Craiglash - Potarch

It was meant to be 5 riding today, but I was a late withdrawal. Feeling sorry for myself after coughing the night away, I decided I was in no fit state to get back in the saddle after a 3 week break, so it was just Dick, Ken P, John McW and Ian Sh who headed west for the planned route out to Kincar via Craiglash Quarry, then back on the Deeside Way, crossing the river at Potarch and up to Shooting Greens, then back down to Banchory.

Here's their team photo at Kincar on a glorious morning:

After an hour or two of lying in bed, I began to feel a little better and decided it would be a great shame not to get out and enjoy the sunshine. I thought I would follow in the footsteps of the Fab 4 above, and perhaps even spot them at some point on the route. I left Banchory some 45 minutes after the rest of the Freewheelers, but I wasn't planning to stop for coffee, so I thought there was an outside chance of our paths crossing - but it wasn't to be.

Just outside Kincar, I stopped for a selfie:

and another one at the high point of the Scolty forests:

Dick's Strava stats show a 39 kms run with 2 hours 39 mins of cycling - https://www.strava.com/activities/286463655. I didn't go to the Guide Hut, nor right in to Kincar, so my mileage was a little less, as was my moving time, but, otherwise, our routes were identical.