Home » Hills » Munros » Eastern Highlands » Glen Esk
Glen Esk - Mount Keen and Mount Battock
The most easterly Munro and Corbett !
Having summits on broad plateaus, Mount Keen and Mount Battock appear very similar when looking on a map.
Both are heather clad and not the most inspiring of hills.
Yet up close, they are very different !
Mount Keen is one of the
easiest Munros.
Main route summary
Mount Keen with fine views its rocky summit reached by fine tracks and well maintained path.
Mount Battock's summit with its trig point and few boulders is reached also by following tracks, however the views from Mount Battock don't inspire and while walking in, there's a constant feeling of intruding in on a pending shoot with all the hides and in-your-face electric deer fence.
| Munros |
Mount Keen (939m, Munro 235)
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| Corbetts |
Mount Battock* (778m, Corbett)
*see Alternative Routes below
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| Ascent |
700m (2,300ft)
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| Distance |
18km (11m)
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| Time |
walk : 5:40hr*
bike & run : 1:20hr
*Naismith's rule : 4km/h distance + 600m/h ascent
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| Start/finish |
Invermark car-park
(grid ref : NO447804)
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Profile
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Maps
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Which map to choose ?
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Downloads
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| Terrain | | easy |
 | difficult |
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| Navigation | | easy |
 | testing |
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| Effort | | stroll |
 | long day |
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| Scenery | | ok |
 | stunning |
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| Meanings |
Mount Keen : 'gentle hill'
Mount Battock : not known
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Route detail & map »
Getting there
- These hills lie north-west of Montrose, with the A90 carrying the nearby heavy traffic.
From a junction on this road, the B966 heads to Edzell.
Further on and before Fettercairn, a minor road heads north into Glen Esk.
- To access Mount Keen, drive to the end of this road, some 20km from the junction with the B966, where there is a car-park and notice board.
Mount Keen
- Leave the car-park and cycle across the bridge over the Water of Mark.
- Further on, just past a church, turn right up a track towards a house.
- Turn left just before the house and head through a gate.
Still on a track, continue to another larger and older gate.
This gate gives access through an electric fence - it was live last time I visited.
Follow this track for 1.5km to a junction.
- Off left is a possible return route, though this is discouraged by a sign !
- Continue towards the house at Glenmark, on the way have a look at the Queens Well and throw some pennies for luck.
Up to the house at Glenmark, leave bikes here, unless you've got powerful thighs for the next bit of uphill.
- Beyond the house, two burns require crossing Easter Burn and Ladder Burn.
Most of the time these burns present no problem, but in spate they can present some difficulty, Ladder Burn in particular.
- Once across, head uphill on the track for just over 2km to a cairn at c670m.
- The cairn marks a the start of a well constructed path which continues directly to the summit with its trig point and fine views.
Return
- Return by the same route.
Photos of route »
Invermark Castle built around 1526
Queen's well built to commemorate a visit by Queen Victoria
Couternach and Glenmark Lodge
Looking up Ladder Burn to Mount Keen
A cairn 2km south of Mount Keen
The path up to Mount Keen's summit
The 'Boundary' stone just south of the summit
Looking south back down from the summit
More photos are on Flickr !
Alternative routes »
Mount Battock
A remote hill amongst farming activities .
The route in along Glen Tilt is long but very accessible made possible by the track and path up its length.
The first 16km of the route can be cycled in.
This route does however involve trudging over pathless ground and particularly higher up, if the mist is down, your navigation skills will be thoroughly tested.
| Ascent |
700m (2,300ft)
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| Distance |
15km (9m)
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| Time |
walk : 5hr
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| Terrain | | easy |
| difficult |
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| Nav | | easy |
| testing |
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| Effort | | stroll |
| long day |
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| Scenery | | ok |
 | stunning |
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- Heading up towards Invermark, 5km before Tarfside there is a sign for a phone - turn right and park by the phone-box.
- On foot, head up the road, pass the old mill and another building to Mill of Aucheen.
- The road splits beyond this, turn right, then right again infront of a tired looking cottage onto a track.
Through a gate, continue to a wood where the track turns north.
- Follow the track for 1km to where it splits, just past some sheep-pens.
- Keep left on the track for just under 3km to another junction with a pony shelter overlooking it.
- Cross Black Burn, keeping left and continue directly uphill, passing some interesting stone-built shooting hides.
Head through a gate and follow the track to its highest point, then look for a some ATV tracks heading off right.
- Follow this up to Wester Cairn, just beyond which an electric-fence appears on your right - follow this to the summit, on the way going through a 'gate'.
The electric fence is looking quite old a delapodated and wasn't working when I last visited.
- You can return by the same route.
- Alternatively, keeping the fence on your right, follow it south-east over heathery pathless ground.
Some large wooden posts appear and shortly after the electric fence crosses your way again - another 'gate' gives access through and as the top of Hill of Saughs is reached, a new track is picked up and followed downhill.
A junction further on, you can turn right to drop to the pony shed and Black Burn, or continue straight on down to Hill of Turret, then drop to another junction, from where turn left and continue back to the junction just north of the sheep-pens.
Return to the phone box.
Interactive OS map
Other hill routes nearby »
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Glen Clova Munros and Corbetts
With fine paths and short distance, Driesh, Mayar and Ben Tirran make for a good introduction to hillwalking
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Glenshee
9 Munros above the Glenshee Ski Centre will test navigation skills in mist. You could do them all as part of a hillrace !
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Lochnagar and above Loch Muick
5 Munros, including famed Lochnagar with its winter climbing crags, form a high-level circuit above Loch Muick
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Ben Avon Munro group
Unusual summit volcanic tors sit on vast plateaux and above an area full of wildlife. Improved paths lower down make for easy access.
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Brown Cow Hill
A surpisingly long but pleasant walk. Tracks lead up to pathless moorland with fine views over to Lochnagar and Ben Avon.
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Accommodation & food »
Forecasts & other useful info »
Guided days on these mountains »
We don't currently have any guided events up Mount Keen or Mount Battock on our calendar of regular events, but we would be delighted to organise something for you and your group.
Check out our
Bespoke Guiding page for more information.
