Joy,

Well you did rather put yourself in the firing line if I may say! And not wishing to to offend HRH or his Mum or jepodise the potential chance of being made an OBE or even knighted for services to Scottish hillwalking and backpacking I will not disclose any potential spots on that side of the River Dee.

But as old Hump has said, the N side of the Dee out of Braemar is just as nice as the bit through the Ballochbuie and with many different route options available .But if you want to stay as closely to the line of your query I can suggest a wild camp at Felagie just NE of Keilloch. It is a locked building used infrequently by the Girl Guide movement and has a stonkingly good level grassy pitch adjacent. If you do use this aim to be there later rather than earlier as the area is often busy with day walkers out of Keilloch. The down side is that the best available water is some distance away at the burn at NO195931 accessed from a track not marked on the 50000 slightly NE of Felagie.

If you want to plod on a bit further on the ROW (with timber being extracted along much of its length) there is a superb level grassy field just over the Feardar Burn on the N side of the quiet metalled road at NO22672 93790. However DO NOT uplift water from the adjacent Feardar Burn, however clean and clear it may look, as this burn runs through a field just N of Balmore where there are normally lots of cows and lashings and lashings of cow poo everywhere including lots in the burn and on the banks. Instead uplift water from the burn that runs down the side of the field in which you are pitched. This pitch is visible from the road but there is very little vehicle traffic and the owner of the field, a sheep farmer was not the least bothered about me pitching there in April.

Alternatively stagger down to the Inver Hotel for a quiet soupcon, or two.

regards,

Colin

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