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A weekend's wandering in Aberdeenshire

A weekend's wandering in Aberdeenshire


Postby Hills4dogs » Mon Apr 11, 2022 6:05 pm

Sub 2000' hills included on this walk: Cairn-mon-earn, Hill of Foudland, Tap o'Noth

Date walked: 17/03/2022

Time taken: 4.26 hours

Distance: 18.2 km

Ascent: 726m

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We were making another trip to Aberdeen to visit friends, so it was another good opportunity to tackle a few Sub2000 hills.

First one of the weekend was Tap o'Noth (4.89 Km, 1.15hr and 282m ascent).


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I have to say that I wasn't really paying too much attention when I looked at the weather on my phone, after it said it was going to be a gloriously sunny day. That was good enough for me because it wasn't a "big walk". When we arrived at the wee car park, there was a very blue sky, but it was blowing an absolute hooley, a look at my weather app confirmed that the wind was going to be 40+ mph gusts. We set off and it was a very good path all the way up, but boy was it torture because of the wind. We continued up as this was the one opportunity for a dog walk for the day!

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Our goal for today from the bottom path


When we got to the top it looked really interesting and it would have been good to explore the vitrified fort remains but the wind was insane. Each time I tried to go over the wee rocks around the trig point I was met by a wall of wind!

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Dill at the top sheltering from the wind!


Needless to say it was a short stay at the top and then a quick return by the same path that we came up.

Next walk was Cairn-mon-earn (7.68KM, 1.47hr, 195m ascent)

On Friday we had a funeral to go to in the afternoon, so just time to take Dill out to stretch his legs in the morning on one of the Marilyns near Aberdeen. There is a good wee space for parking at the start of the walk and then a good forest track all the way up to the top, no complicated route finding. There is a communication mast at the top which explains why the track is so good. Thankfully the wind had dropped overnight, although there was lots of blue sky, it was a bit hazy so the views from the top were somwhat limited.


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The forest track on the way up

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At another top!

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Views out over Moray


A nice easy walk, to tick off another top :D :D

Final hill of the weekend was Hill of Foudland (5.66 Km, 1.24hr and 249m ascent).

It was Monday, so time for the journey home. The Hill of Foudland is just off the A96 so another "easy hill" to tick off on the way home. Other reports for this hill talk about parking on the verge at the end of the public road but there being a reasonable sized space slightly up the forest track which might be better. Well as we came along, I couldn't see anywhere to park at the end of the public road that wasn't potentially in the way, so drove on up "the private" road to the larger space and we left the car there.


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Once again it was a good farm/forest track all the way to the top. No route finding issues and not even any mud at all. You had to walk past some radio masts (explaining the good track again) a little bit to get to the true top.

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More radio masts at the top!

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Kirsteen and Dill at the top

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Hazy views again over Moray


After a short stay at the top, it was time to go home, with a good view of the Hill of Tillymorgan on the way down.


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Hill of Tillymorgan on the way down (still to do!)


Once back at the car, there was just time to drive to Keith for a spot of lunch Square roots Cafe, nothing like a hill and some yummy sandwiches and cakes to break up a journey! :thumbup: :clap:
User avatar
Hills4dogs
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 44
Munros:136   Corbetts:19
Fionas:20   
Sub 2000:57   
Islands:5
Joined: Mar 18, 2018
Location: The Black Isle

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