Alan Rowan

Nov 24, 2024 | ukclimbing.com | Alan Rowan

The spartan refuge huts once scattered across the high Cairngorms are a fascinating but tragic chapter in the history of the Scottish hills. Alan Rowan hunts out the last one standing. The refuge is hard to spot, a modest construction in the chaos of a boulder-strewn slope high above the wild and lonely confines of Strath Nethy. El Alamein is a place found only by design or accident: you have to be actively looking for it or you have stumbled way off route.

Sep 30, 2023 | pressandjournal.co.uk | Alan Rowan |Gayle Ritchie

Glen Girnock circuit, DeesideThe heather had lost its purple lustre, the bracken was browning and dying back and despite the sunshine, the wind had an edge that confirmed the changing of the seasons had reached tipping point. The conditions also seemed symbolic for a circuit through the quiet confines of Glen Girnock, a walk that passes a succession of poignant ruins long left behind, where the feeling of emptiness increases with every step.

Sep 23, 2023 | thecourier.co.uk | Alan Rowan |Gayle Ritchie

Lying to the south-east of Aberfeldy, the sprawling Griffin Forest is a maze of tracks, hidden lochs and rugged little peaks popular with walkers, cyclists and anglers. This commercial woodland is also the site of a vast wind farm, and the sight of these huge turbines suddenly appearing through the blanket of conifers can feel a little incongruous.

Sep 17, 2023 | pressandjournal.co.uk | Alan Rowan |Gayle Ritchie

Morven and Roar Hill, AberdeenshireA few years back, I came across a guide book for walks in Northumberland which catered perfectly for friends of differing abilities who wanted to go out together. It provided two route options for every walk – one high, one low – and meant everyone could start the walk together before splitting to tackle their respective paths, then join up again later.

Sep 2, 2023 | pressandjournal.co.uk | Alan Rowan |Gayle Ritchie

Slewdrum Forest, Nr Banchory, DeesideSlewdrum is the woodland at the eastern end of the stretch of forestry which decorates the serpentine twists of the River Dee all the way along from Banchory. As is the case with the adjoining Blackhall Forest and the northern slopes of Scolty Hill, the tracks that weave their way through the trees are beloved bike trails, as well as providing fine walking routes for ramblers and dog owners. Slewdrum has its own little place in history.