<br />Leave the station and head into the town, turning right at the
roundabout heading up the slight incline of West High Street. At the
mini roundabout take the 3rd exit sign posted A96. Continue up the hill
to the next roundabout where you go straight on past the new housing to
leave the town.<br /> Continue till you meet the A96. With care, join the A96 towards Inverness and exit after 100 yards to your left.<br /> Continue, passing the ruined Balquhain Castle on your right, to Chapel of Garioch.<br /> <br /> Pass straight through Chapel of Garioch, and after about a mile as you start to descend look out for the Maiden Stone on your left hand side adjacent to the road. Continue to descend, passing below the railway to reach the A96.<br /> With care, join the A96 towards Inverness and exit after 100 yards to
your left onto the B9002 under the railway and past Harthill Castle,
which unfortunately is not open to the public.<br /> Follow the B9002 through Oyne following the railway all the way to Insch.<br /> <br /> Pass Insch Rail station, cross the level crossing and take the first left onto the B992, sign posted Auchleven.<br /> Stay on the B992, passing through Auchleven. Tighten your toe straps
and get ready for the mile long assent of the Brindy (total ascent a
mere 100m). Having reached the top, you can catch a breather while
visiting the stone circle on your left just before the road crosses the
Gordon Way - a long distance footpath from which cycles are banned.<br /> Enjoy the long gradual descent, preparing to turn left onto the
unclassified road sign posted "Lords Throat" about half a mile after
the road flattens out.<br /> <br /> Climb up this road into the trees, to the top of the Lords Throat and
descend to follow the banks of the River Don on your right hand side
with views across to Pitfichie Forest and castle. This is a good spot
to stop for a rest, and there are various picnic spots provided along
this stretch in the woods to your right. Continue on this road until
you reach a Tee junction.<br /> Take left at the Tee junction, sign posted Blaidaff.<br /> <br /> Within a mile you come to the sprawling hamlet of Blairdaff, complete
with roofless church. Bear left all the way through Blairdaff, climbing
all the time into Bennachie Forest. As you know, what goes up must come
down, and so it is with this road. As you exit the forest the road
descends past the entrance to the Bennachie Visitor Centre, then
undulates until it reaches Chapel of Garioch.<br /> <br /> From here you head straight back to Inverurie by turning right and
continuing the opposite direction to which you travelled earlier back
past Balquhain Castle, crossing the A96 in to Inverurie.
