Mount Keen via Glen Tanar

Mount Keen via Glen Tanar is an out-and-back from Braeloine car park to the 939 m summit, returning by the same route. It follows estate tracks through Glen Tanar’s Scots pinewoods, crosses open moor and climbs the old Mounth Road to Scotland’s most easterly Munro. The detailed track is about 18.2 miles round trip with roughly 870 m of ascent; allow about nine hours. Distance estimates range from 28 km (17.5 miles) to about 29.5 km (18.3 miles). Plan for the longer figure.

Start at the car park opposite Bridge of Tanar. Continue to the public-road end, then take the right of way past cottages and the sawmill to join the Mounth track. The first roughly seven kilometres run through mature Scots pinewoods, with glimpses of the boating lake and Water of Tanar. You pass an old stone bridge without crossing it, with the river spilling over broad rock slabs nearby. Red squirrels, capercaillies, crested tits and Scottish crossbills are associated with these woods, though sightings are never guaranteed.

Cross Burn of Glendui by a small stone bridge to reach the open Half-way Hut, a useful shelter if rain sets in. Beyond the trees, the glen opens out and Mount Keen appears ahead as a rounded, conical rise. The track crosses the Water of Tanar on bridges, follows its south bank for about a kilometre, then crosses back. The old Mounth routes were used as drove roads to move cattle from northern Scotland toward southern markets.

At a newer wood-and-metal bridge, cross the Tanar and follow the old road uphill onto open moor. The first climb uses a broad track; higher up it splits into two eroded lines. Keep left for the summit. The right branch bypasses it, and the routes reconnect before the final, much steeper climb up Mount Keen’s dome. The trig point sits on a rocky outcrop above broad heather slopes, with views over Deeside and the Angus Glens. For a summit photo, include the granite outcrop in the foreground so the view has a sense of height and place.

The car park is charged; check the estate’s current parking arrangements before you go. No on-route food or drinking-water point was confirmed, so carry what you need for a full day. The route described here returns to Braeloine. Descending south toward Glen Esk is a separate through-walk and needs its own transport plan.