I’ve long ago given up on making party plans for Hogmanay. Instead of starting the year in a party dress with a raging hangover, l prefer to head outdoors, preferably into the hills with a hamper of food and warm drinks. Some years the weather has beaten us and we’ve retreated to a warm cafe to wait it out but most years we all make it out and start the new year feeling refreshed, if not a little wind blown. This year we headed to Clachnaben - a fantastic and family friendly climb located near Banchory in Aberdeenshire.

All images shot on Google Pixel 6.

The walk itself was about a 3 hr roundtrip (it’s about 5.5 miles/ 9kms) with lots of stops for pictures, catching our breath and of course a sit down for a brunch picnic of sandwiches, cake and tea. Normally we have a good clamber about on the granite tor on top but the wind was so strong we didn’t dare risk it with the kids in tow.

The views are fab for such a small hill.

This was the perfect start to our 2022 and we hope it is the first of many adventures this year.

You can find out more about the walk here: https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/aberdeenshire/clachnaben.shtml (this website is usually my first port of call when checking out new or unfamiliar walks in Scotland).