Our first walk of the new year attracted 35 walkers,one of whom we picked up at Banchory during a short stop at the Burnett Arms Hotel where we confirmed our numbers for the festive meal planned later that day.
The walk commenced near the top of Corsedardar Hill on the B976 Aboyne to Strachan road. Here at the roadside are situated two memorial stones, the older one on the east side of the road is the Dardanus Stone which has given the name to the pass and is said to commemorate a Pictish king. On the other side of the road is the local war memorial for the two world wars of the last century. The majority of walkers set off from the small car park at this point to climb over Corsedardar Hill heading towards Tom’s Cairn. From the trig point we then traversed eastwards to Glack’s Hill and crossed the old military road from Potarch to Whitestone, locally known as the Shooting Greens road.
A smaller group had previously taken the bus around to this point and set off from the forest picnic area, where several trails, including the Deeside Way, circuit the Blackhall Forest. The day was dry and very mild for the time of year with beautiful winter sunshine and great views towards Clachnaben and Kerloch. Our party them contoured around the Hill of Goauch eventually leaving the forest behind for the open pastures leading to our objective of Scolty Hill with its circular stone tower.We did however encounter some cattle feeding at hay bails which caused some concern to some members who decided to give them a wide berth!
We finally arrived safely at the tower which was erected in the 19th Century in memory of General Burnett, a local landowner. More recently an internal spiral staircase now allows access to the top of the tower where fine views were gained of the surrounding area. The good weather attracted lots of families and couples out for the day and it was a busy track on the descent from the top towards Alton Farm.We crossed the bridge over the River Dee to reach the main car park in Banchory where our bus was parked.
We received a warm welcome at the Burnett Arms Hotel where we rounded off the day with an excellent carvery meal and an opportunity for drinks and a chat before returning back to Aberdeen at around 7pm.
Frank