Burn O'Vat

The Burn O'Vat is an amazing geological basin in Ballater, Scotland that has a small waterfall and stream running through it.

The Burn O'Vat is a geological feature that was carved out by a glacial melt at the end of the last Ice Age. It is a pleasant walk from the Burn O'Vat Visitors Centre, which is also worth a visit.

Around 16,000 years ago, the surrounding area was covered by a glacial ice sheet. The area began to warm and around 14,000 years ago it warmed enough to cause the ice sheet to melt. This resulted in a torrent of water carrying the debris that was caught up in the glacial ice.

It is believed that a rock became lodged in a small hollow on the river bed causing the meltwater to flow around it in a spiralling motion. This spiralling motion caused the bed underneath the rock to erode over a long period of time, causing the Vat (also known as a Pothole) that you see today.

After 500 years the volume of water decreased to such a level that it began to deposit sand and gravel. The sand and gravel sediment is believed to extend down beyond 5m.

The Vat measures 18m across and is 13m high. The stream flowing through the Burn O'Vat starts high above on Culblean Hill and flows onwards into Loch Kinord.

Folklore tells of the cave behind the waterfall being used by the notorious Rob Roy. However, this is not true, instead it was used as a hiding place by Patrick Gilroy Macgregor who was a local outlaw in the 17th century.

To reach the Burn O'Vat, follow the path straight past the front of the Visitors Centre.

Follow the path past a toilet block on the right and into the woodland. The path takes you over a bridge, but ignore to second bridge and stay on path. Access to the Vat is through a narrow opening in the rocks. Please be careful and it's best to wear sturdy footwear as it is uneven and can be slippery.

On your way back make sure to have a stop off at the visitors centre.

It contains taxidermy models of local wildlife, detailed explanations of the geological changes in the area and superb information boards.

It is around 0.5km to the Burn O'Vat from the Visitors Centre.

Follow the above route, or find on OS Maps.