Next to the village of Banchory, which is about 18 miles from Aberdeen, is Scolty Hill. Desperate to get out of the house and into the countryside I suggested we go there after lunch and walk to the summit. It was a superb outing. The walk is about 1.5 hours and not too strenuous. There is a steepish section but definitely doable, even for small children.
It was about 3C but you quickly get hot when you’re walking uphill. Elizabeth took her coat off not long after we started and I didn’t even bother putting mine on.
Daniel complained endlessly on the way up and this photo was taken in the midst of complaints, hence the miserable expression on his face. He would rather sit in a café and eat cake than walk up a hill to admire the views. His mood changed significantly on the way down because the steepish parts were covered in snow and made for good sliding. Perhaps he was also thinking about cake.
At the top is a large stone monument with a spiral staircase inside. You can walk right to the top to admire the views.
It was incredibly windy on the summit and in this next photo it looks like a storm is about to engulf us so we didn’t stay for long. There was also cake to be had so we took some photos and made a hasty retreat. It started to snow on the way down which was lovely.
Afterwards we went to Milton Brasserie and ate cake.
I always get a bit annoyed when cafés don’t have non-dairy milk so I’ve started taking my own with me. I bought a pack of mini cartons and if I think we’ll be going to a café which won’t have non-dairy milk I’ll take one with me which is exactly what I did today. It was perfect.
Milton Brasserie is surrounded by lots of lovely shops selling, art, crafts, and Scottish things. I bought myself a tweed hat because once you hit your 40s it’s time to start wearing tweed. There was a matching tweed jacket but it was £350!!! I didn’t buy it.
rachel.blog 
Thanks for taking us along.
You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed it.
You crack me up with that hat. Looks great! And beautiful pics of the fam and nature 🙂
Thanks, Chrissie. I really need to get out into nature regularly otherwise I get cabin fever. Fortunately it’s very easy to do this kind of thing where we live.
I am always amazed at how much you get out and travel with your your children. Well done!
Thank you! Scolty Hill is very close to Aberdeen and we just decided on the spur of the moment after lunch on Sunday to do it.
Was talking to a friend who comes from Edinburgh and she was describing how the countryside in Scotland is so much more remote and wild than those of us who live in the South East can imagine, and so many different places to visit, as all your posts illustrate. Lovely that Elizabeth is so keen.
There are some wild and remote places in the Lakes District aren’t there? But probably there are more places up here since it’s much less densely populated. We only have to drive for about 5-10 minutes before we’re out in the country and I really love that. I also love the different landscapes – the lochs and hills, the sea and cliffs, the forests and glens. There’s a variety of things to look at.
They’re all a long way from Lewes though. I’ve not been on a remote holiday in the UK with the girls because we lived so long in the countryside and I felt that we needed something different from a holiday. But it would be nice to explore those options some time in the future. Also the Lake District can get quite full of tourists from what I remember pre-kids.
Visiting Deeside I have really enjoyed this Banchory to Scolty walk and remember the high winds at the top too! Thanks for posting the photos.
The Vat at the Muir of Dinnet Nature Reserve at bit further west is worth a visit too.
Oooh the Muir of Dinnet looks really nice. We haven’t been there yet. I’ll put it on my list! Thanks for the suggestion.
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