Mount Keen (939m) (Munro) - 05/05/2018
Distance: 17.5km, Ascent 810m, Time 5h15m
We had a pleasant breakfast at the hotel, but the cloud base, halfway down the valley sides, was too low to attempt a pathless walk on the Cairngorm plateau (especially after my recent experience). So we headed for our remaining Munro on this area, Mount Keen - the most easterly of all the Munros. We had to do the drive (1 hour) today anyway as we were staying in Edzell, near Glen Esk (in the Glen Esk Hotel) for the next two nights. We hoped that the later start and more easterly location would mean that we could spend less of the day in the clouds - and Mount Keen has a very clear path, so there was little chance of getting lost even if the clouds were low.
When we arrived at Invermark for the start of this ascent the cloud base was certainly higher than it had been in Glen Clova but was still covering the tops. We had a long walk-in along the glen beside the Water of Mark - and that was all clear, so off we went. In the image above, Mount Keen is out of sight in the distance between the right hand tree and the hill to its right.
Near the end of the walk along the glen is the Queen's Well - a set of granite arches constructed over a well which was built to allow Queen Victoria to drink on one of her forays into the hills. The ascent onto the plateau follows a path in the steep valley to the left of the arch in the image above.
Once on the plateau, we were in the clouds, but the path was clear so we pressed on and eventually reached the summit, where is was quite windy (though not nearly so windy as on our White Mounth Munros circuit). While we were ascending through mist ~10 people descended past us. We had been passed by two mountain bikers struggling up the steep slopes - we found them at the summit and one of them kindly took a photo of us (above) at the summit trig point. We stopped for some sustenance and then headed down. About 10 minutes later the skies cleared and we then had good views across the barren moorland in all directions; Lochnager being clearly visible to the west. By the time we returned to the car it was sunny and hot.
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Further views of Mount Keen from the descent