Descending Cairn William
Group at Whitehills stone circle
Group on Cairn William
Members enjoying festive meal at the Kintore Arms, Inverurie.
Members enjoying festive meal at the Kintore Arms, Inverurie.
Our first walk of the New Year saw a group of 30 travel the short distance to Tillyfourie where we started the walk from the Pitfichie Forest cycle trails car park.The day was cold and crisp with a skiff of snow covering most of the tracks and the open hillside. The conditions were bright and clear and the group was in good spirit as we set off on the main track through the forest passing the small but well-preserved stone circle. Many of the walkers then headed up hill through the woods towards the summit of Green Hill and contoured around the edge of the forest to descend to a track coming up over the hill from the eastern forest boundary. After crossing this track, we continued on to Cairn William where there was evidence of fallen trees on the path, blown down in the gales and high winds of previous days. The main trig point was reached and the clear conditions ensured good all round views, particularly towards Bennachie. Care had to be taken on the rocky outcrops on the path, which were covered in ice. The descent from Cairn William followed a path which zigzagged its way down hill to meet a main track crossing between Cairn William and Pitfichie Hill. We then continued south to enter the forest and arrived at a small car park near Pitfichie Castle. The area was busy with walkers and mountain bikers taking advantage of the very good day. Meanwhile, a smaller group of walkers had continued on the lower track to reach the car park at Pitfichie Castle before heading towards the river Don and a riverside path which emerged near the village hall in Monymusk. All arrived back in time to travel to the Kintore Arms Hotel where an excellent carvery meal was provided in pleasant and warm surroundings. Thanks are due to Fiona Wallace for arranging the meal with the hotel at short notice as the Inverurie Golf Club were unable to accommodate us due to licencing problems. Overall, an enjoyable day was had by all with an opportunity to catch up following the Christmas and New Year period. Frank