by hullsandglens » Thu Dec 05, 2013 11:12 am
Munros included on this walk: Mount Keen
Date walked: 02/12/2013
Time taken: 5.5 hours
Distance: 16 km
Ascent: 939m
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Depart Dundee around 9.00am for a leisurely drive to the car park at Invermark. By far the most interesting part of the journey is the winding road into Glenesk after you turn off just past Edzell.
As co-pilot it was a pleasure to witness some wild bird antics during this stretch; I am sure a Woodcock flew across our path; we saw a Buzzard rear from the side of the road, a Magpie hastily leaving a piece of carrion at the roadside, a kestrel swooped overhead and as we approached the car park there was an abundance of small finch type birds. On exiting our vehicle we were met by a Robin on a nearby fence post.
Off we set for Mt Keen at 10.30am. This is not a hill I had visited before; but selected as a return to hill walking after a period of studying where my hill walking had been less frequent than I would have liked. The distance, effort level and timescales suited for this fine but cloudy Monday morning that promised some ‘blowyness’ as we gain height.
On the short stretch from the car park to the iron gate we heard quite a few shotguns being discharged and on reaching the gate a party of about 10 or 12 all carrying guns that were thankfully open and over shoulder or under arms.
The walk in Glen Mark on the land rover track veers towards the river close to a wooded area; it was on the slopes that we watched a small herd of red deer grazing comfortably working there way uphill. Being close to the river brought memories of previous fishing trips to mountain rivers and hill lochs; we ventured close to the waters edge and an immediate commotion ensued as about half a dozen salmon darted left and right then rapidly upstream disappearing in deeper water (much too fast for the camera). However we came across some dead salmon by the river bank, obviously having died from exhaustion having journeyed from the North Sea to the Water of Mark’s shingly breeding ground.
As per previous walking reports and guide books, the customary dwell at the well and compulsory photo took place before passing the cottage and starting the steady climb up the gorge that contains the Ladder Burn and plodded on to the point where the red path direct you to the summit of Mt Keen. We had met a young couple shortly before and they were very ‘happed up’ with jackets zipped up and hoods tightly round their heads. We were still reasonably comfortable with fleeces so continued to the summit. As we progressed visibility was excellent, although looking north there was cloud covering he tops of the Cairngorms, and the predicted wind speed ramped up to ‘almost knock you of your feet mode’. It was indeed getting very chilly therefore minimum time was spent in the shelter behind the trig point; just enough time for quick photo of each other holding onto aforementioned concrete structure. That was 3 hrs to the summit which included a linger at the salmon spawning beds and a quick snack before facing the crazy wind near the top.
The decent was pleasant after we got below the strong winds and the familiar sensations in the legs and toes returned reminding me of what to expect on much longer days that will follow when my fitness notches up a peg or two.
As we neared the end of the day and the light was starting to fade around 3.30pm we were witness to a couple of sections heather burning being whipped up with the blustery breezes that were still fanning the slopes.
All in all a very enjoyable day with plans afoot to organise another couple of excursions before the end of the month.
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