The
Elsick Mounth is an ancient
trackwayA trackway is an ancient route of travel for people and/or animals. In biology, a trackway can be a set of impressions in the soft earth, usually a set of footprints, left by an animal. A fossil trackway is the fossilized imprint of a trackway. Trackways have been found all over the world...
crossing the Grampian Mountains in the vicinity of Netherley, Scotland. This
trackwayA trackway is an ancient route of travel for people and/or animals. In biology, a trackway can be a set of impressions in the soft earth, usually a set of footprints, left by an animal. A fossil trackway is the fossilized imprint of a trackway. Trackways have been found all over the world...
was one of the few means of traversing the Grampian
MounthThe Mounth is the range of hills on the southern edge of Strathdee in northeast Scotland. It was usually referred to with the article, i.e. "the Mounth". The name is a corruption of the Scottish Gaelic monadh which in turn is akin to the Welsh mynydd, and may be of Pictish origin...
area in prehistoric and medieval times. The highest pass of the route is attained within the
Durris ForestDurris Forest is a chiefly coniferous forest south of the River Dee approximately three kilometres west of Netherley in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The A957 road forms the southwest boundary of Durris Forest, separating it from Fetteresso Forest. The Durris Forest includes several smaller named...
. Notable historical structures in the vicinity are
Maryculter HouseMaryculter House is an historic structure along the Royal Deeside in Kincardineshire, Scotland. Access to this structure is via the B9077 road. The church and graveyard associated with Maryculter House are designated national monuments. A hotel in modern times, this building is erected on the...
,
Lairhillock InnThe Lairhillock Inn is an historic coaching inn along an old carriage route approximately four miles north of Netherley, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. In 2007 a new primary school opened across the road named Lairhillock Primary School, which replaced the old Netherley School and Maryculter School and...
and
Muchalls CastleMuchalls Castle stands overlooking the North Sea in the countryside of Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The lower course is a well preserved double groined 13th century towerhouse structure, built by the Frasers of Muchalls. Upon this structure, the 17th century castle was begun by...
. Most of the lands through which the Elsick Mounth passes are within the Durris Forest; while this forest would have been a mixed deciduous forest in ancient times, currently it is managed as a coniferous
monocultureMonoculture is the agricultural practice of producing or growing one single crop over a wide area. The term is also applied in several fields. It is usually developed by extensive growing farmers.-Land use:...
with extensive amounts of clearfelling.
Roman legionThe Roman legion is a term that can apply both as a translation of legio to the entire Roman army and also, more narrowly , to the heavy infantry that was the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army in the period of the late Roman Republic and the...
s marched from
Raedykes.Raedykes is the site of a Roman marching camp located just over 3 miles NW of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. National Grid Reference NO 842902...
to
NormandykesNormandykes is the site of a Roman marching camp 1 mile to the SE of Peterculter, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The near-rectangular site covers about 106 acres of the summit and eastern slopes of a hill overlooking the River Dee and the B9077 road further south...
Roman Camp at the south of Peterculter as they sought higher ground evading the
bogA bog or mire is a wetland type that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—usually mosses, but also lichens in Arctic climates....
s of Red Moss and other low-lying mosses associated with the
Burn of MuchallsThe Burn of Muchalls is an easterly flowing stream in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that discharges to the North Sea. Its point of discharge is on a rocky beach set with scenic sea stacks...
.
The
Elsick Mounth is an ancient
trackwayA trackway is an ancient route of travel for people and/or animals. In biology, a trackway can be a set of impressions in the soft earth, usually a set of footprints, left by an animal. A fossil trackway is the fossilized imprint of a trackway. Trackways have been found all over the world...
crossing the Grampian Mountains in the vicinity of Netherley, Scotland. This
trackwayA trackway is an ancient route of travel for people and/or animals. In biology, a trackway can be a set of impressions in the soft earth, usually a set of footprints, left by an animal. A fossil trackway is the fossilized imprint of a trackway. Trackways have been found all over the world...
was one of the few means of traversing the Grampian
MounthThe Mounth is the range of hills on the southern edge of Strathdee in northeast Scotland. It was usually referred to with the article, i.e. "the Mounth". The name is a corruption of the Scottish Gaelic monadh which in turn is akin to the Welsh mynydd, and may be of Pictish origin...
area in prehistoric and medieval times. The highest pass of the route is attained within the
Durris ForestDurris Forest is a chiefly coniferous forest south of the River Dee approximately three kilometres west of Netherley in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The A957 road forms the southwest boundary of Durris Forest, separating it from Fetteresso Forest. The Durris Forest includes several smaller named...
. Notable historical structures in the vicinity are
Maryculter HouseMaryculter House is an historic structure along the Royal Deeside in Kincardineshire, Scotland. Access to this structure is via the B9077 road. The church and graveyard associated with Maryculter House are designated national monuments. A hotel in modern times, this building is erected on the...
,
Lairhillock InnThe Lairhillock Inn is an historic coaching inn along an old carriage route approximately four miles north of Netherley, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. In 2007 a new primary school opened across the road named Lairhillock Primary School, which replaced the old Netherley School and Maryculter School and...
and
Muchalls CastleMuchalls Castle stands overlooking the North Sea in the countryside of Kincardine and Mearns, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The lower course is a well preserved double groined 13th century towerhouse structure, built by the Frasers of Muchalls. Upon this structure, the 17th century castle was begun by...
. Most of the lands through which the Elsick Mounth passes are within the Durris Forest; while this forest would have been a mixed deciduous forest in ancient times, currently it is managed as a coniferous
monocultureMonoculture is the agricultural practice of producing or growing one single crop over a wide area. The term is also applied in several fields. It is usually developed by extensive growing farmers.-Land use:...
with extensive amounts of clearfelling.
History
Roman legionThe Roman legion is a term that can apply both as a translation of legio to the entire Roman army and also, more narrowly , to the heavy infantry that was the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army in the period of the late Roman Republic and the...
s marched from
Raedykes.Raedykes is the site of a Roman marching camp located just over 3 miles NW of Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. National Grid Reference NO 842902...
to
NormandykesNormandykes is the site of a Roman marching camp 1 mile to the SE of Peterculter, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The near-rectangular site covers about 106 acres of the summit and eastern slopes of a hill overlooking the River Dee and the B9077 road further south...
Roman Camp at the south of Peterculter as they sought higher ground evading the
bogA bog or mire is a wetland type that accumulates acidic peat, a deposit of dead plant material—usually mosses, but also lichens in Arctic climates....
s of Red Moss and other low-lying mosses associated with the
Burn of MuchallsThe Burn of Muchalls is an easterly flowing stream in Aberdeenshire, Scotland that discharges to the North Sea. Its point of discharge is on a rocky beach set with scenic sea stacks...
. That march used the Elsick Mounth, one of the ancient
trackwayA trackway is an ancient route of travel for people and/or animals. In biology, a trackway can be a set of impressions in the soft earth, usually a set of footprints, left by an animal. A fossil trackway is the fossilized imprint of a trackway. Trackways have been found all over the world...
s crossing the Grampian Mountains, lying west of Netherley. To the north the Romans proceeded to the next camp at
Ythan WellsYthan Wells, also known as Glenmailen, is a Roman Camp site situated near the farm of Glenmellan, east of the village of Ythanwells in Aberdeenshire, Scotland....
.
External links