TGOC'24 Day 12 Ballater to Tarfside May 21st, 2024

After spending a wonderful half day and night in Ballater, it is time to move on to what I thought would be the last strenuous day of this challenge, going up and over Mt Keen before reaching Tarfside. The morning dawned as beautiful as you could want, perfect blue skies. I had a full Scottish breakfast in the Alexandra Hotel (minus the black pudding of course 😬). It was about 8:30 or 9 by the time I set off. 

The view out of my room this morning. 

Leaving town, looking back at Ballater over the River Dee Bridge

Lovely Day, River Dee 

I go that way.

Internet photo House of Glenmuick Lodge 

A little navigation to get around the giant House of Glenmuick, that had no trespassing signs and locked fence gates. I can't imagine why they wouldn't want me cutting through their grounds!? 😂To be fair, we know ahead of time that this estate has requested that we detour around their main property. After that, however, more beautiful forest walking

You start to climb onto the moors, leaving the trees behind. The Climb up to Cairn Leuchn is steep and totally exposed. It had become a very hot late morning. Fortunately there was water flowing beside the track and it was "mostly" gently graded

Going up (two photos above), Going down (below)

You don't quite reach the top before you start steeply down the other side. You reach a sign for Mt Keen (the Head of Garbh Choire is in the background of the photo below) and I must say, that for a route that I assume is very popular and often used, the path here is terrible. This could be due to the fact that the start is in some really boggy ground  

This track remains muddy and in some spots hard to follow on the ground, but the views are just as good. At this point it has started to cloud over and the wind has picked up a bit. It is actually a relief from the hot sun of the morning. 

The track continues around White Hill and down into Glen Taner. You can see Mt Keen (the pointy one) just right of center below as well as Gathering Cairn (foreground) to the left of Mt Keen and Braid Cairn just hiding behind, between the two.

Looking up Glen Taner to the Northeast

Descending into Glen Taner with Mt Keen dead ahead

I arrived at the Water of Taner and took some shelter behind some ruins and had lunch. I mentioned previously that this is the last of the food that I need to carry, besides just some snacks, I have ordered my dinner from Glenesk Folk Museum Cafe for tonight and breakfast tomorrow. I have also ordered two take-away lunches, one for lunch tomorrow and one for dinner, plus the traditional bacon rolls and cakes when I arrive in Tarfside. I will discuss more about why in the next blog post. There is also the Mason Arms, which will hopefully be open tonight with cheeseburgers and lots of beer. This should see me through to the Charleton Strawberry Farm on Thursday. 

After lunch, starting the climb up to Mt Keen

Why bother with switchbacks, let's just go straight up! This climb was steep! 

Looking back into the Cairngorms from Mt Keen 

Approaching the summit 

Yes, I took the bypass. At the last minute I decided I had my fill of uphill for the day and veered off to parallel the side of the summit. 

After skirting around the actual summit you get a great view of Ladder Burn and Glen Mark.

There was a very strong spring flowing just off the path. It was like a firehose the water was coming out of the ground so strong and fast. A great place to fill up and take a break. 

If I thought it was steep going up the Glen Taner side, it was nothing compared to the steepness of the decent into Glen Mark. It made me so glad I did not go the opposite direction. I encountered a person on a bicycle coming up just after taking this photo. I can't even imagine I would try that! 

bicyclist 😲

Descending into Glen Mark

Glen Mark House 

Looking back at the entrance to Glen Mark from the descent off Mt. Keen

Entering Glen Mark I found Jayme Morgan and his group resting by the Queen's Well. They were finishing up their lunches after descending from Mt Keen. Below is the Queen's Well in the foreground and Glen Mark House behind. This scene is said to be the inspiration for the last house before entering Mordor in the LOTR trilogy. I walked on with them for a bit

Walking down the Glen and seeing a farmer (in his truck) watching as his dogs work the sheep down the road on the other side of the Water of Mark.

After being stopped by a couple of nice ladies out for a walk (evidently my walking companions didn't inspire conversation) I carried on to enter Glen Esk. There is a wonderful church yard here, Lochlee Parish Church. The clouds were threatening again and the lighting made this a fantastic photo.

Just past here is a parking area with picnic tables and I again found Jayme's group having a sit down. 

I know I am close now and I can smell the bacon butty sandwiches and various cakes. I press on just ahead of others and make my way toward the Hill of Rowan, the familiar monument that rises above Tarfside. 

The lambs here don't pay me any mind as the others across Scotland have by running away. These just lay around and watch me as I walk past. 

Check out the little one peaking over the hill, below, in the top right of the photo! 

Arriving in Tarfside is such a mental relief. Tarfside can be the end of your hills for the trip. In '22 I picked a route that still had a couple of tough days, but for this year, I am done, or so I thought.

St Drostan's Church and rectory are "taken over" by TGOC volunteers each year. It has been Alvar and Ann Thorn who I remember from each time I have been her along with Gus and Rita McKinnon. Alvar has become a real expert at recording what each challengers eats and drinks even as the Challengers seem to increase each year. They do such a super job of catering to Challengers during the week. 

Ordering my bacon butty and slicing a few pieces of cake I sit and relax with all the other Challenger's arriving. Some familiar and very welcome faces to chat with as well as new Challengers to meet and more cake. After a bit, I walked up to the Mason Arms. They were open and serving cheeseburgers and beer. Even though I had dinner arriving later and had just had some snacks, I had two cheeseburgers and two beers. I chatted a bit with Challengers camping on the ball field, even buying a beer for later in the evening. 

After cheeseburgers and beers, there are not many photos. Dinner delivery from Glenesk Folk Museum Cafe was not a big success. I had ordered the fish and chips and what arrived was more like a small fish sandwich (that didn't travel up the road very well) so I am glad that I had the cheeseburgers to get me filled up. 

When I arrived I had asked Alvar if there were any rooms available in the rectory. This year they had all been spoken for, but he did let me "camp out" in the multipurpose room. So my campsite is below, plus I had my evening beer, so I slept very well! 

17-ish miles today, some sore feet, but another wonderful day of walking in Scotland