The Haughs of Cromdale

This evening I took a walk in the rain around the Haughs of Cromdale, around Tom Laith above Balmeanach Distillery.( OS sheet 36 Grantown, Aviemore and the Cairngorm Mountains) There are some nice hills there where as a kid we gatherd sheep for the annual shearing and went Grouse beating for "wealthy gentry" who came to shoot on Revack Estate. The highest hill is Creagan a' Chaise at 722m however one can link the nice row of tops together which gives an excellent walk or ski tour in the winter. This evening there were an abundance of birds, Curlew, Snipe, Oyster Catchers, Lapwings and a raptor. There were also many Rabbits, Hares and two Roe Deer. Occasionaly as kids my twin brother and I would see wild cats, but none showed themselves this evening. These photos are of Aultcharn Farm where I used to spend much of my teenage years driving Massey Ferguson tractors, Landrovers and shepherding sheep. This evening during my walk I realised that in my quest for some extra fitness before a trip to an 8000 meter peak I seem to take walks in old familiar places. There is less than a handful of days left before I head off to Nanga Parbat in Pakistan and I find myself lured back to these familiar haunts.... interesting.