We went for a walk up Scolty Hill today which is a small hill just south of Banchory. It’s about a 40 minute drive south west of Aberdeen to get to Banchory. The last time we walked up Scolty Hill it was snowing so it was quite different today. Everything was very lush and green and as is typical of Scottish days, there was a mix of sunny, windy, raining, and overcast.
The walk to the top of the hill is fairly short. The quickest and steepest route is just 45 minutes but there’s a longer gentler slope which takes about 1 hour. It’s a wonderful walk with a very good path. As always I feel so refreshed after a walk in the woods.
My father is visiting us from Australia and as you can see he’s in very good shape and managed the climb without any trouble.
Past the tree line were carpets of purple heather. It was gorgeous.
We took a picnic with us and ate lunch just beneath the summit. If you eat on the summit you get blown away. We saved our jumping shots for the summit instead.
Even Grandad had a go.
There’s a memorial tower at the top which was built in 1840 in memory of a local man called Willian Burnett who fought in the Napoleonic Wars. Inside is a winding staircase which will take you all the way to the very top of the tower.
rachel.blog 
Great to see you all have a fun outing, Rachel. I can see kids are growing up fast!
I am curious to know what’s your dad’s fitness routine is. He looks strong!
The kids are growing up too fast! Dad walks a lot. I think he goes for a long walk every day in Brisbane unless it’s too hot and then he’ll go swimming. He’s always been very active. When he was younger he used to run every day.
I am not disparaging anyone else’s jumping but your dad has the best jumping shot.
I think you’re probably right 🙂
Also from cycling just on the South Downs I can only imagine how windy it must get on the summit.
Definitely not a great place to ride a bike. Cycling in the wind is hard.