My Favourite Hill?

Trevor Stuchbury

It's almost impossible to identify a 'favourite' hill as views change over time and are often influenced by recent positive or negative experiences. Sometimes the impression of the day is enhanced by a sudden improvement in poor weather or new glimpses of hidden views. Sometimes there is a notable wildlife encounter. We all remember those 'wow' moments when something special happens, but they depend on a combination of circumstances, of which location is just one. I have tried to remember some of these moments, and to think about where they happened and what made them so special.

The high hills have a unique appeal. Dramatic rock scenery, remoteness and challenging days contribute to the appeal. However, I find the margins of the uplands where rich agricultural land reaches the foot of the hills particularly attractive. Such areas are a feature of NE Scotland where the lowlands approach the east end of the Cairngorm and Grampian mountains. This leads to many interesting views, especially in late summer and autumn, when ripening crops and blooming heather provide colourful outlooks from the hills. The mixed land-use also provides habitats supporting very varied wildlife.

It's no coincidence that hills such as Bennachie are popular to a degree that belies their modest height. They overlook familiar landscapes where people live and go about their daily lives. These hills are a part of the view as people go shopping or travel to work. Many hills share these characteristics: Morven, Pressendye, Bennachie, and the hills of lower Strathdon are examples. They provide less of a physical challenge than the mountain core, but are very rewarding and readily approachable even on shorter days.

Morven is one of the higher members of this group of hills. To its east it rises abruptly from the rich farmland of the Howe of Cromar. In contrast to most of its neighbours, it is composed of base-rich epidiorite rock, its rich soil making it grassy and with a varied flora and fauna.

In the context of this article, the question then is: Is Morven my favourite hill? - and the answer is: probably not. However, I have had more enjoyable and varied days on it than on most others. I have also had some bad days. Whilst the approaches from Lary and from Ballater by the Culsten Burn are straightforward and enjoyable, that via the Tullich Burn is anything but. In the early 2000s, browsing my 1975 edition of SMC District Guide to the Cairngorms, I thought this route sounded quite inviting. However by this time, it had become a trackless route for masochists. Moral: use up-to-date guides!

I was a relative latecomer to the approaches to the hill from the east, but it is largely as a result of these discoveries that Morven features in this article. From the car park on the road to Groddie, a track leads to the wonderfully situated ruin at Balhennie.

From here, the choice of routes is to ascend directly, heading for Little Cairn, or to take the longer, less steep route to the left, passing an isolated pine before swinging round to Little Cairn. This route passes above Auchnerran, which is a demonstration farm run by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, to demonstrate how game and wildlife can be best managed on an economically viable farm (https://www.gwct.org.uk/auchnerran/). From Little Cairn, there is a moderately steep ascent to Mid Cairn and then gentle slopes lead to the summit with its trig point, where there is a visitor book in a box in the summit cairn. Morven is distant from most other hills, and as a result there is an extensive, all-round panorama looking towards Lochnagar and the Mounth, the central Cairngorms, northwards over Strathdon, and down the Dee valley.

Morven can also be approached from the north along the Deskry Water and Preas Whin (with its Deskry Eagle sculpture by Helen Denerley), but the upper parts of this route are fairly steep and largely trackless.

The descent to Balhennie is memorable since the patchwork fields and woods of Cromar become increasingly prominent in the view all the way to the car park.

Morven might not necessarily be my favourite hill, but the area around Balhennie is high on my list of favourite Cairngorm locations.

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