Loch Callater

Loch Callater is the classic 'walk-in' Deeside mountain loch, a long silver sheet cradled in a glacial trough under the Lochnagar/White Mounth plateau. From the Auchallater car park on the A93 south of Braemar it is an easy 4km track walk to the loch and the old Callater Stable bothy at its foot - flat enough to carry a sub-250g kit comfortably. Fly here and you get real Cairngorms grandeur: the loch mirroring the surrounding tops on a still morning, the crags and corries of Carn an t-Sagairt closing the head of the glen, and the meandering Callater Burn braiding across the flats. A high climb reveals the full glacial bowl and the plateau beyond. Because you are deep in the hills there is no crowd and no infrastructure to spoil a shot, but that also means committing weather - katabatic wind pours down the glen, cloud drops fast on the plateau, and you are a long carry from the car if a battery dies, so fly conservatively and keep it in sight. This is working red-deer estate ground (Invercauld): during the stalking season, roughly August to late October, check the Heading for the Scottish Hills notices and avoid disturbing stalking. Golden eagles range here - keep well clear if one appears. Best on a still early summer morning.