Mount Keen

Mount Keen, at 939 metres, is the most easterly of all the Munros, a dome-shaped swelling rising above the vast sea of the Mounth plateau, offering good going underfoot and extensive views on a clear day.

The shorter, more popular route starts from the car park at Invermark, at the head of Glen Esk. From the car park, the road crosses a bridge past the church, with a track signed for Mount Keen and the Queen's Well leading out into the open glen — the sandstone ruins of Invermark Castle, a 16th-century garrison fort built to guard against cattle raiders, are visible through the trees. The route follows the ancient drove road known as the Mounth Road up Glen Mark, past the Queen's Well, inscribed with a message to travellers and visited by Queen Victoria in 1861, with the dramatic crags of Craig of Doune overshadowing the head of the glen. At a junction, a constructed path forks right, considerably more eroded than in the past but greatly repaired in recent years, leading through a couple of rockier sections to the bouldery summit cone, topped by a trig point — Lochnagar gives a glimpse of craggier terrain to the west, with the White Mounth Munros beyond.

A longer, finer alternative approaches through the magnificent Caledonian pinewoods of Glen Tanar from the north, a designated National Nature Reserve home to rare wildlife including capercaillie, crested tits, and red squirrels — this route follows the Mounth Road through the woods before crossing the Water of Tanar via a series of bridges (one crossing, near stage four, has been surveyed as unsafe and remains officially closed, though some walkers report still using it) and climbing onto the open moors for the final steep pull to the summit.

The out-and-back route from Glen Esk via Glen Mark is around 17-19 kilometres, typically five to seven hours; the Glen Tanar approach is considerably longer, around 28-32 kilometres, typically six to eight hours, and can be shortened with a mountain bike on the good tracks. For those with transport arranged at both ends, a fine traverse links the two approaches, though the distance between Glen Tanar and Invermark by road is substantial.

This is widely regarded as one of the easiest and most approachable Munros, technically straightforward with clear tracks throughout — but the terrain is vast, open moorland exposed to rapidly changing weather, so full hillwalking equipment remains essential despite the gentle underfoot conditions.

The Invermark car park in Glen Esk is free with limited (school bus times only) bus service from Brechin; the Glen Tanar car park is chargeable, with no public transport.