Mount Battock from Glen Esk

Glen Esk

Just outside of Brechin, which is on the A90 between Aberdeen and Dundee, the B966 heads northwards to the picturesque village of Edzell. North of this village, an unclassified road travels for around 20km up Glen Esk.

Around half way up this road, the Burn of Turret is crossed by a bridge, beyond which stands a phone-box by a junction on a corner with a sign for Mill of Aucheen. Take the narrow road heading up by the west side of the burn, pass the mill (now a house), then another house and some estate buildings to where, by some signs (for deer management and Muir Cottage), there is a track heading off right.

The route begins from here, but parking is rather limited, therefore it may be better to park by the bridge and phone-box.

Mount Battock from the Burn of Turret

From the signs, take the estate track heading off right towards Muir Cottage. In front of the cottage, the track turns right, goes through a gate and continues to a woodland where it then turns north.

Follow the track for a further 1km to where it splits , just past some sheep-pens.

Take the track on the left and follow it for just under 3km as it gently rises to reach another junction immediately after crossing Black Burn .

Keeping straight ahead (north) 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 these tracks up and over Wester Cairn, just beyond which, a fence-line appears on your right which can be traced to Mount Battock's summit .

Looking to Mount Keen from Mount Battock

Looking to Mount Keen from Mount Battock

South from Mount Battock over Hill of Saughs

The most straightforward return is to about-turn and retrace your steps back to Aucheen.

Alternatively, following a fence-line heading south, hike on a worn path downhill over heathery ground. Lower down, the top of Hill of Saughs is reached, where the top of a track is picked up and followed further downhill.

The track comes to a junction . Taking the right fork, a track descends directly to Black Burn for a return back on the track taken uphill, whereas continuing straight on will lead down another track over Hill of Turret to another junction , from where a turn right leads back to the sheep-pens just north of woodland.