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This was my second climb of Ben Rinnes, the first being some years ago and was a bit rushed so this time was more organised. My grandfather grew up in the village of Edinvillie, "at the fit o' the Ben" as he used to describe it, and so this area is special to me.
Arriving at the small parking area as set out in the walk description, there was one last space for me to park although others were simply parking up at the roadside...
I set off and followed the route as per the description. It was a dry, warm day and the skies were a bit grey but didn't look like it would rain. A few early thunder rumbles came to nothing and the walk continued. The first part of the walk was loose gravel with a moderate climb rate and already some nice views can be had. Now the ascent to the summit comes into view
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As I ascended, I passed a number of people who were on their way back down - mainly tourists but a few locals out exercising or dog walking. I have to say that a few people actually overtook me on my ascent, this is largely due to me being hugely unfit and having to stop to catch my breath on several occasions! The determination to keep going grew and as I neared the top, the views out over Moray and Aberdeenshire became more impressive. I finally reached the summit with it's prominent white painted trig point atop the granite tor some 1.5 hours after setting off and after some refreshments, my curiosity got the better of me and I set off NW after seeing other granite tors in this direction. This proved to be fruitless, as I discovered, soon realising that it would be near impossible to reach them as they are separated by a large gulley so I returned to the main summit to take some photographs before beginning my descent. By now, the sun had came out to enhance the picture quality, and it was still reasonably warm.
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Returning via same route I took to ascend, I was still passing groups of tourists making their way up in late afternoon. The steep descent of the main hill itself ensured my muscles got a good stretch out and approximately 3.5 hours after setting off from the start point, I arrived back there once again.
All in all, a very enjoyable walk at this time of year which is very popular by locals and tourists alike. Next time, I hope I'll be able to have a dram for my Grandad at the top.
