Exploring (Virtually) OS Landranger Sheet 44 : Ballater & Glen Clova
 |
| Cambus o May Suspension Bridge, November 2013 |
After a couple of stops down south, the latest map is back north in the Cairngorms - the Cairngorms National Park covers about half of Sheet 44 - and although there isn't any coast line, there are a lot of contours. There are some dramatic steep sided valleys that just cry out to be visited and photographed - like Loch Muich at the top of Glen Muich, and Glen Clova.
One of my Cairngorm confessions is that although I've visited many many times, I've almost always climbed and walked from the Spey-side rather than from the Braemar side. Maybe I should repeat my Lairig Ghru project but visit from the east side of the mountains.
So does that mean I've not visited this sheet? Not at all - I've crossed bits of this sheet many many times. There are two A-roads shown on this sheet - the A90 and the A93 (and one or two other bits feeding into the A93).
There are about three miles of the A90 down in the south east corner of the sheet (just outside Brechin) - and I must have driven those three miles dozens of times heading to or from the the boat in Aberdeen.
And up on the northern edge of the map, the A93 runs right across the sheet finding its way past Balmoral Castle, Ballater and Aboyne. On the A90, I've probably never even paused but I have stopped at least occasionally along the A93. I can recall stopping at (but not visiting) Balmoral and the famous wee church at Crathie. I've also got evidence of stopping for at least a brief walk around the footbridge over the Dee at Cambus o May. The picture was taken back in 2013 (when it was still possible to cross) - I gather that storm damage in 2015 made that impossible and that this is still the case in 2020.
I'm sure I'll drive the A-roads again - but I think a trip up some of the glens is called for soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment