free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
So on a sunny afternoon on the 9th April I decided to take my year old puppy, Gunner, onto the open hillside to see how he would get on. Since I live just outside Crathie and I hadn't climbed Gellaig Hill I thought this was the perfect opportunity.
I drove up the road to Gairnshiel Lodge before parking at the highest point nearest the cairn and heading off down the road slightly to pick up the track. As we set off you could see that on the lower slopes of Gellaig Hill they were in the process of burning the heather and when you looked around you could see the smoke rise from hillsides all around. The route I had decided to take was up the track toward the maim before swinging across and up onto the cairn at Gellaig Hill before heading down the track to Braenaloin and back up the road to the car. The track was easy to follow and it was a gentle walk bar the last steep part up on to the summit track. Once on top it was a short walk to the trig point surrounded by the shelter rocks. At this point there was a slight wind but it was refreshing. It was also good to sit and enjoy the views up and down the valley and I could even look down into my back garden from the top.
Although he was on the 20m lead at all times he enjoyed being out on the hillside and bounded about the heather until his first encounter with a grouse....
The weather was perfect with little cloud in the sky and the sun shining down. Although it was hazy you could see for miles in all directions with good views over to Mount Keen, Lochnagar and over in to the Cairngorms. It did take us longer to complete the walk than it should have but I was stopping a lot just to look round and to practice Sit, Stay and Recall with Gunner.
Hopefully this will be the first of many trips into the hills for me and Gunner this year and I am already planning what to do on the 17th and 20th April. I have attached some pics below although they are not the best it shows how clear the sky was.
