over Mount Keen and finish in Montrose or follow the Sustrans route from Banchory in to Aberdeen? 😕

Tarfside to Mt Battock – Clochnaben – then through Fetteresso Forest to Stonehaven and a pint or two at the award winning Marine Hotel

http://www.marinehotelstonehaven.co.uk/

Go with Messiah’s suggestion, you can also go through Durris after Fetteresso and then quiet roads to hit Nigg Bay for the finish. The Deeside path from Banchory is nice enough if you’re too knackered to contemplate doing Mount Keen, but definitely go for the harder option if you’re up to it!

so from Dinnet, do you mean to go up Glen Tanar, over Mt Keen, to Tarfside then up Fungle rd?

I can’t see an obvious (easy to follow) trail through Fettersso forest, so was thinking of using the Scolty trail through Blackhall forest and joining the sutrans trail into Aberdeen.

Thanks.

Just looking at the map and noticed that the path I suggested is not on the map 😳

The path leads from Milden Lodge and is obviously the one that goes up to below Wester Cairn… then across to Battock Summit (the most westerly Corbet)… where you can pick up the obvious and fun path down and across to Clochnaben (again it’s not on the map but it is very much on the ground).

Two options from here to get to Stonehaven – neither of which is anything like direct! South to Drumtochty Glen and then through the forest, or North and over Cairn Kerloch and again through the forest. Fetteresso/Durris forest is huge and sprawling, and far from flat. Pretty much all the maps are confusing as hell and it is easy to get lost or at best confused on the rather boring forest access roads.

Easiest route would be to go round Kerloch on the road and then through the forest – I can easy draw this route on a map for you – not a lot of road involved… adding in Kerloch summit would be stinker… but is a fun descent.

Whats your route? Which direstion are hitting Mount Keen from?

From Dinnet, go up Glen Tanar then you can either go over Mount Keen or the Firnmouth Road down to Tarfside. You then go a few miles along the road to Fernyside and up past Stobie Hillock heading for the track down the Water of Dye which will pop you out near the Bridge of Dye. You can enter the forest here and pop out eventually on the other side of the road from Durris forest. Getting through Fetteresso isn’t too complicated, just a bit wiggly!

thanks.

I’m starting in Fort William, and will be coming along the cyceltrack from Ballater to Dinnet.

Had first planned to go over Mt Keen and finish in Montrose (as per VG guidebook) but as Montrose isn’t great and there are lots of wiggly roads and junctions, I thought I’d just follow the cyclepath from Banchory to Aberdeen (as it’s nice and easy to follow).

I’m keen 😉 to include Mt Keen (if I have anything left in the legs), but probably good to have something easy to follow, so wondered about going over Mt Keen to Tarfside then up Fungle rd to Ballochan then go right on a minor rd to the B976 and through Blackhall forest (via mtb trail) to Banchory (where I can join the cyclepath to Aberdeen).

There is a cracking wee path from Ballater over to the base of Mount Keen 😉

As you have suggested – From Tarfside you could head over the Fungle to Forest of Birse (Ballochan), and then quiet roads to Finzean, Strachan and Banchory, or up into Blackhall/Scolty – loads of options.

as you say – there are too many options, they need to change (reduce) the access 😉

aha the track from Ballater to Mt Keen would make a lot more sense (much more direct which is what i’m looking for) – can you say any more about it (or show on a map) at all please?

Would you say it might then be worth going up Mt Keen then drop back down Glen Tanar rather than all around Tarfside and Fungle rd then (I seem to remember it’s best that way around i.e. clockwise)?

Argh, too many choices.

Ballater – go across the bridge and along to Bridge of Muick, up the access road towards Craig Vallich, then path across Lach na Gualainn, then down to the Sheil of Glentanar – start the horror climb of Mt Keen.

I wouldn’t bother with this if your not doing Mt Keen – the descent from Sheil of Glentanar to Aboyne is nothing to write home about.

Messiah, know exactly the one you mean – great wee descent that! Was trying to save on ups and downs for a C2C though…

thanks, that is clear (on the map too), so looks like a good (and hard) alternative to the cycletrack if I’m feeling game.