The Upper Dee above Braemar

We worked our way on B-roads along the river Dee from Aberdeen to above Braemar and the Linn of Dee (a narrow and turbulent channel cut through the rock). The weather held and we walked west along the upper reach of the Dee where it is bordered by beautiful and not-so--remnant Caledonian Forest of Scots Pines. Had we had time and the energy we might have followed the river up into the Cairngorm massif to its wild headwaters.

Instead we bumped into a walker who had spent the previous day wading around in porridgy new snow on top of the massif looking for Munros. He seemed to have spent the night out in the wild by himself and was tramping stoically back to his car.

It took just over two hours to drive back from The Linn to Edinburgh through Glen Shee.