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Spittal of Glenshee to Kirkton of Glenisla
7.6 hoursIf anything, today was even hotter than yesterday. Thankfully however, we faced the prospect of a shorter day down to Kirkton of Glenisla and, crucially, no prospect of missing out on a cold beer (or several) with our accomodation booked at the Glenisla Hotel and their sundrenched beer garden just waiting to welcome us!
This certainly turned out to be a more enjoyable day despite the increased heat, not just because there was no repeat of the navigational faux pas of Day 1, but because the scenery was generally more appealing.
A lovely leisurely lunch was had by the entrance to Dalnaglar Castle and a good 20 minutes or so were spent sitting by Loch Shandra watching the fishing, the swimming and the boating (some participants managing to carry it off with rather more grace and style than others!) The only real downer today came at Westerton of Runavey where we counted a total of 40 unfortunate critters carefully hung out on the barbs of a barbed wire fence. From the look of their front claws I'd have said they were moles but I may be wrong. This was even more gruesome (certainly in scale and tasteless display) than the garotted stoat-like creature that I had encountered in a trap on Geal Charn Mor a week or so previously! I get that a farmer may feel he needs to humanely cull a particular species to protect his llivelihood e.t.c., but why create such a bizarre, macabre and pointless spectacle out of it???
Anyway, a good day and the highlight of our CT experience, topped off with fine hospitality in the beer garden and the restaurant/bar of the Glenisla Hotel! I'd thoroughly recommend a stay, a meal or simply a beer or two in their beer garden of a nice hot day!
- Setting off on another scorcher
- South along Glen Shee and a distant Mount Blair
- A tad muddy in places
- Back towards the Spittal and Ben Gulabin
- Hung out to dry!
- Monamenach
- Meall na Letter or Duchray Hill from near Invereddrie Farm
- One of many stiles today
- Dalnaglar Castle
- Junction of the B951 and the road to Meikle Forter
- Forter Castle
- River Isla
- North up Glen Isla
- Mount Blair from the track towards Auchintaple Loch
- Glen Beanie
- Auchintaple Loch and Mount Blair
- Glen Isla again
- Ornate waymarker
- Auchintaple forestry
- The other end of Auchintaple Loch
- Warning! Crock ahead!
- Loch Shandra
- Loch Shandra and that evil bugger Crock!
- We're saved! Beer is at hand!
- Settling in nicely!