The Culloden Runs
Route Information
The Culloden 10K:
The 10K race starts within the NTS Culloden Visitor Centre close to the Visitor Centre entrance lobby and after a few hundred metres along the centre access road, joins the B9006 road where runners turn left at the junction.
The route then heads south west along the B9006 for the next 3kms on a long, gentle descent towards Westhill. There are great views to the right over the Moray Firth with mighty Ben Wyvis mountain in the distance and the Highland capital city of Inverness and the impressive Kessock Bridge appearing ahead. To the left is the historic Culloden Battlefield with the red and blue flagpoles marking the battle lines of the opposing armies in 1746 and the large imposing memorial cairn in the centre of the famous moor.
Just before Westhill, the route turns left onto the narrow Nairnside road and heads south east on a steady,gentle rising incline to the 5Km point at Nairnside village where there is a Water Station (5KMs). From here, there is a short and steep descent to the junction with the B851 where runners turn left. For the next 3 kms the route heads north east along the B851 road on an undulating road surface made up of short and shallow ups and downs.Runners will have the Culloden Battlefield on their left and are rewarded with stunning views of the distant hills and the massive Highland railway viaduct to their right.
At the 8.5Km point, 10K runners carry on straight ahead at the crossroads and after a few hundred metres, turn left at the B9006 junction to head south west passing the historic Cumberland’s Stone. Immediately after the Hotel crossroads, the race route follows the pedestrian path then along the ‘old road’ into the Visitor Centre with the final two hundred metres being a great path and dash to the finish line and a rapturous welcome back.
The Culloden Run 1746:
The 1746 race follows exactly the same route as the Culloden 10K race until the 8.5Km point at the crossroads where 1746 runners will turn right on the quiet Clava Lodge road. A steep descent south east from the crossroads passes the 9Km point before Leanach Farm continuing down to cross the River Nairn by the bridge and passing Clava Lodge on the left where there is a Water Station (10Km). At the next junction, runners turn right and just after the 10.5Km point pass the amazing prehistoric Bronze Age Clava Cairns on their right.Shortly after this point there is a sharp left hand turn in the road just before the access to the historic Clava Chapel and ring cairns; this is where the first ‘battle’ starts for the 1746 runners…
The next 1.5km has a series of steep steady hill climbs which lead through scenic Ballaggan, under the Highland railway line and up to the junction at Culdoich where runners turn left just after the 12Km point. The next 1.5km is a welcome break heading north west along a quiet leafy road, through pleasant forestry area, where great views on the left reveal Culloden Battlefield and the Visitor Centre in the distance with the huge railway viaduct just ahead.
After crossing a small bridge around the 13.5Km point, the route turns left at Dalroy junctionthen a steep descent leads down past the 14Km point and under the massive railway viaduct structure. After the next level 0.5km the route rejoins the outward route section at the Clava Cairns junction and goes straight ahead and after Water Station(15K)re-crosses the River Nairn bridge. From the bridge the next route battle has a kilometre climb back up to the crossroads junction (16Km point). Here the runners turn right and then left and then followthe same route as the 10K race along the B9006, footpath and old road back to a rousing and deserved welcome at NTS Culloden Visitor Centre.
Amdt 2 Oct 2015