Forside Hill and Knock Leaven (Abington)

 31 March 2024

Where: Forside Hill, 376m/1,234', P 117m, Hump, OS 71/72, NS 919267 and Knock Leaven, 345m/1,135', P 55m, Tump, OS 71/72, NS 908260

Back down the M74 again on a very pleasant Easter Sunday to climb these hills which sit opposite each on either side of the motorway. I approached them from a minor road to the south. 

I parked a few hundred metres east of the motorway for Forside Hill. I had passed this impressive looking hill many times and thought that it must be a good viewpoint. The route was more or less straight up, through sheep fields initially and then up grassy slopes with some heather patches. Gates in all the right places. Approaching the trig.....

It was indeed a good viewpoint. Looking east to Tinto.....

Looking south to Tewsgill Hill and the Clyde wind farm.....

Looking south west down the M74.....

and west to Knock Leaven from lower down.....

I shifted the car to the other side of the motorway to a layby at the foot of a small plantation. The first field was a bit muddy but then it was easy grassy slopes. The high point wasn't marked on the ground. Looking to Forside Hill on the ascent.....

From the summit there was a fine view to Tinto and Dungavel Hill and of course Forside Hill....

South to Tewsgill Hill and the wind farm.....

There were more turbines to the north.....

I returned by the same route taking another photo of the southwards view but this time through the trees.....

Two very pleasant hills with easy ascents and fine views.

Beinn Leabhainn (Glen Ogle)

 24 March 2024

Where: Beinn Leabhainn, 709m/2326', P 41m, Tump, OS 51, NN 576 283

Good weather days have been few and far between this year but when another came along I decided that it was time for a Highland hill. I had climbed the Graham, Meall Buidhe, overlooking Glen Ogle a few years ago and before I had heard of Tumps; Beinn Leabhainn shares the same approach track initially but of course I had not given it a second thought when I previously visited.

I parked in the car park at the head of the Glen and followed the excellent track that zig zags up the hillside to a communications mast. Initially this is through a forest but there were occasional breaks providing a view across the Glen to Creag Mac Ranaich.....

Once above the trees the same view opened up.....

and shortly afterwards Ben More and Stobinian came into view.....

The going was OK once I left the track, this is looking towards the summit.....

I headed north of the summit to enjoy the views from the ridge, a good choice. The views north beyond Loch Tay to the Tarmachan and Lawers hills were excellent.....

Approaching the summit, Ben Vorlich and Stuc a'Chroin came into view.....

This is these two hills seen over Meall Buidhe....

and a view in the other direction to Ben More and Stobinian with Beinn Dubhcraig, Ben Lui and Beinn Chuirn to their right....

Beinn Leabhainn is a much better viewpoint than its higher neighbour and well worth adding on to it if you are bagging Grahams.

Tewsgill Hill (Abington)

 18 March 2024

Where: Tewsgill Hill, 569m/1,867', P 106m, Tump, OS 72, NS 961 238

A fine early spring day. I parked at the Raggengill Burn on the opposite side of the railway from the houses at Abington where there was space for a few cars and took the route of the old Roman Road. It was a nice walk through the glen of the Raggengill burn with views back to Abington.....

After a time and passing its west top Tewsgill Hill came into view (distant).....

I left the Roman Road where it took a right turn and followed one of a number of sheep and faint ATV tracks up the slopes of Tewsgill Hill roughly paralleling a fine stone wall which went all the way from where I left the car to the summit (and beyond by the looks of things).....

Looking back to Raggengill Hill with the Lowther Hills distant from the slopes of Tewsgill Hill.....

Abington from the slopes of Tewsgill Hill.....

It was a longer walk up the hill slopes than it looked from a distance but eventually the trig came into view with the turbines of the Clyde wind farm beyond.....

It was a bit breezy at the summit; Camps reservoir in the distance.....

Looking east to the Culter hills.....

Looking to Tinto.....

South over Crawford, Lowther Hill with a cloud top.....

Descent was mainly by the same route. Fine and easy walking country.

Wull Muir and Torfichen Hill

 4 March 2024

Where: Wull Muir, 433m/1,421', P 33m, Tump, OS 66/73, NT 353 545 and Torfichen Hill, 468m/ 1,535', P 32m, Tump, OS 66/73, NT 336 527

Another cold and clear early spring day for this week's hills. This time it was the hills south of Middleton off the B7007 road that goes from Gorebridge to Innerleithen. Wull Muir was a very short climb from a high point in the road- about 30 minutes there and back. I parked in the entrance to Carcant wind farm. It says no admittance but of course that is against Scottish Right to Roam law but in any event the hill itself is not part of the wind farm.

A grass track left the wind farm road only a few yards in and went all the way to the summit which was the other side of a wall next to some trees. Someone had planted a tree to mark a 50th wedding anniversary and there was a bench. Good view of the Pentlands and Edinburgh from here.....

I then took the car a couple of miles further down the road and parked at the entrance to Blackhope Farm next to a sign for a couple of footpaths.....

The path that I wanted was the one for Gladhouse Reservoir which went very close to the top of Torfichen Hill. The high point is not the trig which is  some distance away to the north east. There was a good view of Blackhope Scar on the way up and again from the summit; this might be a better way to do that hill than the usual bog fest route from the north.....

The Pentlands were prominent to the north, over Gladhouse reservoir.....

A look across the moor to Wull Muir.....

On the way down, I took a photo of another couple of Tumps on the other side of the road- Longshaw Law and Whiteside Law. I will be back to do these.....

Although there was a bit of a cold wind, it felt and sounded like spring. Lots of Skylarks, a couple of pairs of Lapwings and a solitary curlew accompanied me on Torfichen Hill.

Meall na Gobhar (Trossachs)

 26 February 2024

Where: Meall nan Gobhar, 249m/818', P 33m, Tump, OS 57, NN 569 045

This was a recently discovered Tump in the Menteith Hills south of Loch Venachar and west of Callander. I parked in the East Lodge car park and followed a good forestry track- the route of the Rob Roy Way. The views over the loch to Ben Ledi and Stuc Odhar and down the loch to Ben Venue were excellent.....

After a couple of miles I reached a small loch behind which were the main Menteith Hills.....

The track turned to the north and my objective came into view with Stuc Odhar and Ben Ledi to the right of it.....

There was a good view looking back along the length of Loch Venachar at a point just before I started the climb up Meall nan Gobhar.....

The route up the hill went up the side of an old quarry, a bit rough but OK.....

The top was however very rough but the view to the west taking in Ben Venue and Ben A'an made up for it.....

Back at the track, I carried on down to the lochside and followed the road back to the car. The hill was certainly nothing special but the walk itself was excellent.