I only recorded the way back down, to save the phone's battery — 10.55 km, 2 hr 18 min and 12,665 steps recorded — so the distance and steps above are that leg doubled. The way up took longer than the way down.

Same rule as always before anything else: always go back down the way you came up. If you’re not sure of the ground, that’s the way you know.

A fair warning before you set off: this one’s about 21 km there and back, and there’s wet feet and marsh along the way.

And one for the dog walkers: you might hear gunshots in the fields on this one. If your dog’s sensitive to loud noises, keep him on a lead.

Getting parked

The app did its job and took me to the car park, right at the Welcome to Glenlivet Estate board. There’s sufficient space, which is understandable since Cook’s Cairn is a 20 km round trip from here.

The Glenlivet Estate car park, with the estate board and a picnic
bench

The road on from the car park, with the green estate fingerposts on
the left

To the bridge

Carry on down the road after the car park and bear right, and keep walking until you see a bridge over to your right. You should see a couple of cars as well — this is where the path leads down towards the bridge. The red one doesn’t look roadworthy, so there’s a good chance you’ll see it too if you’re doing the walk.

The fork where you bear right, a stone monument on the mound and Chase out in front with his ball

The bridge

On the way to the bridge is the first water obstacle, but there’s ways around it at either side.

The grassy track running along the burn, the Livet Walk fingerpost ahead on the right

The burn crossing the path, Chase already over, and the bridge just beyond

When you get to the bridge, don’t cross it. Look left and you’ll see a gate — head towards that gate.

The Livet Walk sign beside the bridge, with the hill behind

The gate to head for, with its Please shut the gate sign, the burn running past on the right

Through the woods

Keep walking straight ahead after the gate until you come to a second gate, which takes you through a wooded area.

The second gate at the edge of the woods, Chase and his ball waiting
at it, the path running dark into the
trees

It’s a little boggy halfway down the path here, but again, just check the sides — there’s always a way round, be it stones or sometimes bridges in these types of areas.

The open field

Carry on until the next gate, which takes you into another open field, and just keep walking straight with the fence on your left.

The field with the fence on your left, sheep beyond it and the poles marching on ahead

Be aware of gunshots here. If your dog’s sensitive to hearing them it might scare him off, so it’s maybe worth keeping him on a lead if he gets anxious at loud noises.

Another wet patch

Once you reach the next gate, turn right down the path.

Chase coming through the next gate, the open moor showing beyond the trees

The track turning down between the fences, the moor and the hills ahead

You’ll come across another wet patch. This one has a little bridge to the right that’s worth taking, but you can use the stones that surround it to step across — so it’s your pick, unless you’re wearing flip flops.

The wet patch across the track, Chase weighing it up from the stones,
and the way on climbing to a gate
beyond

The second bridge

Remember the bridge from earlier, the one you didn’t cross? Well, the next one you see is pretty much identical — and you’re crossing this one, and turning left until you come to a gate with a small house to the right.

The gate past the house, estate boards on it, Chase already through on the left

After the gate you have around a 10 to 15 minute walk until you reach the next gate, where things get interesting.

The stony track through the heather, Chase stopped to check I'm still coming

The next gate, the bag down beside it and Chase waiting on the far side

The river crossing

After the gate, always bear left by the river to keep on the track. You may come across sheep on this trail, so it’s good to keep your dog on a lead.

The waymarked track along the moor, sheep grazing ahead and Chase out on the left

The track heading on towards the hill, a puddle sitting across it

Eventually you’ll come to a river crossing. It’s shallow, and if you don’t mind getting your feet wet then cross it. But if you want the dry route, look up to your right and you’ll see a small abandoned farmhouse with a bridge next to it — head up towards that bridge, cross the river, and then head back down towards the track to join it at the other side.

The river crossing — shallow, with stones reaching part of the way over

Chase on the flat, the abandoned farmhouse showing away at the foot of the hill

Me, I took the bridge route on the way up and the wet route on the way back, as I just wanted home by that point.

The steady climb

Once you’re back on track, keep walking until you see a gate. From here it’s a steady climb all the way up to Cook’s Cairn.

The gate at the foot of the climb, a hand-written Please Close The Gate note on the post

The grassy path climbing through the heather, still holding its colour

First you’ll come across an abandoned farmhouse on your right, then another on the left behind it.

The first abandoned farmhouse, Chase settled in the grass by the
drystone wall

An old horse-drawn implement rusting into the grass by the wall

The second ruin behind it — one gable and its chimney pots still standing, the rest open to the sky

The fork

After the house, keep following the track until you come to a fork. Take the path to the right and keep going.

The fork in the track, Chase stood at the split and the fingerpost on
the mound between the two

A waymarker post with its wee blue arrow, keeping you right along the path

The fingerpost at the fork — the right-hand arm reads SP30 The Steplar, Cabrach 9 km

The windmills

The climb is a steady one, and it started at the fork to be fair. This is the point where the views started to kick in. I took some photos of the windmills, then had a look back and took in the view of where I’d just walked up.

The first windmill showing over the ridge as the track climbs

The wind farm on the ridge, the path curving in below the big one

Looking back down the glen at the whole way walked in, the farmland
away below

The Cook’s Cairn sign

Keep walking until you see the Cook’s Cairn sign, which is pretty much under the windmill’s nose. The climb here is a steady one through heather and a vague stone path.

The Cook's Cairn fingerpost with the hill's broad top ahead and a windmill at its back

Worth taking a look back here to admire the view again.

Looking back from the climb, the farmland showing green through the gap in the hills

The windmills right beside the path now, the sun in behind the cloud

The whole wind farm spread over the moor, its roads winding through the heather

The top

We made it!

Me lying back against the cairn stones at the top

The photos of the view from the top are not so great — because of the rounded top there wasn’t really an edge to get a decent picture of the view below. I might need to invest in a better camera to capture these, or a drone.

The view from the top, turbines and hills layered away under the cloud

The flat top, with Corryhabbie Hill sitting out on its own across the way

The broad summit plateau, the wind farm away to the right

That’s another one ticked off though.

The way back

Then we headed back down, taking in a few more scenic views on the way. The big hill across the glen the whole walk, by the way, is Corryhabbie Hill — I had to look it up on the app’s map after.

The burn pooled blue by the path, the house away on the skyline

The river winding back down the glen, sheep out on the grass

From the second bridge, the sun on the water and the trees round the house

The river running wide over shingle near the end, forestry beyond

Worth knowing

That’s the toughest one to date in terms of distance. This is the first time my legs have felt sore in the morning — a clear sign of the work!

Is there a quicker way up? I’m not sure, as this was the route I picked. So it’s maybe worth doing your own research if you’re not willing to travel that far.