Strathisla Distillery, Keith

May 2016

The objective today was to walk in Banffshire but unfortunately the town of Banff is no longer on a railway line. The line from Inverness to Aberdeen stops at Nairn, Forres and Keith which are three successive old counties, so I chose Keith as the most convenient centre for exploring Banffshire.

In rather overcast but warm conditions I walked from the station into Keith, passing two distilleries both owned by Chivas Brothers (as in Chivas Regal whisky). The town centre was empty of both people and litter but an information board suggested several walks, including a 6 mile to Auchindachy and Mill of Towie, so I bought a map (Landranger 28) and set off - initially on the wrong road, getting too close to a massive new electricity station (at Blackhillock, which is part of a subsea cable between Caithness and Moray) , but in due course along a well signposted route on barely used minor roads and some fields heading south-east and east of the railway line and the B9014 through Braehead, Coldhome, and Auchindachy to Mill of Towie.

Here the road crosses the railway (pic below) and the river Isla continuing to Dufftown while my trail crossed the bridge and turned back towards Keith on the B9014. I had hoped to take the Keith to Dufftown heritage railway but it mainly operates only at weekends. A pity, as Dufftown is described as The World's Malt Whisky Capital and I'd have enjoyed a visit.

Back in Keith I ignore the Strathisla Distillery (oldest continuously operated distillery in Scotland, originally called Milton) and the Glen Keith and Strathmill distilleries, and totter down to the station - to find the train to Nairn had left just three minutes previously. So, reluctant to return up the hill to Keith, my last memories of Banffshire are two hours in the waiting room of the station. They have a walking stick holder next to the ticket counter, but the office was closed so I couldn't try it .... Is it there because there are so many walkers, so many old people, or so many folks tottering away from the distilleries?