Knock Hill – A Steep Climb and a Cone in Portsoy
About 1.2 miles on foot.
Knock Hill rises alone above the farmland between Keith and Huntly, and at 430 metres it's a lot of height for these parts.
The path goes straight up, short and steep, and on a clear day the top looks out over the coast and the low ground of northern Aberdeenshire to the Cairngorms. It's a fine morning for fit walkers, and the reward is an ice cream in Portsoy after.
- Time
- An hour to an hour and a half, there and back.
- Where to start
- At the sharp bend in the minor road at Swilebog, two miles south-west of Gordonstown.
- Set off
- In daylight; from November to February start up by 1pm.
- When to go
- Any time of year in clear, dry weather; from November to February start up by 1pm. Portsoy Ice Cream opens every day, with seasonal changes.
- Dogs
- Keep dogs on a lead near livestock.
- Children
- A relentlessly steep path with loose stones: for older children used to hills.
- Before you set out
- About 2 km there and back with 240 metres of climbing, on a steep, narrow, stony path, rocky and muddy in places. The top is bare and exposed.
The walk
The walk up Knock Hill starts at a sharp bend in the minor road at Swilebog, two miles south-west of Gordonstown, where there's parking; there's no bus within a mile. The way up is about 2 km there and back, with 240 metres of climbing. A short stretch of muddy track leads to a narrow path that goes straight up the slope, relentlessly steep, rocky and muddy in places and loose with stones.
Allow an hour to an hour and a half. The broad top has a big cairn and a trig pillar, and on a clear day you can see the coast, the low ground of northern Aberdeenshire and the northern foothills of the Cairngorms. Wear boots with a good grip and keep dogs on a lead near livestock.
Go in clear, dry weather, as the top is bare and catches the wind, and from November to February start up by 1pm.
If it rains
The hill is bare and the path turns slippery in the wet: on a rainy day skip the climb and go straight to the Coffee Corner at Portsoy Ice Cream for a waffle and a hot drink.
Afterwards
14 min by car
Portsoy Ice Cream
Ice cream
Portsoy Ice Cream is on Seafield Street in Portsoy, 14 minutes' drive north, with parking on the street. It makes more than a hundred ice creams and sorbets in the shop and changes the cabinet all the time, so ask for a taste before you choose; there are gluten-free ice creams and dairy-free sorbets too. In the Coffee Corner there are barista coffees, bubble waffles, Belgian waffles and sundaes. It opens Monday to Saturday 7.30am to 8pm and Sunday 8am to 8pm, with seasonal changes, so in winter ring 01261 842279 to check.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Where to eat
The Shore Inn, a bar in Portsoy.
For further reading, before you go.
Photograph by Dariusz Murawski via Google