Bridge of Tanar – St Lesmo's Chapel loop from Water of Tanar

Hiking trails & Routes

Aberdeenshire

Mid Deeside

Bridge of Tanar – St Lesmo's Chapel loop from Water of Tanar

Moderate

4.7

(33)

234

hikers

Bridge of Tanar – St Lesmo's Chapel loop from Water of Tanar

02:19

8.67km

100m

Hiking

Moderate hike. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: August 7, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Cairngorms National Park

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

112 m

Bridge of Tanar

Highlight • Bridge

This bridge leads from the car park to the visitor centre and all of the trails, including the trail to Mount Keen. A beautiful old bridge, with some nice picnic spots beside it.

Tip by

186 m

Braeloine Visitor Centre, Glen Tanar

Highlight • Forest

On maps the visitor centre is marked with the name Braeloine, and has toilet facilites. From here there are plenty short trails to enjoy in the glen.

Tip by

723 m

St Lesmo's Chapel

Highlight • Religious Site

Built in the 1870s, St Lesmo's Chapel is a lovely building in a picturesque setting. There are services here during the summer months, though the building is often locked. If …

Tip by

1.71 km

Knockie Viewpoint

Highlight • Viewpoint

The Knockie Viewpoint gives grand views across the estate and the forests, which have all been planted since 1953. The benches here also provide a comfortable seat to enjoy the view.

Tip by

1.99 km

Monks' Well

Highlight • Historical Site

The monks well is marked as a spring on most OS maps and historically supplied the water to Glen Tanar house. The platform is quite impressive and the surround has …

Tip by

5.21 km

Forest Trail in Cairngorms National Park

Highlight • Forest

7.05 km

Fairy Loch Boathouse

Highlight • Forest

Really pretty section round the Fairy Loch, with someone rowing from the boat house so it’s clearly still in use.

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7.14 km

Knockie Bridge Over the Water of Tanar

Highlight • Bridge

Knockie Bridge crosses the beautiful Water of Tanar. The little hill that rises to the east lends its name to the bridge and there's a fine viewpoint for Glen Tanar …

Tip by

8.67 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

7.25 km

947 m

259 m

206 m

Surfaces

4.62 km

3.27 km

491 m

277 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (220 m)

Lowest point (160 m)

Weather

Sunday 4 October

18°C

7°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 24.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

May 17, 2024,Old Pine Trail 🌲

Cute little hike along the Old Pine Track. There are many good places to put your feet in the water and cool off.

There are toilets and a parking space at the visitor center for currently £3 a day.

Showing Translation

May 17, 2025,Glen Tanar Scots Pine walk

A gentle walk on good tracks on the Glen Tanar Estate through Scotland's 3rd largest native Scots Pine Forest. We spotted dragon flies, bees 🐝 and butterflies 🦋. There is a small visitor centre with toilets at the start/end. Stunning day at 18C. High fire risk just now, as everything is so dry and the water levels are very low.