Dunecht Estate & Barmekin Hill
The 12th month brought our 12th monthly walk yesterday. Six of us drove over to the north gates of Dunecht Estate - and waited. Showers were passing through - or so we thought - so surely it was just a matter of time before we could start our walk? After 20 minutes or so sitting in the cars, we decided it was time to brave it. All togged up, we set off: We passed by the lake and it was still a little damp: After that point, the rain desisted and the conditions for the rest of the day were pretty pleasant for early December. We marched through the estate and out through the south gate then along a narrow road for 2 kms until we reached the B road from Echt to Dunecht. We had to walk along that for about 100 yards then turned left and started the ascent of Barmekin Hill. The path up was fairly narrow through ferns and heather, and it could have been tricky to follow when everything was in full bloom: As we climbed, there were good views of the eve...