86-Year-Old Walker - Sandy Gray

April 2024

We recently heard a story of one of our oldest visitors to Bennachie, Sandy Gray, age 86. Sandy was born in the sight of the hill at Baldyquash, Meikle Wartle. He first remembers climbing Bennachie after biking over with his brother and Mum from Baldyquash. He remembers they got caught in a thundery squall and sheltered in the wee stone shelter at the quarry under his brother’s cycling cape. Sandy later moved to Oyne and as a younger man climbed the hill a few times a week.

The older generation of his family spoke of some of their ancestors working at the lintel quarry.

Sandy took his son up the hill as a baby and the grandchildren have been treated to the same experiences as young boys. Sandy’s mum apparently also climbed the hill when in her eighties, so it is a family tradition. With the grandsons in tow, Sandy took the boys on a trip to the lintel quarry last year, aged 86 – pretty impressive! The family clearly hold the hill dear.

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