For me, this walk is less about the summits, more about the route to reach them.
Setting off up Glen Tanar I had two simple aims: the first was to hike roads less well travelled and the second was to find a wild and beautiful place where I could pitch my tent and break the journey into a two-day outing.
The mercury had dipped to -9C by the time I reached the parking area near Auchallater farm, and it was a slight shock to the system getting out of the warm car to prepare for the cycle up Glen Callater.
Brisk winds sweeping clouds from the south-west were to ensure it was one of those days in which the weather never settled. But it added atmosphere and as I made my way down Glen Ey the sun poked back out again, turning a nearby yellow tent golden against the hillside.
Of the Angus Glens, it is fair to say that Glen Lethnot is the least frequented. The single-track road in does not actively encourage visitors. As it winds deeper into the valley it becomes increasingly less inviting.
Mountain bikes and walking make a good combination in an area like the Cairngorms but after an embarrassing day trying to negotiate my bike down one of the easier purpose-built Laggan Wolftrax courses I reckoned I should stick to roads and forest trails.
Dog Day Afternoon stars Al Pacino robbing the Chase Manhattan Bank in a 1970s hairstyle. It’s been considered the 443rd best movie of all time. Dog Day Day is the walk over Beinn a’ Choin, just west of Loch Lomond.
Ben Macdui is the dominant mountain of the main Cairngorms Plateau even though it doesn’t stand out from afar. Of the many routes to the summit a favourite of mine is the steep path out of rocky Coire an t-Sneachda known as the Goat Track.
Spittal of Glenshee offers access to some fine mountains, but there are also plenty of lower hills in the vicinity of this long-established overnight halt.
The red telephone box in Inverey holds a special place in my hillwalking heart. More years ago than I care to remember we trooped out of Glen Ey on a school expedition, clutching the 10p coin we were entrusted with prior to our departure from Spittal of Glenshee.
It was very still and calm, with hardly a soul about as I meandered through the old pines, branches straining under the weight of accumulated snow. The temperature was a nippy -10 but clearing skies held promise of a warmer outlook for when I would leave the shade of the trees.
Badandun Hill is no stranger; I have climbed it on numerous occasions. It is the perfect winter leg-stretcher, a route for days when longer expeditions require a devilishly early start.
I am fascinated by old drove roads and hill tracks, the history and stories they hold. The glens of Angus have many ancient tracks that criss-cross this wonderful region, and one of these, the Kilbo Path, an old drove road, links the beautiful glens of Clova and Prosen.
The big hills of the Eastern Cairngorms, Ben Avon and Beinn a’ Bhuird, form two huge plateaux between Glen Dee in the south and Glen Avon in the north. They lie far from roads and the round of the pair in a day is a long, strenuous undertaking. A two-day trip with an overnight camp is a far more enjoyable way to appreciate these magnificent hills.
The crossing of the Cairngorm plateau to Ben Macdui is one of the finest hill walks in Scotland and one that I have done many times.
The wind had blown away the clouds and blue skies brightened my way through the pines that surround the Linn of Dee. Grazing deer on the open grassland in Glen Lui paid little heed to my passing while happy campers basking in the early morning brightness among the trees near Derry Lodge raised a hand.
The north side of Cairn Gorm is unattractive to lovers of wild places due to the ski resort that sullies its slopes. However the long, broad ridge that extends north of the summit is unspoilt and surprisingly unfrequented, despite rugged and interesting terrain and splendid views.
Some hills you climb once. Others you return to again and again. For me, Clachnaben falls firmly in the latter category. It is by no means a big hill but it punches well above its weight in terms of character and charm. Perhaps it is the location, or maybe the unmistakable granite tor that crowns the summit.
A three-day backpack had taken me up Gleann Einich, over the Great Moss, and back by Loch Etchachan and the Shelter Stone. A night in the youth hostel had got my clothes drier than they had been, my socks pleasanter smelling, and myself ready for a morning of sightseeing in Aviemore before the bus south.
The Backwater reservoir has long been a popular weekend escape for walkers seeking a few hours in Angus countryside. A mile or so off the main Glen Isla road, an undemanding circuit loops round the manmade loch, offering a brief glimpse of the solitude that lies beyond.
Sitting on the eastern periphery of the Cairngorms, the neighbouring Corbetts of Culardoch and Carn Liath are two very distinct peaks, separated by an old right of way linking Braemar with Tomintoul.
For two mountains so close in proximity, Glas Maol and Creag Leacach could not contrast more. The summit of the first is an unremarkable dome while the second’s angular backbone rips sharply through the skyline, showering a cascade of rock and scree down either side.
The glens of Angus are some of the most beautiful in the country, and long, lovely Glen Clova is my favourite, yet I had not visited in some time.
I’ve heard it said that some people struggle to find the Shelter Stone – the one marked on the map, that is – when they visit the Loch Avon basin in the Cairngorms. When we passed the huge block of granite en route for Beinn Mheadhoin, we couldn’t quite work out how anyone could miss it.
Just across the River Dee from Aboyne is the Glen Tanar estate. There are a number of very fine short walks through the trees here, which I have enjoyed on a number of occasions, but today I was up for something more energetic.
