Xmas Eve on Hill o Fare

[Gordon Ballantyne]

With a good fall of snow at Westhill, we held an early mornimg conference and decided that our planned trip to the Rhynie TUmps should be put on the back burner and supplanted by a local outing.
Hill o Fare came up trumps - no not that one - so I picked up Harvey and met GordonC at the Echt layby at the E end of Hill o Fare.

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Even though we were late off, we were first to make footprints on the track. When we reached the loop that goes round the 285m top E of Greymore, we decided to incorporate it just for a change. On joining the main track, it had brightened up, so we headed on up to Meikle Tap, noticing that early bikers had zoomed doon the hill - no computers needed for this one ! . Half way there, another snow squall passed over, but it didn't last long. Harvey was having a great time dashing up and down the track - really enjoying the snow, trying to entice us to follow suit - nae chance !

GB and H on the way to Meikle Tap

Good King Wenceslas approaches the summit of Meikle Tap

At the top, the sun peeked out from under the clouds, but the light breeze was nippy, so we didn't hang about.

GordonB and H at the Meikle Tap cairn

Leaving a chilly Meikle Tap in sunshine

We'd passed a couple with their dog on the track near the top, but on the way down the path, we were met by hordes out dawg walking - apparently working up an appetite for their Christmas dinner ! They all volunteerd to step off the track to socially distance from us. Did we look THAT dangerous or was it our wrinkly countenance? Anyway, most polite and appreciated.
The chill breeze moderated once back in the trees, where GordonC inspected a muckle telecom cable junction.
We were soon back at the car to give H a rub-down and the last of his tit-bits..

Back down into the woods

A nice short, brisk, enjoyable, wintry outing, returning to news of a Brexit deal - what a surprise !