Hill of Fare

20 July 2012

Participants - Neil and Ben
Where - Hill of Fare, 471m/ 1,545', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 38, NJ 672028

The forecast was for a couple of reasonable days before the weather once again deteriorated so I took the opportunity to go back to Aberdeenshire to do a couple of hills that I had not yet done. I like this part of the country with its mix of hill and farmland. Although the hills are of the lowish variety, they tend to be isolated and provide good, wide views. Hill of Fare is the highest point of a big area of moorland just to the north of Banchory; this is a view of it from the east.....

I opted for a route from the south, starting just west of a road that led to the hotel at Raemoir. There was space to park a few cars at the entrance to the track, which took a circuitous route round some buildings before arriving at this gate at the entrance to a forest.....

I was glad that there was a track on this hill; the going underfoot would have been awful otherwise with thick heather and bracken between the trees. This is looking across the Dee valley to another sub-2k, Kerloch, which I climbed a couple of years ago.....

The track emerged from the trees and skirted Craigrath from where the views started to open out; this is looking south to the distinctive tor on Clachnaben with the Corbett of Mount Battock to its right...long time since I've been up there.....

Just past that, I reached the moorland and a view of my objective to the west, still a fair bit away. In fact it was the best bit of 5 miles from start to summit.....

I knew that there was a small cairn not far off the track but it was not easy to spot where exactly it was in the thick heather especially as all ot the ground round about seemed to be the same height! As I reached the approximate area, another walker appeared coming in the opposite direction and although he wasn't going to the cairn, he did have a large scale map with him and I was able to work out from that roughly where it was. And here it is, less than 50 yards from the track, just where it takes a bend to the left. The hill in the distance is the Mither Tap of Bennachie.....

This hill would probably be better climbed in a month's time when the heather was out, everything was a bit uniform brown colour today. Nevertheless, it was a good walk and although the sun never quite came out, it was bright and I got this rather atmospheric shot (zoomed) of Clachnaben and Mount Battock on the way back down.....