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The Third Ardnamurchan Tourist Association GPS Treasure Hunt

The third and most comprehensive of the three. Involves GPS work & traditional navigation. It's more physically and mentally challenging.

This walk also requires traditional navigation equipment as well as use of the GPS

ACHNAHA OAK AVENUE to "Treasure" !!.

OS Map

2007 - Magnetic variation 6º West.

Distance: 4.7 km.

Time: 2:30:10 round trip.

Av. Moving speed 2 .5 kph.

INTRODUCTION:

The walk has been chosen to give a good walk with variation and views. It also has the capability of revealing several animal, reptile and bird species plus butterflies, moths, and dragon flies to name a few.

Peat bog and highland flora are also well represented - fungi in September / October. Excellent landscape photographic opportunities.

The secret for seeing wildlife is to choose a time and conditions that suit them. (Adders like to sun bathe on exposed rocks or logs. Wild Cat, at dusk or early morning, they also like to sun themselves in the earlier morning sun.) Wear none bright colours. Move slowly with many pauses to study the ground ahead before moving on again. Tread quietly and keep silent !!. Always try to avoid having the wind coming from behind you and carrying your scent towards the wildlife.

Take a dog on the lead. My dog is called Rafiki (Swahili for friend) He often indicates where game birds are (Snipe or Grouse), on this walk. Voles too !!.

It is possible to leap frog GPS points but this spoils the opportunity besides you are likely to run into high fences without gates and long sections of tough going, expanses of bog or other obstacles. I have also built in the requirement to visit some sites in order to obtain further directions etc. to stop you leap-frogging. (A mean "begger", am I).

See Hints & Tips page

Way point Information:

ALL Point references are in GPS format:-

A mixed minutes/decimal format which is becoming the standard for GPS equipment. All values are positive; the hemisphere is indicated by 'N' and 'W'. Minutes are attached to the degrees of the coordinates, while seconds are expressed in decimal format with the minutes.

A GPX file of the waypoints is available for download here

A GPX file of the Route is available for download here

These files can be imported into your GPS program on your PC, and then loaded onto your GPS, please consult your user manual.

Click here to show google maps with the waypoints marked

START:

Park where possible by the Sanna road. Approx Grid ref' :- 464 680.

Go to "Piggin's Corner" of the fence line, (Piggin's because there was a family of pigs in the field, now there is only a big Gloucester Old Spot boar. I call him "Coshon Spot On" His real name is Iain. The sow was Jaqui, as is the minister's wife, so they called him Iain after the minister or so it is said !!) Eastern corner above the oak avenue and follow the fence line NE.

ROUTE:

Part a, points 30 - 48 & Part b, 51 to 54, and the "Next Steps" stash point.

Point 30.

N 056º 44.080'
W 006º 08.810'

"Piggins Corner" Eastern corner of fence line, above Oak avenue.

Point 31.

N 056º 44.113'
W 006º 08.783'

Note the "Wishing Stone" up on the hill - Not accessible because of fences.
You don't have to go near the stone to wish, all you need to do is to be able to see it and turn a piece of silver

Wishing Stone

Follow the fence line until you come close to a small new steel gate. Cross onto the first hillock about 40m ( 80ºTrue) then head 10ºTrue, keeping the estate deer fence to the E. Let it guide you to the far corner then keeping close to the fence go to the old iron "Kissing Gate" near by.

Point 32.

N 056º 44.184'
W 006º 08.673'

Look out for Snipe, Hooded Crow, Raven, Grouse, Stone Chat, Wheat Ear and many other birds.

Point 33.

N 056º 44.224'
W 006º 08.587'

Toads are common but Newts are fewer.

Point 34.

N 056º 44.353'
W 006º 08.496'

Off parallel to estate deer fence, Head 10ºTrue keeping the deer fence to the east. Let it guide you to the far corner then keeping close to the fence go to the old iron kissing gate hear by.

Point 36.

N 056º 44.486'
W 006º 08.493'

Deer fence corner

Point 37.

N 056º 44.505'
W 006º 08.531'

Kissing Gate. Watch out for bad walking spots both sides of the gate, particularly the deep, innocent, looking hole on the N side

Head on to the burn. Note the old dilapidated building while on the way. There are over 20 types of ground Orchid and great examples of peat bog flora.

There is a steep descent to the burn. A small fall tumbles into a pool which generally holds wild brown trout. Seek a shallow place to cross. On sunny days, Adders are often seen along the bank.

Now looking some 60ºTrue this is the direction you will be heading in.

In Spring and autumn scanes of greylag geese can be heard & seen flying over.

Adder

Point 38.

N 056º 44.573'
W 006º 08.256'

Point 39.

N 056º 44.580
W 006º 08.234

Foxes, Pine Martin & Wild Cat are around but very difficult to find.

Point 40.

N 056º 44.638'
W 006º 07.977'

On approaching point 39 you will see a valley going up almost due N at the head of which you will find the main Glendrian track. Glen Glendrian (Valley of the Hawthorn - or is there more than one ?) to Fascadale or vice versa. It does not look steep but makes you puff just the same.

Glendrian

Point 41.

N 056º 44.737'
W 006º 07.933'

Point 42.

N 056º 44.737'
W 006º 07.755'

Point 43.

N 056º 44.713'
W 006º 07.693'

Point 44.

N 056º 44.684'
W 006º 07.616'

Point 45.

N 056º 44.656'
W 006º 07.542

Gate to Village

Point 46

N 056º 44.641'
W 006º 07.534'

Glendrian village. Red Deer are often found grazing on the "lawn" Note how some of the walls are build in a sandwich fashion. A single wall will let wind and rain through, having aggregate between the two walls stops the problem.