Millstone Hill

14 March 2012

Participants - Neil and Ben
Where - Millstone Hill, 409m/ 1,342', Sub-2,000' Marilyn, Map 38, NJ 676202

It looked as though the weather was going to do a repeat performance of the day before- cloudy early with sunshine breaking through in the afternoon. So I took my time getting started. I had climbed Bennachie a few years previously but it has a southern outlier, Millstone Hill, which is a sub-2,000' Marilyn in its own right. Just right for a short day before doing the drive home. I took this picture of it- with the river Don in the foreground and the Mither Tap to its right- later in the day.....

The start point was the Forestry Commission's  Donview  car park. No problems route finding today, there was a signposted trail all the way to the top.....

The trail headed steeply up through a dark bit of forest with wooden steps to aid progress; higher up it became a stone staircase.....

The trees gradually thinned, it became less steep and we were soon approaching the top.....

The main reason for climbing this hill, apart from getting the Marilyn "tick" of course, was for the fine view of the Mither Tap of Bennachie that you get from the cairn.....

Bennachie is another one that I will have to go back to on a future visit. But that was it for this wee trip; a few days sunshine and some more interesting small hills visited in what I think is very pleasant countryside.

Lord Arthur's Hill

13 March 2012

Participants - Neil and Ben
Where - Lord Arthur's Hill, 518m/ 1,699', Sub-2,000' Marilyn, Map 37, NJ 513 198

The clouds were breaking up and the sun was starting to appear when I got back down Benaquhallie. It was only a short drive to the next sub-2,000', Lord Arthur's Hill just west of Alford. A search of the internet suggests that the hill might be named after Lord Arthur Forbes, a local landowner in times past. This is a view towards the hill taken later in the day.....

According to the map there are lots of tracks on the hill but I decided to approach it from the A944, from the houses at Littlewood Park. There wasn't really any space to park the car at the entrance to the driveway to the house but there was a handy quarry area about 300m back along the road so I parked there. The only problem was having to walk with the dog along a main road but fortunately the traffic was very light.

After passing the big house, I came to some more buildings. A track, not marked on my map, headed left from here and seemed to head directly up the south ridge passing to the left of a wooded area so I took that. In fact, it met one of the tracks marked on the map not that far from the top.....

This was another hill with a big cairn, again in a strategic position overlooking the surrounding countryside. Maybe Lord Arthur surveyed his lands from here, although the cairn looks as though it might be quite modern.....

A few yards further on the highest point was marked by a trig. This is looking west towards The Buck (there was a lot of heather burning going on).....

Morven dominated the view to the south-west with Lochnagar beyond, this pic is zoomed.....

The estate seemed to be burning heather on the east side of the hill quite close to the summit so rather than go back by a different route on that side of the hill I just returned the same way. From the way down, there was a good view across the Howe of Alford with this morning's hill, Benaquhallie, in the distance.....

Benaquhallie

13 March 2012.

Participants - Neil and Ben
Where - Benaquhallie, 494m/ 1,621', Sub-2,000' Marilyn, OS 37, NJ 606087

It had clouded over during the night and looked as though it might take a few hours to shift. I had spent the night in Ballater and was now heading for Alford and this Marilyn was only a few miles off route. By lunch time, the cloud had shifted and it was back to sunshine but by that time I had climbed the hill; however here is a view of it from the south under the better weather conditions.....

I found space to park the car at the end of a minor road before the houses at Upper Dargie. It was a straightforward case of climbing the south slopes, firstly through a field and then through some thick heather. There was no path. I could see from a distance away as I approached the hill that it sported a huge cairn....
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It wasn't at the highest point but the trig was only yards further on. This is the view east to Bennachie.....

and west to Morven.....

Although it had been a bit of a plod through the heather this one only took 40 minutes to get up. I spoke to the landowner when I got back to the car; he thought that the cairn had been built as some sort of watch tower but he didn't know who had built it or when. It certainly commands wide views of the surrounding countryside.

Meall Alvie

12 March 2012

Participants - Neil and Ben
Where - Meall Alvie, 560m/ 1,837', Sub-2,000' Marilyn, OS 44, NO 203919

Sunshine has been in short supply in the west of Scotland this year and I was starting to feel deprived. The forecast for the North-east was much better so I decided to spend a couple of days in that area on a Marilyn bagging expedition. Meall Alvie is a tree covered hill just east of Braemar, it is not a big enough hill that you would travel to do it specially but it is one of these that is a handy stopping off point for a couple of hours on the way to or from somewhere else. Fortunately, the trees were mainly Scots Pine rather than Sitka Spruce so the going was not too bad, although the heather was a bit tangly underfoot in places. As promised, the weather was much better in this neck of the woods, blue sky and warm sunshine and it was extremely pleasant walking along the track from the car park at Keiloch. This is the view of the hill from there.....

It was only about 0.5 mile to the restored cottage at Felagie which was where I took to the hill. An old wall headed up hill and I followed that; there was no path but there were grassy gaps in the heather so it turned out to be not too bad an ascent.....

The trees thinned out a bit higher up although it was not obvious where exactly the highest point was.....

I didn't know if there was a cairn but after a bit of searching I found one, actually quite close to the wall.....

With all of the trees there wasn't much of a view. The best of it was towards the snow covered corries on the east side of Beinn a'Bhuridh.....

It was back the same way. Going down, a herd of about 10 deer crossed the hill below us, I think that Ben either saw or smelt them but after a short chase he returned to praise for responding to my call. Back on the track, there was a good view towards Lochnagar, a hill that is on the list for doing again some day.....

