How to Get there:-
From Inverurie head towards Inverness on the A96. At 7m approx. at the
Oyne fork junction, take the left turn for Insch. Pass though Oyne and past
the Archeolink centre on your left. Take the next turning on the left signposted
for the Back o' Bennachie car park. The car park is 1m up this narrow single
track road. Meet halfway up the car park (opposite the toilets).
Click here for meeting point location map (use the zoom feature to find your
bearings).
The Running Route:-
Red Route (6.9m approx) :
From the car park, cut though the grass picnic area and up the main dirt
track towards the hill. Continue along this path veering right onto the
main cinder path track round the hill. Continue round the hill, slowly climbing
a little as you traverse round the hill. The path narrows and rises a little
steeper before you come a fence at the west-most point of the run. Cross
the fence
and turn left heading straight up the hill now; keep going until you reach
the turnstyle that stands between you and the Gordon Way -
the
main route that traverses the Bennachie hill range. Turn left onto the Gordon
Way, and pace yourself up the hardest part of the run - the ascent up onto
the top
of the
hill range.
Keep running - your legs will complain a bit, but its well worth it; the
feeling of satisfaction when you get up top & can say you ran all the way
up is worth
it!
As the path starts to flatten out, theres a fork in the road - take the
right hand fork (yip you guessed it) - the one that goes uphill.
About 200yards on, and victory is thyne - your are now up on the plateau of
the Bennchie range.There is a wee stone cairn and a narrow path leading off
to the left - follow this all
the
way over
to
Watch
Craig
(including
over
the
turnstyle that seems to be in the middle of nowhere.
Once over Watch Craig, take a left and follow the path back down to the forest
track we started from.Turn right on reachingh this path, then 200yards on,
turn left onto the dirt track back to the car park.
This descent is the reverse of the early section that is the
Bennachie Hill race GariochRR runs on the first Sunday in October.
Decide for yourself which is harder - going up or down this section....
