Hill of Candacraig

Rising to 529 metres in the Aberdeenshire countryside, this Dodd and Tump offers a modest ascent through forested lower slopes opening to heather moorland higher up. The summit provides sweeping views across the upper Don valley, with the Cairngorms visible to the west on clear days. A quiet hill that sees relatively few visitors despite its accessible location.

• •The name 'Candacraig' derives from the Gaelic 'Ceann da chreag', meaning 'head of two rocks' or 'end of two crags', likely referring to distinctive rocky outcrops in the area that would have served as landmarks for early settlers and travellers.
• •The hill overlooks Candacraig House in Strathdon, a baronial mansion built in 1828 that later became a school and has hosted various notable guests over the centuries, giving the hill its current name.
• •The summit sits at the meeting point of several old drove routes that once carried cattle from the Highlands down through Strathdon towards the markets of the lowlands.
• •Despite its modest height, the hill's position offers particularly good views of Morven to the northwest and the distinctive profile of Ben Rinnes to the north beyond the Deveron valley.