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Cracking linear walk with jackfrost on a day where wild wind and rain was forecast (and the Open at St Andrews was seriously affected by high winds), but we stayed dry all day, and even had some sunshine.
We left one car beside the A97 at NJ422081, and drove round to park the other car at the lay-by at the A944/minor road junction at NJ490186. We crossed the Don by the bridge into Brux estate, just south of Delphorrie and, after a chat with the farmer who was anxious to know where we were headed, we followed tracks up to the Coiliochbhar Hill ridge, south on a faint path through heather over the summit, through a beautiful stand of larch trees to join a track, still following the ridge S.
- Tap o'Noth and Lord Arthur's Hill from Coiliochbhar Hill
We continued SE on a new track through the forest to the minor road crossroads, over the watershed and down to Milton of Cushnie, before picking up tracks up the Glen of Cushnie, climbing gently into the forest on the north slopes of Pressendye.
- The only way is south…
There was a path all the way to the top of Pressendye, with a superb vista in all directions; then we headed west, initially keeping to the south of the new high fence along the ridge—heathery, but still very fast walking.
- South over Deeside from the summit of Pressendye
- Lonesome tree and new fence on the ridge W from Pressendye
Crossed the fence, then headed down to the fisherman's hut at Lazy Well for some late lunch, then up over Baderonoch Hill, down to the lochan and its unexpected Easter Island sculpture. Then we took the wrong track into the forest, for a slightly longer route than intended, back to the car on the A97.
- Unexpected Ronald Rae sculpture!
