[71] NO 50358 99915 St Machar's Cross

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1/12/07 Gary

This point is close to my house so took the dog for a walk up there first thing in the morning. Wouldn't have found itwithout the descriptions and there is now a definite track with all the challenge baggers.

17-10-07 Gail, Graeme, Finn, Magnus and Duncan

Had a friend staying from London and so decided to go and search for the stone. I'm pretty proud of myself because I found it eventually but have to admit that I did have everybody searching in the wrong bit of the woods initially. These woods have a real atmosphere and the kids thought it was a little spooky. The others were a bit disappointed by the stone probably because we spent almost an hour looking for it and wanted to deflate my enthusiasm at having found it. Treated everybody to lunch at the Candlestick Makers afterwards. It was very scrummy.

20/09/07 Peter

followed the path over from wrenton, wearing shorts was not such a hot idea! found the stone with a bit of searching, its in a bog behind a large area of bracken, best way to it is to carry along the path until the end of the bracken then follow the edge of it around to the back

13/09/07 Dave and Kathy
Is this the hardest challenge point to reach? This was my second attempt, having gone right by without noticing it the first time. This time I took the Balnagowan orienteering map, which helped a bit, but it still took a lot of searching. We walked up the track from Heughhead to Wreaton, then took the right hand fork. Actually this path doesn't really exist, it is mostly bracken and gorse now, though there is a good view out towards Mount Keen. There is a gate at the start of the path marked on the OS map going into the trees near Dykehead. Follow this and in about 200m there is a right fork. The track is still obvious, though not good. In about 200m along this there is a small patch of rushes byond the bracken (just after the first boggy bit right beside the path). The stone is about 10m off the path to the right, but you won't see it unless you are looking for it. If you get to a ride going off to the left, you've gone about 100m too far. As for the crossand well, the well is just a puddle, and the cross is scratched onto a stone about 1m in its longest direction. Not very impressive. Maybe he wasn't a very powerful saint. Anyone know anything about him?

27/04/07 Sarah + Jon
Managed to find this after a bit of searching. Actually, Jon ran straight to it, but we didn't notice the rather feint cross on a very anonymous looking stone, adjacent to a bit of bog (the 'well' presumably). Carried on out through the woods to the top of Craig Dhu, but not enough time to bag Scar Hill before returning to Aboyne.