free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Back to the forest of Birse for me today, I really enjoyed it earlier this week so I found a new route and enjoyed the excellent weather out in the hills again, what could be better.
From the same car park as my Monday excursion at NO 532 906, I set off in an altogether different direction along the grassy track heading North.
Mondays wander could almost be seen in full from this direction and looked beautiful in the sunshine with just a hint of haze
this track is less used and provides more of a remote feel for a short while and bears some nice autumn colour
the track soon joins a more substantial route heading North - East to Glencat
the sandy path and fantastic blue sky looks stunning as I ascend alongside the forest
from the small cairn marking the top of the rise I can see Carnferg away in the distance (far left hill in this shot)
halfway down the hill toward the Glencat I can already make out the track heading up into the trees behind the farm in the glen below
the track actually passes right through the farm yard (yapping dogs a-plenty) and zig zags past the farm house surrounded by a trillion sheep (at least a trillion)
in no time at all I'm looking back at the farm as I ascend the opposite side of the glen
I soon reach the woodland at the top of the rise and get a little relief from the sun for a short time, my target hill is just visible at the left of the trees
after crossing this short clearing the track turns left along a wall and through a gate
I am now walking the spine of the hill still in the trees for a while, there are a few boggy patches as I reach the edge of the woodland
once out of the trees it is a nice gentle ascent along the spine of the hill and I am soon looking back a long way to the woodland I just left
over a small rise and the rather fancy cairn comes into view and I realise it is one I have seen from over in Glen Tanner and wondered about- I guess I'll be finding out very soon
from the top the hills in the distance are bathed in haze and resemble the mountains of North - West Arkansas, really takes me back
the cairn bears a stone inscribed to the memory of a man and his son with the words "from a heartbroken widow" dated 1911 - exactly 100 years ago and still the simplicity of the words hit a chord and leave me wondering what happened to Joseph and his son all those years ago
the cairn and trig can be seen from several glens around and look spectacular in the sunshine (I suspect they would look equally grand in the snow)
after a nice tea break up top and a stretch out in the shelter I head straight over the hill and drop down to meet the Fungle Road that runs from Aboyne to Tarfside, to the right is the path home and a small building on the hill top, to the left of this shot is the hill with the now tiny pyramid atop
the small building just visible on the previous pic that I thought was a bothy turns out to be a 'rich mans bothy'
very nice too.....but locked
its a fine wander past the bothy and alongside the steep sides of the hills surrounding the burn of auldgarny
soon I can see the end of the forest where the car park is but there is a way to go yet
the sun is cracking through the haze as I take the enforced detour around Birse Castle
there is little by way of a path here but it is only for a short distance, there is some bog to avoid along the way
I soon find myself back at the river crossing I first saw on Monday this week, some of the colour has gone from the trees already
from here it is a quick 1km along the track to the car and the end of another beautiful day in the hills.
