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So it had come to my last day at home before heading back down to uni in England, and I couldn't think of any better way to spend it than getting out in the hills. Fancying a relatively easy-going and nearby walk, I opted for Hunt Hill in Glen Esk, an area I had only been to once before to get up Mount Keen. Hunt Hill couldn't have been more of a contrast to Mount Keen, as I will explain!
Setting off from the public carpark at the end of the Glen Esk road on my bike, I made my way past Invermark Castle and a ruined church to the start of Loch Lee. It was beautiful weather - no clouds in the sky, and I hadn't even thought about putting suncream in. I guess I could do to top up my tan for the winter...
Invermark Castle
Water of Lee
The ruined church
The cycle along Loch Lee was cracking - nobody in sight, just some serious tranquility. Having never heard of the loch before, it turned out to be stunning, with a couple of obscure boathouses adding to the interest.
The serene estuary gradually dissipated into a big floodplain sparsely populated by a few sunbathing sheep as the big crags of Craig Maskeldie came into view, casting its shadow right over the floor of the Glen. I eventually reached the end of my cycle in about half an hour, dropping my bike where the path forks west to the Falls of Unich.
Towards Hunt Hill
Looking back in the direction of the Loch
After a wee bite to eat, I headed along the path towards the Falls of Unich, cutting of the path up towards Earn Craig after a few minutes. My target gully looked very simple from below, although it turned out to be a little tricky at points (due mostly to the crumbly rock and wet moss). The views immediately began to open out back towards Loch Lee and Craig Maskeldie, looking great!
Earn Craig and my gully (right of photo)
Back towards Craig Maskeldie
After a steep muddy climb at the top of the gully, I suddenly emerged out on the vast heathery plateau, with a decent wind almost taking me off my feet! From here it was a wee trot along the plateau to the summit cairn for lunch.
Mount Keen from the summit
A (very) distant Lochnagar
I sat on the summit for half an hour, just enjoying my last day in the hills. Mount Keen looked particularly unimpressive - the enormous scarring track clearly visible up to the summit. I thought back to the day I did Mount Keen just after Christmas 2007, blue sky and deep snow - but I couldn't help but feeling this comparison was the perfect example as to why it is worth stepping out of the Munro-bagging box - today's walk (so far) had been a vastly more interesting walk!
Anyway, enough ranting/reminiscing (for now) - I headed off south from the summit across deer tracks until I eventually cut down into the gully just below the Falls of Damff. A really nice stalkers path led all the way back down to the Falls of Unich, with an enormous variety of mushroom and flower life about. The falls themselves were particularly impressive - more so than I perhaps imagined.
The stalkers path
The river
I'd never before taken an interest in mushrooms, but there was an enormous variety, so I decided today could be the day. (If you don't like pictures of mushrooms, you can skip to near the end of the report!) Fortunately I decided against tasting some of these delights, but I wouldn't mind learning a bit about mushrooms so next time I can have a wee feast.
Mushrooms
The Falls of Unich
After reaching my bike, it was just a matter of the cycle back along the Loch. I noticed a derelict house next to the track that I had missed the first time - it's a nice spot as well, shame.
Anyway, it wasn't long before I was back along at the end of the Loch, waving (metaphorically) goodbye to the hills until December. Arriving back at the carpark, there were fifteen cars and a minibus there - presumably people trudging up Mount Keen. I felt somewhat sad for them - little did they know of the gem they would find if they took the path along to Hunt Hill instead! It's not often a walk combines all the features of this one - some cool buildings, mighty crags, a cracking waterfall, a beautiful loch and loads of interesting growths in the ground. What a great way to end the summer!
