as a school until the early 1950s, with the teacher arriving daily by train from Bridge of Orchy. The school roll at one time reached around a dozen. The signal box was closed in 1968 and the remainder of the manned boxes on the entire West Highland line were closed during 1987/88, with the introduction of a new signalling system controlled from Banavie, near Fort William.
Despite the electricity pylons that straddle Rannoch Moor, it is a scenic spot, oddly enhanced by the presence of the railway. We could have lingered longer and the north-east ridge of Beinn a' Chreachain would have been tempting if earlier in the day, but it was time to head back.
The programme on Gorton and Rannoch Moor will be transmitted on Tuesday, 25 March, at 11:30am. It will be available on Listen Again for a week after that at www.bbc.co.uk/radioscotland
FactfileMap Ordnance Survey map 50, Glen Orchy and Loch Etive
Distance 10 miles
Height 200m
Terrain Good track, though with a ford to cross
Start point Achallader, north of Bridge of Orchy, at map ref 322443
Time 5 to 6 hours
Nearest village Bridge of Orchy
Nearest refreshment spot Bridge of Orchy Hotel
The full article contains 795 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
