Anyone up for a mid week ramble on the hill?

To fit in with my offshore schedule and family commitment the good dates for me are:

Thur 5 May
Tues 10 May
Wed 11 May

09.00 at Esson's car park (Bennachie Centre)?

Possibly....

..still recovering from op though so I'll have to see how fit/slow I am etc...

Dick - Thurs 5 or Wed 11 could possibly suit me.

Dick, when you first mentioned this I thought you were talking about an evening meet(?)

All three of the dates are fine for me, but can we please make it a late afternoon start, say 16:00?

I'm not so sure if I want to take a day off work just for Bennachie :)

Oops! Sorry about that, it's a part of "The New Deal" that I hammered out with Sandra after she and my daughter got annoyed (severly pissed off is more like it) about Steve and I heading up Braeriach during the family hols.

When I'm ashore Monday is washing and ironing day, Friday is hoover and polishing day, Saturday and Sunday are family days and I can please my self on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. As long as I'm back by 16.00 to fix supper, though I get some leeway on that!

I keep telling Sandra that I've heard that some women would kill to get a saint like me but she doesn't believe me ;¬)

OMG, you poor sod :)I see your predicament. Oh the joys of single life!

If everyone's ok with Thursday 5th May, I'll try to get the day off.

Dick- I'm afraid I can't make it out of work during the week, but good on yer!

That said, I like the sound of the new deal! I'd settle for that quite happily, so long as I get go up Braeriach as well! :o)

Dick - I know that Bob is a great cook and all, but could you visit me on Monday and Friday some times?
;o)

Aye, I'm available for hire; based on the standard contactor questions of "What's the hours and what's the rates?" ;¬)

It's not really as bad as it sounds; Sandra thinks that I'm semi retired (despite the fact that I do 2016 hours per year to her 1800) so she thinks that I should help around the house!

How about cookin' us all a nice 3 course packed lunch for the meet? I'll bring the crockery and glasses, and Lindsay can supply the wine and beer - Only joking.

Spoke to she boss devil this morning. Probably ok for the 5th, but depends if I can get cover. Will know in the next day or so. Bloke who should cover for me is off at the mo.

watch this space....

Will do ;¬)

I'll see if Steve (son in law) is up for it too - I'll ask my daughter!

Jan: I hope you feel fit soon and can make it too.

Jan, yes it would be great if you can make it. Then at least I won't be the only one dragging my ass behind these two "mountain goats" :)

Mountain roly-poly in my case, we ate the goat last time out!

you weren't playing the goat then.... ;o) lol

You should go to Glen Shiel or Affric, there are wild goats there!

I can do 5th May...but I am going to be REALLY slow with LOTS of stops and may not even make it to the top (everyone is allowed to go on without me and collect me on the way down).

What time and which car park?

Thur 5 May, 09.00 at Esson's car park (Bennachie Centre).

A suggested route, with Jan in mind: Follow the Gordon Way from Esson's (NJ 699 216), it's fairly gentle, to the base of the Monymusk Triangle (NJ 680 212) after that the track rises up, not too steeply, between Garbet Tap and Bruntwood Tap to NJ664 221, that's about 4.5km so far.

That gets us on to the top, more or less. The Gordon Way then follows the 450 metre contour line to the west. We could follow it to Watch Craig (NJ 653 224), 8km so far, and come back via Oxen Craig, Craigshannock, Mither tap and down through the triangle back to Essons. That's about 12km in all, the last time I did it I took about 5 1/2 hours, thus proving I'm no mountain goat or fast mover!

The ascent via the Gordon Way and descent from Mither Tap through the triangle probably represent the least stressful options though I'm open to suggestions.

Could you manage that Jan?

Sounds good Dick. I normally used to park in the (god, I can't remember) Pitcaple(?) car park. Not the Back o' Bennachie, the other one. So any route out of Esson will be new to me.

Back o' Bennachie car park, over Millstone Hill and through the triangle to Mither Tap and return is fun too, about 10km and 5 hrs, but parts of the ascent of Milstone hill from the car park might be tough for Jan.

One day I'd like to combine this route with a route that takes in all the Bennachie tops including the seldom visited Black Hill. It would take me all day and I'll be knackered at the end of it but by god it would be fun!

You can probably guess from the times that I like to "stand and stare" a lot ;¬)

<I normally used to park in the (god, I can't remember) Pitcaple(?) car park.> That sounds like the Rowan Tree car park.

Rowan Tree! That's the one...

Ooops, for Back 'o Bennachie car park above read Donview car park!