Halt for Hill of Foundland

[Alfachick]

Having booked in with relatives up north for a visit in the new year I started looking at places to stop off on the way, interesting places that may have a trig point or a red balloon on the walk highlands website, or even better both! Also had to be close to the chosen driving route and not too long so as not to make us too late. Enter Hill of Foundland, a sub 2000er with a trig, not too far from the A96 and not too long a walk.

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I parked the car at the farm named Lenchie and attacked the hill from the south west track marked on the map, as it seemed to offer the shortest attack route and would avoid the masts.

The start of the track didn’t look very promising at all but it soon opened up a little into what was clearly an ancient land rover track, now covered in that really prickly young gorse bushes, which the dogs hated. After a couple of hundred meters of this we ended up on the moorland in short heather and the old track more visible. Then it was just a case of keep going up.

The old Land Rover track, not much to see these days but it is there.

I soon gained the stony hill and then were walking past old spoil tips from the quarrying that has preciously gone on here. The trig was reached without issue, dogs plonked on top and pictures taken.

Brutus on top of the trig with Benachie in the background.

Cesar onto of the trig looking South over Aberdeenshire

50 mins to get up to the top (gosh I am unfit) and 25 mins back to the car.
A nice way to break up a pretty boring journey.