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The car park just past Millden Lodge in Glen Esk was easily found with it's 'green' plant friendly telephone box. My plan for the walk today was to follow the WH route to the summit but to return via the westerly track that takes you over Bennygray and Mount Een. No hag hopping for me today.
- Car park near Millden Lodge.
The first section of the walk took me past the lovely old Mill of Aucheen, with it's water wheel and satellite dish just above! A curious mix of old and new. I then followed the road to a fork where I swung right and followed the WH route out onto the moor trackways.
- Mill of Aucheen in the morning sun.
My first view of Allrey Hill had me saddened
with an ugly newly constructed vehicle track(not on map) snaking it's way up to the top. Totally out of place and I had to ask myself how it could be justified?
- Scar on the landscape - vehicle track up Allrey Hill.
Despite this my initial ascent was otherwise very pleasant due to the sunny and fairly calm conditions. I went up and around the east side of Allrey Hill with it's boulder lined edges and had a lovely view of the the Burn of Turret down in the gully to the right. Very noticeable was another new trackway across the burn(also not on map) leading up to the Millstone Craig shooting butts and the Hill of Saughs.
- First water stop. Looking back south over Millden and the hills opposite.
- Small bridge crossing the Burn of Turret - not exactly a General Wade construction! The log across the burn has some sort of animal trap on it.
Continuing on I passed a small tin roofed hut on the right and from there the climb up and over Black Craig had me hechin' an' pechin' a bit I can tell you. Fairly steep!
The views south and west from here made up for it though – and a convenient excuse to stop for a breather every now and then!
- The small tin roofed hut at the start of the climb up to Black Craig.
- Looking back at track round Allrey with Glen Esk in the distance.
I followed the track up through a fenceline and eventually came to the junction just below Wester Cairn where there was a sharp right turn to climb up a further vehicle track which looked like another new construct. It was hard to keep your feet on this section due to the loose gravel and steepness of the slope so I went offtrack to the right and continued with no further problems.
- Black Craig shooting butts - well constructed and handy for sheltering hillwalkers!
- Views were now opening out - in the distance Lochnagar.
Wester Cairn gave a great view of Mount Battock and the path leading up. It was an easy final climb, latterly along a fenceline keeping to the left.
- Mount Battock from Wester Cairn.
Once on top of Battock, I noticed low cloud was starting to drift over from the west so photos first to take advantage of the now intermittant sun before settling down for a well deserved rest and cup of tea. The views all around were pretty good but I could see the cloud base was starting to lower to the south-west. After half an hour's break it was off back down over Wester Cairn to the track junction, Left was the way I had come up but Instead I turned right and headed west.
- Mount Battock trig and stone shelter in it's boulder strewn landscape.
- Looking north-east from the summit.
- Wester Cairn from Mount Battock.
The descent was certainly very different weather-wise with a chill wind and thicker cloud blowing forcing me into my jacket and woolly hat. The initial route back was fairly bland with not much to take my interest on the way across the ridge to Bennygray. Very few photos taken. From here it was a similar featureless walk over to Mount Een. The hilltop marker for here, just like Bennygray, was a small insignificant pile of stones. Time taken to cover the ground between the Battock summit and Mount Een was an hour and fifteen and that was at a very easy pace. Had a ten minute break to eat my last sandwich and quickly moved on. Just below Mount Een there is a fenceline and metal gate where the steep descent begins. You get a great profile of Hill of Saughs and Hill of Turret from here.
- Looking back to Wester Cairn and Battock from the gate just below Mount Een.
The steepish zig-zag track went past well constructed shooting butts and eventually landed up opposite Blackcraigs Farm which is situated through a gap in the trees. From here I had an easy stroll following the track, through an open field with grazing livestock and out on to the small tarmac road that leads back to the fork in the road, Mill of Aucheen and the car park.
- Surprise encounter. Tractor bouncing down the Mount Een track at some speed!
- Route home through the gap in the trees past Blackcraigs Farm. Car park is in the trees in the far distance.
A very enjoyable day and a walk that I intend to repeat in the future.
Next time probably go up via the Hill of Saughs and look for a way across to Battock if it's not too boggy. Shame about the proliferation of new vehicle tracks! I feel we should be preserving the aesthetic value of our hills and not destroying it.
