MORTLICH (1248ft) ABOYNE CIRCULAR PART TWO of TWO

Beautiful day for a climb up Mortlich at 1248ft. (380m) The way down
The remains of this fort occupy the termination of an isolated ridge from which the entire length of upper and middle Strathdee can be observed from a height of 1248 ft (380m) above sea level and 800ft (244m) above the river at Aboyne. It consists of a ruined wall enclosing an area measuring 200ft (61m) by 145ft (44m). It has been robbed partly to build field boundaries and partly, no doubt, to build the large modern cairn which occupies the exact summit of the hill within the fort; this was surmounted by a cemented cone of stones in which a heavy cross of cast iron was implanted. The whole has been cast down, presumably by natural forces and lying among the ruin is a slab inscribed 'CHARLES 10TH MARQUIS OF HUNTLY/ DIED 18TH SEPTEMBER 1863./ ERECTED BY MARY ANTOINETTA HIS WIDOW AND THE TENANTRY OF ABOYNE'.
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