📌 Banchory, Aberdeenshire
★★★
🛠️ Part of ascent route officially closed due to storm damage (checked April 2024)
Scolty’s popular slopes rise above woodland across the river from Banchory, topped with a 20-metre high tower (which you can often climb) commemorating General William Burnett who fought alongside the Duke of Wellington in the Napoleonic Wars. Though the hill itself is only 300 metres high and relatively simple to conquer, heathery slopes drop away on 3 sides towards the River Dee and Water of Feugh to give excellent views towards Clachnaben, Mount Battock, Morven and the Hill of Fare alongside other local summits. Forestry and Land Scotland owns part of the hill but their waymarked trails don’t reach the top – fortunately there are plenty of other paths. Our circuit ascends by a fairly quiet but steep eastern option, returning by the northeast “tourist” route.
📷 Chronological photo guide
🌍 Location
📌 Start / finish at Scolty car park, off minor road 1 mi southwest of Banchory
🧭 O.S. Grid Reference: NO 687948
🛰️ GPS coordinates: 57.042924,-2.517590
🚌 Bus to Banchory (1 mi)
🚗 Car park
📝 Key info
▶ 3 km / 2 mi | ▲ 200 m | ⌛ 1.5 hr
Features: △ Scolty (299 m); ✞ General Burnett’s Monument
⬤ Moderate | Clear paths and tracks throughout but often quite steep and rough, especially for ascent.
Download file for GPS➡️ Clockwise circuit: start – waymarked path to south – Scolty Hill & General Burnett’s Monument by east slope – descend by northeast path. First & last parts of the walk (but not the summit section) shown in yellow on map 🔗 here (Craigloch Trail)
🥾 On our last visit
Wildlife: Small birds, speckled wood butterflies.
Weather: Hazy sunshine, feeling humid with temperature in high teens, breezy on summit.
July 2020
