Knock of Braemoray
Knock of Braemoray, Moray. Section 9A.
Height – 456 metres. Map – OS Landranger 27.
Climbed - 18 April 2011. Time taken – 1.5 hours.
Distance – 4 kilometres. Ascent – 180 metres.
Trip Report Details:
It was a sunny morning and I was heading home from a weekend based in Inverness. I decided to stop en-route and climb this Sub 2000 Marilyn which I approached from the south. Just after the Dava junction I thought I could see a track going uphill so parked beside another car at NJ007401. I never saw the occupant of this vehicle on the hill and the car was still there on my return.
I walked through what may have been an old sheep pen and into long heather. This led to a vehicle track which was shown on my map. However it was obviously old and no longer in use as it was in poor condition with sections of moss, pools of water and bog. I spent more time walking along the edge than on the track itself. What I thought was a vehicle track heading uphill was just different coloured vegetation.
Following the track was abandoned for the heather clad hillside. Although there were some deep patches of heather to walk through the ascent wasn’t unpleasant. I crossed an old fence line before making my way towards the summit which was an area of rough ground south-east of and a metre higher than the trig point. I wandered around the summit area for a few minutes to satisfy myself that I had reached the highest point as it was unmarked.
I then made my way over to the trig point with views south to the Cairngorms and north across the Moray Firth to Caithness. It was well worth the effort and I enjoyed a cup of coffee taking in the views.
The descent was more direct but lower down the underfoot conditions were a bit awkward with tussocky grass and a few wet areas.
Photos taken on walk.