Knock Hill and Bin of Cullen

[rob munbett]

My last morning of the holiday was cold,clear and frosty so a short trip to Knock Hill and the nearby Bin of Cullen seemed like a smart move. I drove down the A95 from Whitehills and turned off on a very minor road (unsigned) towards Swilebog to park at NJ547554 at a sharp right hand bend. I walked round the bend and turned left through a gate towards the hill on a clear path through some trees.

Knock Hill

I passed through another gate and started to climb the hill on a path that was a deep peaty rut through the heather. I was fortunate that it was a cold frosty morning which made the ground hard because on a wet day this would have been boggy and slippery.

Looking down the track on Knock Hill

The gradient eased as the summit came into view through another gate at the top of the track.

Approaching the summit of Knock Hill

It was a surprisingly cluttered summit area with several cairns and a strange arrangement of concentric rings of quartzite stones set in the ground.

The summit of Knock Hill, Bin of Cullen in the distance

I stopped to enjoy the views for a short while, looking over to Bin of Cullen, my next objective.

It was short drive round to the start for Bin of Cullen at NJ492632, at the start to a forest road near Braidbog. This hill was a very easy, pleasant stroll on a great track all the way to the summit. I started by walking round a long curving bend to cross a stream on a concrete bridge before turning left up through the woods. I turned left again at the next junction and followed the track up to the open summit area.

On the upper part of the track to Bin of Cullen

On the final ascent, there was a short cut of a straight quartzite path which cuts out some of the bends on the track. The views of the Moray and Banffshire coastline from the summit are most enjoyable.

The view towards Buckie from the Bin of Cullen

It was also pleasing to look back over to Knock Hill, where I'd been earlier.

On the summit of Bin of Cullen looking over to Knock Hill