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| Trail markers so we can find our car. |
"There is no mountain in Aberdeenshire-or indeed in the north of Scotland-better known, or more visited, than Bennachie." Alex Inkson McConnachie, 1890
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| Up, up, up! Glad I brought my hiking poles. |
Bennachie is a hill range just west of Inverurie. The best known peak in Bennachie is Mither Tap, with its knob shaped outline it can be seen for miles. The distinctive shape is partly due to the remains of a Pictish fort, dating to over 1400 years ago. The area has been home to humans for about 3000 years. Mither Tap, being a vantage point, has been built upon for many generations.
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| Vista at about half way up. |
We started at the Rowan Tree parking area and hiked up. And up. And up. We were not alone on our journey. We met or were passed, by mountain bikers, serious hikers and families out on a day trip.
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| Entering the fort; it only gets steeper from here on! |
We brought our lunch, and ate at the top, well almost the top. We sheltered behind a large boulder, to keep the wind from stealing our food. Then we went on up the last 20 feet. The wind was furious! There were times the gusts felt at though they would blow us off!
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| Made It!! |
But the views! We could see the ocean to the north and east. Aberdeen to the south east and beautiful lands both south and west. Well worth the hike.
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| Bill, too! |
There are many trails up Mither Tap, depending on where you want to park and how steep you want the climb. We chose a longer route with steady uphill climbing, rather than the one that was shorter but steeper. You can also easily hike to other peaks after Mither Tap, if you have the energy.
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| Wow! We can see the sea! |
The return trip was much quicker and easier. Round trip was about 3 1/2 miles. We were both tired, but it was a good tired!
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| Stopped by a soothing stream on the way down. |
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