Milden Lodge to Tarfside via Mount Battock & Mount Een

Walk 1: Millden Lodge to Tarfside via Battock and Mount Een

From Millden Lodge head NW onto a minor road, climbing slightly to pass a stone watermill. Pass the house at the Mill of Aucheen and then fork right onto a track which bends right to pass in front of Muir Cottage. Go through the farm gate and stay on the track towards the woods ahead, ignoring the smaller grassy track to the left. Continue as the track bends left above the tree-clad burn. The track soon descends to ford a feeder stream, but there is also a footbridge; stay on the main track to climb up and continue near the Burn of Turret through more open ground.

Ignore a track on the left and keep right to go through a gate. At the next junction, turn left. Continuing on, the track veers left across moor and reaches a junction by a sheepfold; turn right and follow the main track as it climbs around the flanks of the Allrey. A short distance further on, ignore the newer track heading up Allrey by the grouse butts, instead keeping on the right hand track around the east side of the hill, giving grand views back over Glen Esk.

The track eventually comes close to the burn once more; keep straight on at the junction, ignoring the track which branches right across the burn. Continue and climb up onto the ridge of Black Craig, following a line of neatly built circular stone grouse butts. The track then swings left through a gate in the fence. Follow it gently up and across the hillside, but before it starts to descend, turn right onto a path to shortcut directly uphill to rejoin a track. This leads over the top of Wester Cairn; here leave it and follow a faint grassy track down, then up towards Mount Battock. The views have by now become very extensive, with Mount Keen a whale-back ridge from this direction, and the corries of the more mountainous Driesh beyond to the left.

There is a slight dip before the track begins the final climb up to Mount Battock, soon reaching a junction of fences; go through the gate on the left to continue to the summit cairn and trig point. The views now open up over Aberdeenshire, with Mither Tap on Bennachie prominent and the huge summit tor of Clachnaben visible to the east.

Retrace your steps back to Wester Cairn, but once you reach a junction, turn left, following the path westward for about a kilometer. Stay on the path, which will start going southward over Bennygray and then Mount Een. From Mount Een, take care to take the track heading SW. You will come across two minor paths; ignore them and stay on the main track. The track will lead you uphill again to reach the top of Craig Soales, you will see a cairn. From the cairn, follow the path. At the junction, take the path heading South. It will lead you all the way to Tarfside, where the bus will be waiting.

Distance approx. 11.4 miles (18.37km)

Walk 2: Hill of Rowan

Stay on the bus to Tarfside. Begin the walk by heading out from the car park and left along the road in the direction of the head of the glen. Cross the road bridge over the foaming Water of Tarf and keep straight ahead onto a smaller road as the glen road turns left. Almost immediately the minor road turns right; again go straight ahead here, now onto a grassy track and soon passing through a gate. The track climbs gently with good views back down Glen Esk and ahead to the conical monument on the Hill of Rowan.
The track continues across the gently undulating heather moorland, with a few scattered trees here and there. After a little over a kilometre it passes through a gap in a fence; continue for another 350 metres and fork left on a track through the heather up towards the summit of the Hill of Rowan. It can be a little wet in places but the summit is soon reached. The massive conical monument is topped with a quartzite cap and has a small beehive chamber inside (usually locked).

It is properly known as the Maule Monument and was built by the first Baron Panmure in 1866 to commemorate seven members of his family; it is also dedicated to Lord Panmure, Lady Christian Maule and Lady Ramsay Macdonald. The views both up and down Glen Esk are superb. Leave the monument following another faint vehicle track, heading west-northwest at first. The track then descends towards Westbank with views both up Glen Mark and of the craggy summit of Craig Maskaldie up Glen Lee. At the bottom of the main descent the track meets another track; turn left here along a grassy ‘green lane’ between broken drystone walls.

The lane passes through a gap in a fence and continues gently down and around Rowan Hill through the heather. When it forks – in deep heather – keep left, passing through an area of stone-built grouse butts. The route becomes a path before eventually rejoinng a track; continue left along this to reach some beautiful birchwoods and then the road at a gate. Once on the glen road, turn left and follow it back to Tarfside.

Distance approx. 4.5 miles (7.25km)

The above notes are for guidance only and are intended as an aid to be used along with a map and compass and/or a GPS device with O/S maps.
In the event of an emergency, the person in charge of the walk today should be notified if possible before the emergency services are contacted on 999.

Committee member in charge of today’s outing is Giada La Vite

Cancellation /waiting List. It is important to contact Gilbert ( Mobile No 07807240817) if you cannot attend And need to cancel your booking.

The bus is often fully booked which means any cancelled seats can be reallocated to those persons on the waiting list.

Anyone unsuccessful in booking a seat should contact Gilbert who will put them on the waiting list.