Over the Easter weekend we took the van to eastern Scotland, for a mixture of Munros and cycling (and quite a lot of “motor touring”, aka driving around).

We began with a coastal cycle from Arbroath (where we ended up when we discovered that our planned camping spot near Carnoustie was the wrong side of a <2m railway bridge).  Heading northwards along Route One, we enjoyed views of sandy beaches, flowering gorse and a lot of polytunnels.  So to Montrose for cake, after which we turned inland, negotiated an “interesting” farm track, struggled through the aptly named Hillside, then zoomed into Brechin for lunch at its (apparently famous?) cathedral.  The afternoon was spent battling headwinds on long, straight, undulating roads, but we were finally rewarded with an easy descent back into Arbroath.  We then drove up into Glen Clova and enjoyed an evening in the hotel bar, where the steak was more than twice the price of anything else on the menu, so we didn’t have it…

On Saturday we met David –  who happened to be in the area – for some ticking of Driesh and Mayar, ascending from Glen Doll via the Kilbo path and returning by Jock’s Road.  The weather was mostly sunny, which didn’t stop a biting wind delivering a battering of light snow for an hour or so.  After the summits, we continued to Dun Hillocks and followed a little burn through some remote-feeling moorland to the plateau edge, where there were spectacular views down the glen.  Unfortunately the burn then descended over a cliff and we couldn’t quite find a way down, so a short detour was required to return us to the path.  Having left David to bag a bonus Corbett, the evening’s drive took us out to Stonehaven, then back inland through Banchory to Alford and a lovely camping spot on top of Suie Hill in deepest Aberdeenshire.

This delightful position was less appreciated the next morning when we had to put on all our jackets and gloves to roll down the hill on a chilly and grey (but dry) Easter morning.  We soon warmed up on speedy roads through a variety of interesting villages towards Kemnay, and arrived at our intended afternoon tea stop at Castle Fraser around 11.30… Back on the road after coffee and scones, we cycled alongside the River Don back to Alford and up the biggest hill of the day to finish at the van.  Our next overnight spot was Invermark at the top of Glen Esk.  We spent most of the evening trying to work out why on earth a police car seemed interested enough in another car to wait two hours for the owner to return.  It’s still a mystery.

We were now perfectly placed for a quick ascent of Mount Keen the following day, which was duly completed, with good views of the main Cairngorms.  Heading south by around 2, concluding a successful trip exploring a new area and avoiding the worst of the weather!

Arbroath

Beach at Lunan

Montrose, looking south

Montrose, looking north

Brechin cathedral (apologies for the jaunty angle – it was the easiest way to get the flowers and the tower in…)

Back in Arbroath (we’re parked on the far side)

Useless but photogenic jetty

Rocks!

Burn of Kilbo

Ascending the Shank of Drumfollow

Glen Doll

Cold on Driesh

Mayar summit

And again

“I think we’ve Dun Hillocks now”

Lunch by the Burn of Fialzioch

A little traversing entertainment

Admiring the view

Waterfalls

Suie Hill van spot

Next morning

Castle Fraser

Trees on the way up Glen Mark

The way to Mount Keen

The Queen’s Well

Getting there, and looking back down the glen

Mount Keen summit, with snowy Lochnagar (left) and Ben Avon area (right) on the skyline

The long track back out