T'is a cauld blaw t'day.......
Having spent this week nursing a cold picked up at an 18th Birthday party, I was about to test my theory of "walking it off ".
Picked up Harvey and headed west into the shower clouds and a cold NWesterly. Felt like it was coming straight from the pole.Stumped up our parking fee and parked up at Keiloch - the first to arrive.
( I'd had to plot a fence-free route up this hill to avoid having to patrol the fences to find a gate or having to hump Harvey over or under them - which seemed to be everywhere and in rude order. )




Just as we were getting dressed, a big Ford Ranger pickup arrived and parked - equipt with tractor-like tyres, which we marvelled at. Five alarmingly fit-looking gents debussed and readied themselves for the fray.
We strode off along the road towards Invercauld House.
A convoy of estate vehicles came down the road and turned into the Keiloch site, presumably for a meeting or the days tasking......seemed a busy day of activity on the estate. Passed an estate hand removing the protective fencing from the beech trees lining the road. Soon we were overtaken by the fit men, striding purposely to a distant objective.
"Ben Avon" and maybe Bheinn a' Bhuird" was the response to our query. We responded with " a wee tiddler " for our objective - claiming absolution from the paucity of our walk, due to our advanced years.......
After a jolly cheerio, they disappeard over the horizon fairly quickly.

In the trees we were shielded from the worst of the arctic blast. Moved off the road to allow a pickup towing an Argo on a bogey with some chain saws poking up at the back. Surmised this was the guy who had been clearing the tracks up to Culardoch & Carn Liath that we'd observed last week.
Took a shortcut by the high track, which wasn't much of a track, but in the process, we disturbed a wee herd of about 30 deer who buzzed off into the trees ahead of us. We followed them through the trees until we intersected the track up the W side of Little Elrick.




Eventually the track exited the woods through a kleekit gate, allowing us to pad up alongside the trees to spy out a route up the slope opposite. The plan was to ascent between the two free-seeded plantations that ran up the SW slope of Wee Elrick.
The heather was thickish across to the burn and the slope was steep up other side. However, above that, we managed to join up patches of moss & Cladonia lichen to avoid the worst of the deep heather.




When we stopped on the way up, we were afforded fine views of the newly renovated Braemar Castle below.





GC eased up onto the summit ridge while, I struck the bealach and turned right.
At the top, a lee from the biting breeze was immediately sought and we cooried doon for a snack. The views down to Braemar and across to Lochnager were appreciated.
Not a day to hang about, so we quickly took our summit pics with a sunlit Bheinn a' Bhuird backdrop, then headed down.







This time we avoided the steep side of the burn, by descending over a knoll directly down to the gate in the fence at the track.
Cruised down the track to Altdourie, where we disturbed a single deer which shot off into the woods at our approach, then we strolled along to Invercauld, where we spotted a big black sculpture in the big hoose "garden" which puzzled us somewhat.




Continued to where the estate workie was now loading his dismantled fences on to a bogey. Muttered a few encouraging words to him then made our way back to the car.

Mounted up and drove into Ballater to find the Orka Cafe open - across from the bike shop - , which served us bacon & egg brioch buns with double sachets of ketchup - BR heaven ! Also the coffee arrived simultaneously with the buns, so we moved this establishment to the top of our " recommended" list and gave it 5.
However, we were warned by the owner to avoid their thursday closure until high summer.
Fully sated, we were able to solve a heap of Scotlands problems on the way home !

Also, having left gallons of snotters on Little Elrick, I arrived home a drier person - wunderbar.

A - not too onerous - grand day.