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We were staying at the welcoming Fraoch Lodge at Boat of Garten. It was sunny but quite windy. The Hare and other faster friends were off to Bynack More but four of us decided that one Cromdale hill was a good route for the day. And indeed it was, we had more sun than the others and the wind was more tolerable. We started in Cromdale and followed the walkhighlands route (thank you) and made a tour of royal edifices. Up the minor road, a quick diversion to Lethendy Castle ruin, where Jacobites were defeated in 1690,
- Lethendy Castle
up the track to the top of woods, up the track past grouse butts, (lunch part 1), to thin tall cairn commemorating Edward VII Coronation in 1902.
- Coronation Cairn
After that, walked across fairly frozen ground so not too wet, to Victoria's massive Jubilee cairn. Quick lunch part 2 then vacated the shelter of the cairn for others. The view across to the other Cromdale top looked enticing, especially with the frozen ground, but we had left it too late by starting in a leisurely fashion from Cromdale, and it would not have been fun to walk so far in the wind.
- Cromdale ridge and Ben Rinnes
We descended past the Piper's Stone. Allegedly in the 1690 battle, a wounded piper reached the stone and played there until he died. After this sobering reminder of bygone days, we meandered on down, taking the track to the right to make a small variation in the route. It was a very pleasant day out, and with 2 Jacobite locations and 2 royal cairns, feeling a bit more like a tourist trip than a Graham bagging expedition!
