Meall Alvie
Height – 560 metres. Map – OS Landranger 43 & 44
Climbed - 22 January 2011. Time taken -1.5 hours.
Distance – 4.5 kilometres. Ascent – 255 metres.
Trip Report Details:
There are a few Sub 2000 Marilyns in and around the Deeeside area of Aberdeenshire, albeit not in the same sections as referred to in the Relative Hills of Britain book, which only take an hour or so to climb and aren’t worth a specific journey.
I made a list of a few of them including Meall Alvie, the most westerly one, before setting off for Invercauld, just east of Braemar. When I left home it was +6C but on arriving in the car park at Keiloch it was -1C with the sun appearing over Lochnagar. The parking charge of £2.50 was a bit on the steep side for such a short walk and the toilet was frozen and therefore closed. I could have found somewhere at the side of the A93 to park for free but the monies accrued from the car park are supposed to be utilised for path maintenance in Upper Deeside.
It was only a few steps from the car park to the buildings at Keiloch where a directional sign indicated the ‘Right of Way’ to Inver vie Felagie. This took me between the buildings and onto a vehicle track which was icy in places, and as the sign indicated to Felagie, an unoccupied white washed house with red corrugated roof.
Here an old stone dyke ran up the west side of Meall Alvie. (Avoid the old vehicle track which led into a wired game bird pen with no exit.) I kept to the south side of the dyke passing through well spaced Scots Pine trees, over heather and round some fallen timber. It was a steady but easy climb and after fifty minutes from leaving the car park I arrived at the summit cairn which was set amongst the trees.
There were views of Beinn a’Bhuird and Ben Avon but the glare of a low sun prevented a clear view of Lochngar. I took a short break here before returning to the car park by the upward route.
Photos taken on walk.