Mondays weather promised a continuance of the dry warm days we have been enjoying for quite a while now, so I thought I would take the mountain bike out and make the most of the conditions. Having previously lived in Aberdeenshire for two years, I am already familiar with the myriad of hard trails crisscrossing the North East of Scotland and as I have intimate knowledge of many of them it wasn't difficult for me to select one for the day.
Glen Lee is about an hour south of home in the neighbouring county of Angus and well worth the journey. The route begins in a free car park close to Lochlee Parish Church (not pictured) and almost immediately provides my only real route decision of the day, should I turn north toward Mount Keen or West toward Hunt Hill. I chose the western route because it is truly beautiful and has some interesting photographic opportunities along the way, not least of which is the ruin of the first church in the area, built in the year 600 the Old Glenesk Church was replaced by Lochlee Parish Church in 1803. Its ruins stand on the eastern edge of Loch Lee where the waters lap against the perimeter wall. It was an easy choice for the main image today. Before arriving at the old ruins you pass Invermark Castle, a fine example of a 16th century Tower House which was abandoned in the 18th century and materials from the associated outbuildings were robbed from the site to build Lochlee Parish Church. The route then continues for 2.5km beside Loch Lee before turning north and climbing beside the Water of Lee on the east side of Hunt Hill. Once over the crest of the prolonged ascent, a long downhill brings me to Johnny Gordons Shiel (or Bothy). These basic structures are scattered throughout the mountains of Scotland and are left open for anyone to use. They are usually 4 walls and a roof, a dirt floor, fireplace and occasionally logs (or something similar) for seating. If you're lucky you might also find a raised platform to lift your sleeping bag off the floor but that's it. So, no water, food or toilet facilities, and yet they are invaluable in bad weather, or just to escape the wind or cold while having lunch, or to sleep overnight without having to haul camping gear in with you. I think they are a wonderful resource and a perfect place to take a moment along the trail. Beyond the bothy I ascended again before a short downhill passing the Stables of Lee and getting a soaking by blasting through the Burn of Badrone before climbing again toward the snowline. Soon after this the bridleway became more and more snow covered and less and less manageable until I called it a day and turned back. Only then did I realise just how much ascent I had made, with an almost entirely downhill ride back to the car park I flew along kicking up rocks and getting soaked again at the Burn of Badrone but arriving back at the car in seemingly no time at all, after stopping for one more shot of Invermark Castle. It was only a 25km round trip but packed with interest, beautiful scenery and got my first ride back in Scotland under my belt.
2 Comments
Reg
8/3/2022 06:33:02 am
I had nearly forgotten how similar Scotland is to some of the area’s of Canada you photographed stunning scenery hardly anyone around and a lake with no fish😀
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Chris
16/3/2022 08:58:27 am
Cheers Reggie, though as I recall there were fish swimming right past you at Elbow Lake but somehow they all missed the bait ;)
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AuthorWe arrived in Calgary, Canada on 29th December 2011 to continue our journey. This blog is intended to keep our family and friends informed whilst we explore Canada.You can use the RSS feed below to stay updated. Categories
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