Should be stressed we weren`t about to set off south and do the Three Peaks (Snowdon, Scafell Pike and back for Ben Nevis which apparently people often manage within 24 hours!)
No,this is our own little three peak walk on Bennachie- Mither Tap, Oxen Craig and Craigshannoch.
So a select group of three plus 2 dogs from the current household set off.
First observation was how crowded it was - school holidays, lockdown release, lovely day - why not? It was good to see so many people out and it afforded plenty of opportunity for sneaky breathers as we all politely waited to pass each other.
Having survived the steepish haul up to Mither Tap, the rest of the walk seems quite gentle, views across the plateau keeping us going.
Although Oxen Craig is the higher peak the final pull up is nothing like so arduous as Mither Tap,but the vistas are equally stunning.
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And from there it`s pretty much downhill all the way
until we turn onto the bottom track and into the woods, 
with glimpses of where we`d been through the trees.
The day held up magnificently and after the four hour trek we felt we`d deserved the ice creams bought on the way home. We may not have planned the expedition but serendipity with a touch of spontaneity had won again.
And this proved even more to be the case the next day. The rain set in and so when dogs were finally persuaded to venture abroad we decided on a shorter walk than normal, turning left into a patch of woodland we haven`t explored for years, rather than turning right further up into our usual hunting ground.
The roads were running in water when we set off 
but the rain was quite gentle, not unpleasant for sloshing along in. Dogs relished a change of scene - and smell - and indeed, there was a very different atmosphere in amongst these trees, on one side the usual pine trees but on the other the strangest looking structures, trees, yes, pine trees, yes, but with the needles stripped and instead the branches covered in lichen giving them a distinctly eerie, unearthly appearance.
Could be, having just finished watching Cursed** on Netflix where mysterious, frequently quite violent things happen in the woods, that senses were somewhat heightened but it wasn`t hard to imagine, in the rain and mist, that these woods had magic in them at the very least........
As we emerged and turned back down the road, the wind sprang up, the rain began to fall much harder and the rest of the day - and night - was spent sheltering from the deluge.
For the rest of the week, as the black clouds began to clear leaving only occasional showers normal service was resumed: early morning and late afternoon walks around the top field, walks in the woods, with only sideways glances into the ghostly depths of the other one as we pass.......
And this morning we trotted around ahead of the forecast rain, a grey but still quite high blanket of cloud overhead, the air very still - even the wind turbines weren`t moving- and the bird song muted.
The rest of the day will be spent preparing for a planned walk tomorrow up into the proper mountains. They have absolutely promised us a day of perfect weather. 😂😂😂😂
