Braemar from Morrone

After the full on weekend we decided not to set the alarm this morning and had a leisurely start to the day at our holiday lodge in Braemar. Tony was hoping to have a long walk but the cloud cover did not lift and he has not yet shrugged off his cold so, after doing a few jobs, we decided to stay very local to Braemar and walk up the Corbett called Morrone. Just outside the village we passed the duckpond and walked through the pretty Morrone Birkwood National Nature Reserve up to the viewpoint at Tomintoul. From here we could see down the Dee Valley towards the Linn of Dee, across to Carn na Drochaide and east to Creag Choinnich.

Morrone (859m) is a Corbett because it is between 2500 and 3000ft. At 3000ft the Corbetts turn into Munros.

The path upwards was straightforward but it quickly became windier and damper and I was wishing I had remembered to pack my hat and gloves, thankfully Tony had packed a spare pair of gloves. On the summit there is a mast and outbuildings which we sheltered behind for our cuppa as showers came in.

Sadly the 360 degree views were obscured by the low cloud so we set off back down and I managed to get a few blips once we had dropped below the cloudline. This is Tony on the path with Braemar and the River Dee in the valley below.

Once down we treated ourselves to a cuppa and cake in the Bothy Cafe!