Route: as planned
Distance: 28 km (Cum: 276)
Ascent: 1250 metres (Cum: 9500)
Time taken: 8.5 hrs including breaks
Weather: cloudy morning, sunny afternoon, cool breeze
Over the hill (Mount Keen) to Tarfside, as related on at least two earlier Challenges. A long but easy walk on good tracks and in good company with fine scenery. We have entered the more sociable phase of this event, which means more chatting and less blogging.
Breakfast at the usual café (Bean for Coffee?) in Ballater was followed by a 9 am rendezvous with Sue and Heather (achieved at 9.30), and a pleasant day's walk with them and a variety of other familiar faces, notably Maggie and Vicky.
An encounter with a well camouflaged wildlife photographer afforded us 'the other side of the coin' from the keeper we met yesterday. He was photographing ring ouzel and didn't have much good to say about anyone.
St Droston's provided its customary welcome with a pot of tea and, later, chilli and baked potatoes. Numerous tents filled the nearby recreation ground, and the Masons opened to cater for the rehydratory needs of the occupants of those tents.
Sue counted 53 tents in the field.
Insomniac birdsong eventually lulled us to sleep, just as it had drawn us to consciousness earlier in the day at the campsite in Ballater.
Slideshow for the Day
Click on the first image, then click 'slideshow'.
Next Day - Day 13
Insomniac birdsong eventually lulled us to sleep, just as it had drawn us to consciousness earlier in the day at the campsite in Ballater.
Slideshow for the Day
Click on the first image, then click 'slideshow'.
Next Day - Day 13
9 comments:
Nice to see Maggie and Vicky - both smiling as usual!
Curious to know the location of the 'cone' - any history you can share?
There's no information board at 'the cone', Nick, so I'll research it when home.
You should try The Bothy in Ballater. Excellent breakfast. And cakes. Yum.
Bean for coffee? is also excellent, Louise, and they start serving at 7.30 whereas the Bothy doesn't start until 9. Both are fine establishments in my book.
Regarding 'The Cone', I think a visit to the Retreat Museum in Glen Esk may reveal more, but this is what I've found:
"Known as the Maule monument, it was erected in 1866 in memory of a number of members of the Maule family by Lord Panmure, who was also known as Maule Ramsay."
I've just realised that this day's very hurried posting was rather brief. The 'cone' is on the summit of the Hill of Rowan. I may shortly go through all these postings and move and caption the photos so that they mesh with the text.
Thanks a lot - I thought maybe you were saving the name for your Christmas Quiz :-)
Haha, I don't think many people will get that question right, even with the previous comment!
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