Hiking Clachnaben and discovering Glen Dye

I’ve long wanted to walk up Clachnaben, the iconic 589-metre hill just south of Banchory in Aberdeenshire. It’s such a striking Aberdeenshire landmark, easily recognisable thanks to a massive granite outcrop at its peak. We finally tackled the walk today and it did not disappoint. You can see it in this next photo as the hill with the nipple-shaped peak on the left. These people make me happy. All the heather is in flower just now giving the hills a lovely purple hue. It’s not a difficult walk and takes about 2.5 hours there and back if you go straight up. There’s a longer circular route if you want to extend the day. After the hike we explored the surrounding Glen Dye Estate which is a magical stunning place only 45 minutes from Aberdeen. How have we lived so close for so long and never visited? It’s such an eclectic, inspiring place with all sorts of unexpected things to do and see. There are the beautiful, peaceful landscapes of forest, stream and hills. The quirky BYO pub, The…