Great views in Ballater and the clegs are back!!

Hill: Craigendarroch
Category: Sub2k
Height: 402m
The weather gods altered our plans for a high level walk so I had to break the good news message to the good lady. I decided that we would return to Ballater and go up the short, but steep, wood and craggy Craigendarroch. Even for her.
The cunning part of my plan was that I got to cycle the 17 miles to Ballater a cracking ride through stunning countryside. Plus a return home, made.

No trains here

Our walk started at the stunningly refurbished Ballater railway station.
We had left our walk book but how could you get lost, the hill is in front of us? Not through the housing estate surely. Well the crags were not the obvious route so after asking an old guy, wrong move, we followed the field edge alongside the games park heading out of Ballater. There were yellow markers which did not seem right. Thankfully a woman appeared and we were not on the official route but could get there through the woods.

The bin marks the entry spot

There was a path but no signs so on we went. Paths began to criss cross so I just picked the one heading up that looked as the feet of humans, not deer, might have ventured this way.
We did gain height and after a few naughty words, the good lady hanging well back, we stumbled upon a red marked post, more like it.

Path at first but is it the right one

The good path climbs and winds its way up the hill through the magnificent ancient woods, initially oak trees the Scots pine and birch. It is very humid and sticky. The crags are steep and shiny, glacial wear from way back. As you look down this feels a lot higher than the actual height.

Shiny steep crags

The track is hemmed in with blueberry/bilberry plants, the purple/blue fruits perfect for eating, sweet and tasty. There are regular fresh blue/black scat marks all the way up the trail, I presume they were deposited by a pine martin marking its territory from eating all this fruit.

Memorial cairn looking down on Ballater

Finally we break out onto a flattish rocky area where the trig stands and just further away a huge memorial cairn and a marker board. The welcome wind very strong and gusty, storm on its way.

Seat marks highest point

The granite has been noticeably scarred by the ice formations millions of years ago. Good timing as we just watched the documentary last week on how Scotland was formed.

The views are excellent but sadly the aforementioned storm has covered the tops of Lochnagar but the local views don't disappoint particularly of Ballater itself.
A straightforward walk back down the same route and heading to where we should have been in the first place.
Just as we finished the walk, a painful stab in my leg just above my socks. Blood drawn, my first clegg bite of the year.
An excellent short little walk, warm down here in town so time for a Shorty’s ice cream.

Wildlife: Blue tit; Chaffinch, Song thrush; Wood pigeon; Ringlet.
Time: 1.49
Ascent: ft (m) 264m
Distance: m (km) 5.01k