📌 Ballater, Aberdeenshire
★★★
Craigendarroch is one of Deeside’s most distinctive, well-known hills. Once joined to other high ground, a glacier pushed it apart from the hills to the north, and it now stands alone in between Ballater village and the gorge-like Pass of Ballater. The hill’s translation as rocky hill of oaks tells you all you need to know about the scenery (though most of the forest is pine nowadays). Many people use the most accessible, southwest side for both ascent and descent, but if you have time you should return via the shady rear of the hill, with views between the trees across to Creag an t-Seabhaig: a famous rock-climbing venue on the other side of the Pass of Ballater. A good path encircles the hill at about the 300 metre contour, providing the way back round to the front.
📷 Chronological photo guide
🌍 Location
📌 Start at Ballater visitor centre, Braemar Road (A93), Ballater village centre
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NO 369959
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 57.049837,-3.041028
🚌 Bus to Ballater
🚗 Car park
📝 Key info
▶ 4 km / 2 mi | ▲ 300 m | ⌛ 1.5-2 hr
Features: 🏠 Ballater ★★★; △ Craigendarroch (402 m, sub-2000′ Marilyn)
⬤ Moderate | Pavements at start then clear, often steep paths – narrow on northern side of hill.
Download file for GPS➡️ Anticlockwise lollipop circuit: start – Ballater – Craigendarroch Walk – Craigendarroch by southwest slopes – descend northeast slopes – traverse western slopes to rejoin outward route to start. Map shows all of our routes starting from Ballater – this one is shown in blue
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: This is a good area to spot red squirrels, although we didn’t see any today.
Weather: Dry with sunny spells, temperatures in mid teens.
August 2013
