Christmas Day I was headed to Dufftown to climb a few hills new to me. The first was The Scalp located to the south of the A920 Huntly to Dufftown Road. I parked beside the vehicle track which led to Braetown then walked along this track passing through some fields containing sheep. At a junction of tracks I took a right and followed this track over Hill of Mackalea onto The Scalp. The summit trig point was then a short walk across some heather.
The next hill, the Tump, Jock’s Hill, was accessed from Glen Rinnes to the south of Dufftown. I left my vehicle at the side of the minor road to the north-east of Allachlaggon and walked up a vehicle track and over a locked gate in a deer fence. I then made my way through some fir trees to join another vehicle track which was followed south-west before using fire breaks to gain the heathery hillside. It was a short steady climb to the trig point although the foot of a couple of fence posts appeared higher.
Still in Glen Rinnes but further south-west, I left my vehicle at the side of B9009 Dufftown to Tomintoul Road north-west of Tomachar. I then walked north along a vehicle track then east on an ATV track onto Braushie Cree I later left this track and headed for the summit of the Tump which was a rock on a pile of earth.
- Total time – 5 hours.
- Total distance – 16.75 kilometres.
- Total height climbed – 675 metres.