Cryne Corse Mounth is an old droving road which ran south across the high ground from the Dee valley in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

, eastern

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

. Much of the route is now afforested. It is one of a number of old tracks which passed over the

Mounth The Mounth ( ) is the broad upland in northeast Scotland between the Highland Boundary and the River Dee, at the eastern end of the Grampians. Name and etymology The name ''Mounth'' is ultimately of Pictish origin. The name is derived from ' ...

, an eastern extension of the

Grampian Mountains The Grampian Mountains (''Am Monadh'' in Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic) is one of the three major mountain ranges in Scotland, that together occupy about half of Scotland. The other two ranges are the Northwest Highlands and the Southern Uplands. T ...

. The route departs the modern

A957 road The A957 road, commonly called the Slug Road,( /slɒxk/; Scottish Gaelic: An Sloc), is a two lane paved public roadway in Aberdeenshire, Scotland connecting Stonehaven to the A93 road near Crathes after crossing the River Dee, Aberdeenshire o ...

at a sharp bend at Spyhill and climbs steeply to the vicinity of Red Beard's Well near the

Durris transmitting station The Durris transmitting station is a broadcasting and telecommunications facility, situated close to the town of Stonehaven, within Durris Forest, within the area also known historically as Kincardineshire (). It is owned and operated by Arqiv ...

. The well itself is named from the leader of a gang of highwaymen who lay in wait for travellers on this route. At its south end the route meets the public road near Cleuchead north of

Glenbervie Glenbervie (Scottish Gaelic: ''Gleann Biorbhaidh'', Scots: ''Bervie'') is located in the north east of Scotland in the Howe o' the Mearns, one mile from the village of Drumlithie and eight miles south of Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire. The river ...

. Almost all of the route now lies within an area of conifer plantations, known in part as

Fetteresso Forest The Fetteresso Forest is a woodland that is principally coniferous situated in the Mounth range of the Grampian Mountains in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The forest has a number of prominent mountain peaks including the Hill of Blacklodge and Craig ...

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...

is said to have used the route in 1296, as subsequently did

William Wallace Sir William Wallace ( gd, Uilleam Uallas, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence. Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army a ...

. Cattle were driven along the route to

Herscha Hill Herscha Hill is an elevated landform in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide- ...

, north of

Fordoun Fordoun ( gd, Fordun) (Pronounced "For-Dun") is a parish and village in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Fothirdun (possibly "the lower place"), as it was historically known, was an important area in the Howe of the Mearns. Fordoun and Auchenblae, to ...

where an annual

cattle fair Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult ma ...

known as St Palladius' or Paldy Fair was held each July. An alternative name for the route is Cryne Cross. Parts of the route are annotated on modern Ordnance Survey mapping as 'Cryne Corse Road (Track)'.

References

{{coord, 56.99418, N, 2.38462, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Droving roads Roads in Scotland Footpaths in Aberdeenshire