Benaquhallie is just ten minutes drive from home - in fact I can see the hill from the end of the road, but for some reason I'd not previously climbed it. An attempt to cross right over this high ground from the north via the forested slopes of Corennie Moor two years ago had ended up with me sweating and cursing among tangled fallen trees, then deep heather. Climbing it from the southwest looked a much simpler propostion.
And so it proved. Just 45 minutes pleasant walking on a grassy and rarely used access track brings the 494m/1621ft summit, and a spacious view.
Just below the summit is a very large and unusually shaped cairn. The view to the south takes in Deeside and across to the distinctive hill of Clachnaben which has a prominent tor.
Turning to the north east, the equally distinctive outline of Bennachie is well seen beyond Corennie Moor.
Clachnaben and (particularly) Bennachie are much loved north east landmarks - so distinctive that an old rhyme says that "Clachnaben and Bennachie are twa landmarks frae the sea". I always feel that I'm home when I catch the first glimpse of Bennachie after having been away.
I hung around for a while to enjoy the views from Benaquhallie - wondering why on earth I hadn't climbed this super little hill sooner!
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