Hiking in the Highlands: Mount Keen

Mount Keen is the most easterly munro in the Cairngorms and one of the nearest to Lickleyhead Castle. It takes roughly an hour and a half to drive from the castle. It's a challenging walk for those who don't get a lot of exercise (like me). I went with my two much fitter teenage sons, who were frequently coaxing me to greater speed.

View from near the top of the snaking pass

Those planning to hike in the highlands should know that 'munros' are mountains in Scotland over 3000ft. There are 282 of them in total. At 3081ft tall, Mount Keen only just gets into this category, but it's made a much longer and more challenging walk by the fact that you have to walk for about an hour along gravel tracks just to reach the base of the mountain.

Lochlee Kirk, sheep in a field and the start of the gravel path

We approached Mount Keen from the south at Glen Esk. It is possible to approach from the north apparently, but it makes for an even longer hike. Park at Invermark Car Park, go over the bridge, past the old kirk and take a right along the footpath. From this point on cars aren't allowed, so you can't skip straight to Mount Keen. There are plenty of sheep to greet you. Then follow the path for about an hour as mentioned, continuing in a northerly direction until you come to The Queen's Well.

Queen's Well in Scotland

The Queen's Well is in a stunning location. Well worth a visit.

At the base of the mountain you will find The Queen's Well, so named because its waters were tasted by Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert in 1861. It was so beautiful here, I actually thought it was the highlight of the trip. It would be worth coming to the area just to walk out to see the well. There is a cottage and a horse paddock nearby. The path takes you straight past the cottage as you begin the ascent of the mountain.

Mount Keen is quite a bleak landscape, boulder strewn near the top and covered in a short hardy strain of grass

The path snakes steeply up a river valley until you reach a ridge line. It then flattens slightly on the plateau before rising again to the peak of Mount Keen. As we climbed the weather started to get worse. It was already quite a blustery day but it began to rain heavily, then sleet and finally to snow near the summit. As I stood at the top it was difficult to take photos without the phone blowing out of my hands. After a celebratory few bites to eat in a hollow we decided to beat a hasty retreat down the mountainside, mindful that the weather might continue to worsen.

Double Rainbow near Invermark

The return leg was something of a trudge to be honest. We were all footsore and wet by that point. The weather thankfully improved again as we descended and my trousers had actually fully dried by the time we got back to the car! A highlight of the return leg was a stunning double rainbow, which you can just about make out in this photo.

The outward leg of the walk took us about two and a half hours and the return about two hours. So it was a four and half hour round trip. As mentioned, you could just go to The Queen's Well instead, which would take about two hours altogether. I would recommend it for those coming to stay with us, especially for those with an interest in exploring the natural beauty of The Highlands.