This excellent and varied short walk combines a forest trail, with a visit to the more natural and open landscapes of Elrick Hill.
Clear paths; rough in places with some potentially muddy patches.
The Aberdeen - Inverurie bus stops where the road leaves the A96.
Tyrebagger car park.
Take the B979 road off the A96. This walk description begins from Tyrebagger, the first of the two car parks signed on the left. Begin the walk along the path which begins beside the information board that has a map of the marked trails; our route extends these to take in Elrick Hill. The path runs close by the road at first before heading deeper into the forest. When it reaches a clear fork keep left. Ignore the blue waymarked route that goes off left, and keep ahead (red markers). Just after passing a bench, a signpost indicates a narrower path heading off right, crossing a pair of bridges across a boggy area.
The path climbs gently, passing another bench off to the right. As the route nears a stone wall keep left, but a short distance further on turn right (signed as Circular Path). This part of the walk leads through an attractive landscape of heather dotted with rowans and birches, and there are some good views towards Deeside.
At a fork keep left on the main path. Further on is another fork - you can either bear left here to head up towards the summit of Elrick Hill, or continue to a cross-paths and then turn left for a clearer path to the top. The top is wooded which restricts the views a little but there are several benches. Head back to the main trail at the cross-roads of paths.
The path ahead leads down to the minor road between Elrick Hill and Brimmond Hill (which can be reached this way). Our route, however, continues on the circular path to the left. The path now heads round the eastern flank of the hill.
When the path reaches another signed junction, turn right ("West Wood, Brimmond"). Keep right again by a telegraph pole; the path soon leads to a footbridge over a burn. Turn left on the far bank to head down through the woods. Bear right when a larger track is reached, then turn right at the next junction. Finally keep left at a final junction to follow the path back to the Tyrebagger car park at the start.
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