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Mount Keen, map 44; 31st Oct 2003, 25th Oct 2007 & 5th March 2015

Route: Ascent 685m = 2250', 10.6 miles, 3½ hrs; or 953m = 3125', 13.3 miles, 6½ hrs.


Access: From A90 at Brechin take NE exit, signed for Edzell. Follow B966 through Edzell, then left 1+ mile after Edzell, and up Glen Esk to Tarfside. There take left to Invermark. There are toilets on the left in Tarfside.
Route 25/10/07: Good/excellent bikeable paths throughout, apart from some sections of loose shingle in Glen Mark and a few hundred metres at the top of Mount Keen. (Probably better for bikes to take the track on SW side of Water of Mark.) This is the most accessible of all Munros for the partially sighted. Times include some jogging down hill.
Instead of returning by the outward route, the obvious variation for a circular walk is to continue east from Mount Keen to Braid Cairn and Hill of Gairney before joining a track southwards back to the parking. This is a perfectly pleasant walk and is the route given in the GPS link above. Another, but less successful, alternative route with a more scenic start (after the walk in) is given below.
Weather 25/10/07: Bitter wind on top; light cloud, some sun, 9°C at start, 10° at end. 5/3/15: 8°C at start, strong wind, dry all day, sunny in morning.

25-10-0705-03-15 Description Alt.Asc.DistanceGrid Ref.Mobile
11.000930 Park at "P" on map nr Invermark Lodge, NO448805 258   00.0 milesNO44648037No Orange
11.20 W up road passed church, & right before bridge.
Good track/path NW up Glen Mark to green post.
290  301.15 milesNO43298145 
11.251000 NW to track split by bridge 295  401.35 milesNO42998159 
11.451020 Track NW to Queen's Well 305  502.4 milesNO41938285 
11.501025 Track to Glenmark 320  652.6 milesNO41878317 
 1055 Track N to zig-zags ~5002453.45 milesNO41138412 
12.20  Track N to cairn on right after zig-zags ~550295   
12.30  N to small cairn by path      
12.351125 Track NNW to cairn at path/track split 6704154.25 milesNO40548523 
12.401135 N to path split ~720465   
13.05
-13.10
1205
-1225
N to M Mount Keen 9396855.3 milesNO40918692Orange
13.25 — EITHER Return by outward route:
Jog S to cairn at path/track split
670 6.4 milesNO40548523 
13.35 — Jog track S to cairn on left ~550    
13.50 — Track SE to Glenmark 320 8.0 milesNO41878317 
13.55 — S to Queen's Well 305 8.2 milesNO41938285 
14.10 — SE on track to split by bridge 295 9.25 milesNO42998159 
14.15 — Track/path SE down Glen Mark to green post 290 9.45 milesNO43298145 
14.35 — Track SE to parking at Invermark Lodge 25868510.6 milesNO44648037No Orange
 —  OR, for a circular route:
E on boundary to Braid Cairn
8878056.7 milesNO42598728 
 —1350 E on boundary to Hill of Gairney 7568658.1 milesNO44778755 
 —1430 Path S to track, track S to Hill of Saughs 6559209.53 milesNO44898561 
 —1520 Track S to Badalair (ridge end) 52095311.5 milesNO45208280 
 —1600 Track S to parking at Invermark Lodge 25895313.3 milesNO44648037No Orange


Route 31/10/03: It is advisable to keep to the main track both ways or to return via Braid Cairn and Hill of Gairney as in the routes above. For the record, I tried this circular walk direction for the scenery and because of the strong SW wind, but it is very hard work crossing bogs off the track.

0940 Park at "P" on map nr Invermark Lodge, Glen Esk 25800.0 milesNO44648037
1020 Track up Glen Mark to Queen's Well 320502.4 milesNO41938285
1050 Continue up N bank of Water of Mark to Waterfall 350803.8 milesNO401837
  Ascend Burn of Doune & cross bad peat bog ENE to main track 6754205.8 milesNO40548523
1230
-1245
Path N to M Mount Keen 9396856.9 milesNO40918692
1330 Main path/track S to Queen's Well 3056859.7 milesNO41938285
1415 Track SE to car at Invermark Lodge 25868512.2 milesNO44648037


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