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She is going for a walk to a local pond called Lazy Well. It should be an easy stroll. But the birds... They are everywhere. They are watching her with their dark, beady eyes. They keep circling above her head, waiting for a good opportunity to attack. These birds are merciless killers and they are ready to strike...
Sounds like a paragraph from a horror book? Or maybe something Alfred Hitchcock would write?
Our encounter with Hitchcock's birds happened on a cloudy Wednesday. Weather really didn't play the game and instead of going camping, we were forced to look for easier hills to do between the showers. That Wednesday, forecast was c**p everywhere but in Aberdeenshire, so we found something to climb here - a Graham called Pressendye.
The easiest route for this hill (and the most popular one, judging by TRs) starts from the south, from Tarland, but we wanted to do something different, add our own twist to the story. Well, if we had gone for the classic approach, we would never meet Hitchcock's birds!
The new Book of Grahams mentions it is possible to climb Pressendye from the north, using the Lazy Well right of way. It meant saving us some driving and also using a less frequented route. Pressendye is a great viewpoint to Aberdeenshire and the walk itself is a pleasant stroll on tracks and paths, over three rollin- rollin tops (one could add one more, we didn't bother). In uncertain weather, this was the best option we could choose.
The starting point is at 424110, a minor road off A 97, about 4 km east of a village called Heugh-head (no clue how to pronounce this!
), where the beginning of the right of way is marked:
There is space for maybe 3 cars on the grass at the start of the dirt track. So far, we were the only visitors:
We got ready and set off uphill. Not much "uphill" to be honest
As you see in my photos, it was another "fifty shades of grey" day, with rain-bearing cloud hanging above our heads, and the wind was strong enough to ruffle my hair and make me look like a scarecrow
Back then, I didn't know that maybe this saved my life
We walked south maybe for one mile, when suddenly we heard a chorus of squeaking noises. Then the sky filled with countless flying shadows and the noise became deafening. Birds! Hundreds, hundreds of them! Large gulls, but I also spotted some black headed gulls and a few oystercatchers. But mostly the common seagulls. A huge flock!
The right of way cut right through the area chosen buy the birds for a colony. I was shocked - so many seagulls so far away from the sea??? And in the middle of a heathery moorland? No rubbish tip or seafood processing factory, which could attract them. But they were still there, circling around us, screeching, squeaking, watching us...
We knew we had to walk right through the middle of this scene out of Alfred Hitchcock movie
. Kevin tried to catch the birds in pictures, but they were moving too quickly... I believe he was spooked, too...
They were everywhere and as we continued on the track, more and more of them began circling right above us...
...and I was worried they could attack! I don't know, maybe I was panicking, but I didn't trust these gulls at all!
We spotted young fledglings on the ground:
We also noticed a small flock of sheep grazing nearby and we witnessed the gulls bullying the sheep, actually diving on the poor animals - probably to drive them away from the nests! If the birds didn't shy from attacking sheep, they could just as well dive on us, so we didn't wait any longer and run through the centre of the colony as fast as we could. Only when the scene from the Hitchcock film was behind us, we stopped for a breath and enjoyed bird-free sky:
The Lazy Well is not really a well, just a set of artificial ponds called Lazy Well Lochs. The lowest of them can be seen in this photo:
Not a typical mountain countryside, more agricultural, with fields, meadows and access tracks, but this landscape is charming in its own way:
The Lazy Well ponds and the line of heathery lumps leading to the Graham
The right of way goes to the col between Baderonoch Hill and Molly Watt's Hill (nice names, by the way, not Gaelic at all
). We explored a little wooden hut (shelter?):
...and enjoyed the views down the well:
Looking south from the highest of the ponds, the hill behind must be The Buck of Cabrach, with its characteristic summit tors:
Moody Mount Keen:
We left the right of way to follow an obvious track along the low fence up Molly Watt's Hill
The beautiful Morven:
Looking back along the ridge:
The cliffs of Lochnagar in the distance:
It was an enjoyable, easy walking on the track, up and down a few bumps to the top of Broom Hill. From here, we now had a good vista to our target Graham:
We descended to the final col and here we noticed that the track was turning away from the fence (new and 2m high). We stayed on the track for most of the climb up to Pressendye, eventually we left it and took a shortcut through low heather to another fence, this one can be followed to the summit cairn.
Broom Hill and distant Morven from Pressendye:
The wind picked up and I was struggling with my kerchief:
Fences, fences everywhere, they can be confusing
The summit is topped with a large cairn and it also has a trig point - views in all directions marvellous, even in cloudy weather:
Plenty of lower hills about:
We saw a few showers developing over the neighbouring hills, but none of them reached us:
Bennachie, I think?
One more Graham added to my collection!
Kevin and Lucy on the summit:
it was windy, but the cairn provided some welcome shelter and we sat here for a while, enjoying the panos and the solitude. Surprisingly, we were the only people on Pressendye that day, but I guess not that many walkers bother to climb this "boring heathery lump". Ha ha, they don't know what they are missing!
For the descent, the easiest way is to retrace steps over Broom Hill to the well, but we opted for a variation, descending via Frosty Hill (another lovely, non-Gaelic name!). From the col between Pressendye and Broom Hill, we picked a track skirting below the top of the latter. This track offers an easy escape due north, with good views to the glen of Socach Burn:
Frosty Hill is just another insignificant lump of heather...
...but the attractions include a bunny-shaped figure cut in the heather on the slopes of Broom Hill...
...and low flying planes!
As we walked on, Kevin made a remark that we didn't see any grouse all day. It was strange 'cause this was a perfect moorland-heather habitat for these birds. Then we noticed a few seagulls circling slowly just above the heather, like they were scurrying the ground for something... And we realized, they were looking for grouse chicks! So that's what drew all these birds up to the moorland. They are feeding on grouse chicks
Looking back to Pressendye and Broom Hill from our descent track:
Views north-east along the lower glen of Socach Burn:
The track ends by a large memorial cairn, in the middle of a grassy meadow just above Mill of Culfork:
We crossed a couple of metal gates and descended the final pasture to Mill of Culfork, which is a farm rather than a mill, then turned west to follow the tarmac road. It's about 3 km walk on the road back to the starting point, but it was a quiet afternoon and these minor roads are never busy, anyway.
Mill of Culfork farm from the road:
On the way back we had another bird surprise. We saw a female peacock walking on the edge of the tarmac
Another of those Hitchcock encounters? Not really, it must have been an escapee from somebody's garden
Summing up: I liked this alternative route on Pressendye. It allowed us to wander over the lower tops and admire the views for longer. Apart from the Hitchcock's birds, it was a great if short outing.
With my next story I'll stick to the east side and visit a popular Deeside Corbett via less popular route!
