Walking in the Angus Glens. James Carron

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      Slender yet resilient harebells survive the harshest conditions in Corrie Fee (Walk 14)

      The region’s rarest plants are to be found on high ground where some of the most ancient species survive in the testing environment. Corrie Fee, above Glen Doll, is noted for its purple coltsfoot and yellow oxytropis and is also home to more common mountain plants: purple saxifrage, yellow mountain saxifrage, roseroot and globeflower. Neighbouring Corrie Shalloch has the largest area of mountain willow scrub in Britain.

      Above the corries, on the vast windswept Caenlochan plateau, a remarkably diverse range of habitats exists, incorporating dwarf-shrub and heath, mire, grassland and an array of alpine grasses, lichens and flowers. The area is regarded as one of the best upland botanical sites in the country.

Weather

      The Angus glens offer year-round walking, although the best conditions are usually to be found between May and September when the weather is generally drier and temperatures are, on the whole, higher. Although rainfall is typically lower than in the west of Scotland, prolonged wet spells and fleeting heavy showers, even on sunny days, are becoming an increasingly common part of the summer weather pattern.

      Despite the relatively compact geographical nature of the Angus glens, the weather can vary across the area and it is often possible to find good conditions in one glen when the weather is less favourable in others. As a result there is plenty of scope for choosing routes that take advantage of this local variation.

      It is worth paying particular attention to cloud base. While the higher ground may be shrouded in heavy cloud or blanketed in mist, lower hills may dip below the ceiling, offering alternative days out. Always be prepared for descending cloud or mist and be equipped to navigate in bad visibility, particularly across featureless terrain where map, compass and the ability to use them come into their own.

      Prolonged spells of wet weather do have an impact on hill paths and tracks, particularly those crossing peaty or marshy ground, making the terrain more difficult to negotiate.

      Over the mountains, snow can fall at any time of the year. In reality, however, snow can usually be expected between November and March, although it can linger in the high corries well into the spring. During the winter, blizzards are common across exposed high plateaux and mountain peaks. While avalanche risk is low, heavy snow can render high-level routes impassable. Walks 1, 12–16, 25 and, 27–30 are those most likely to be affected by adverse weather conditions.

      Depending on the severity of conditions, heavy and drifting snowfall can block access roads while icy conditions can make driving conditions in the glens hazardous.

Heritage paths and history

      The Angus glens are criss-crossed by a network of old rights of way, long-established tracks and paths that run through the valleys and over the hills. Once vital links used by drovers, shepherds, traders and even smugglers, most fell by the wayside, superseded by modern highways. Now they are the preserve of walkers, backpackers and mountain bikers.

      One of the most famous is the Tolmounth (Walk 30), a high-level route linking Glen Clova with Braemar. Better known as Jock’s Road, it played a key role in Scottish rights of way history. In 1887 a group of shepherds who regularly used the road joined forces with the Scottish Rights of Way Society to challenge a landowner who was intent on denying them access. After a lengthy legal battle that ended in the House of Lords in 1888, the old road was established as a right of way, setting a precedent that has protected public access to scores of other routes in the Scottish hills.

      Negotiating high, exposed and largely featureless terrain, the Tolmounth is a challenging journey, particularly during the winter when the high ground is frequently swept by storms or blanketed in snow. It is among a number of old routes known as the Mounth Roads, so called because the range of hills between Angus and Deeside was historically known as the Mounth. Two – the Cairnwell and Cairn o’Mount – were incorporated into the road network while others, like the Capel Mounth (Walk 27), Mounth (Walk 28) and Firmounth (Walk 29) gradually fell out of use but remain an integral part of the landscape.

      The Mounth Roads and a network of stalkers’ paths and hill tracks are a great resource for walkers, providing access to the high ground or offering satisfying day or multi-day hikes in their own right.