Blath Bhalg

5 March 2012.

Participants - Neil and Ben
Where - Blath Bhalg, 641m/ 2102', Graham, OS 43, NO 019611

Blath Bhalg is the high point of the moorland east of Pitlochry and south of the A924. It's not the most exciting of hills but as I had done virtually nothing since about last November it was enough for me today. Hopefully the weather will now start to improve and I will get out every week but the forecast for the rest of this week is back to being grim. Oh well, at least I saw real hills again today! There was a dusting of new snow on the higher summits but I guess that that's it for this winter now.

I started from the radio mast just past the highest point on the road where there is lots of parking. A track crosses the moor from here and goes almost to the top of Dalnacam Craig. The views opened out from here, this is to Ben Vrackie (the left hand point)....

and there is a fine view of Ben a'Ghlo. I remember it as being every bit as long as it looks.....

The estate has very helpfully cut a strip in the heather from here to the foot of the west ridge of Blath Bhalg- for grouse shooters rather than hill walkers I suppose but welcome nonetheless. At the end of this stretch we picked up a fence and followed it all the way to the summit. This is a multi topped hill and the highest point sits out on a ridge to the south. It was marked by a small cairn.....

I managed to snatch a quick cup of chocolate at the cairn; Ben never stops being active and pesters me whenever I stop and sit down. So it was only a short stop before setting off back the same way. There was just time to take another pic of Ben Vrackie before leaving the summit area.....

Middlefield Law

19 February 2012

Participants - Just me
Where - Middlefield Law, 466m/1,530'

It was a nice crisp day and I hadn't been out for a walk for ages so I drove down to Muirkirk for a walk along the River Ayr Way. It's a nice walk with a bit of industrial heritage interest thrown in and as it never seems to be very busy it's ideal for Ben. On the way back I decided to nip up Middlefield Law; there were a lot of sheep on the hill, Ben had fallen asleep in the car and as it was only a short walk- 50 minutes up and down- I just left him to it. He's quite happy staying on his own for a while; he just curls up in the back of the boot and falls asleep! This is the view of the hill from the walkers car park at Kames, the other side of Muirkirk.....

The approach was along a narrow road that runs along the south side of the hill. Just under a mile from the turn off the B743 and just before the buildings at Forkings, there is roadside parking, a gate onto the hill, and the start of a track. Take the track! This hill contains some of the worst tussocks I have found anywhere and this track appears to be the only way of avoiding them. The only other time I climbed Middlefield Law I was unaware of the existence of the track and it was hell on earth trying to make progress.....

The summit is marked by a large cairn and a slightly lower trig point. The cairn appears to be a modern memorial cairn although I read somewhere that it might occupy the site of an earlier burial cairn.....

Most other hills of note are quite distant from here so it was views of the wide variety today. Didn't matter, I was just glad to be out on a hill again! This is looking east to Tinto, still with some snow on it.....

and south to Cairn Table. The extent of the tussocks on the south side of the hill are well seen in this pic.....

Needless to say, I returned by the same route!

Green Lowther

13 January 2012

Where - Green Lowther, 732m/2,403', Graham, Map 71, NS 900120
Participants - Neil and Ben

I always think that the Lowther hills provide good value walking for short winter days. Especially as there is a tarmaced road all of the way from start to summit thus avoiding any chance of muddy boots. Just right for today as my boots had not fully recovered from the mud bath on Grey Hill earlier in the week! For only the third time this winter, I had to scrape ice off the car, but it showed that a high pressure system had definately moved in and that a fine day was in prospect.

The other advantage of the Lowther hills is the high starting point- the village of Wanlockhead which claims to be the highest in Scotland.....

There is also ample parking and I got the car into a space right next to the building at the start of the private road that runs all the way to the summit. These are among the best known hills in Scotland because of the radar and radio stations on their tops and these installations do add a sense of the different to the walk, especially the "golf ball" on the top of Lowther Hill. There was a good view of the days objective from a point not far after the start.....

They may be industrialised hills but a lot of grouse shooting also takes place. Grouse were everywhere; Ben had a great time raising them! Evidence that this is prime shooting territory was the number of mink/stoat traps, although I have yet to see anything caught in one.....

The road winds up and across the hillside to the top of Lowther Hill but most of it can be avoided by diverting on to grassy tracks which though steeper, are also more direct as they cut out all of the corners. They are also easier on the feet. In no time at all, we were approaching the "golf ball", which I think is quite artistic and attractive.....

The sign restricting access to the site had disappeared and all of the gates were open although there was nobody about so we just followed the road through the compound. The main top of Green Lowther was about a mile away and despite the road, I find this a grand walk along a broad ridge with wide ranging views. This is Green Lowther from Lowther Hill.....

The area is becoming even more industrialised with the construction of the Clyde wind farm at the side of the M74; some of the turbines can be seen to the right of the summit in the picture above and in the next two pictures. I suppose that it is only the presence of the radar station that saves the Lowther Hills from the march of the turbines. This is approaching the summit of Green Lowther.....

and this is the trig set amongst the clutter of the radio station masts. Not artistic here at all, just an ugly mess. And not a place to hang around at but it was easy enough to move away from the installations to look at the views.....

I decided to stay high for as long as possible so retraced my steps along the ridge to Lowther Hill......

before descending by the service road.  I got a good view of Wanlockhead on the descent; I guess that surrounded by hills it must be a very cold place in the winter time. Today, the frost never lifted from around the houses.....

I find the village a really interesting place; on previous visits I have wandered round the Museum of Lead Mining and had a look at some of the old mining areas. An interesting full day can be had combining the hill walk with visiting the various places of interest. But not at this time of year; today it was back in the car and a drive to the nearest place that sold a cup of hot chocolate!

Grey Hill

9 January 2012

Participants - Steven, Ben and Neil
Where - Grey Hill, 297m/975', Sub-2,000' Marilyn, Map 76, NX 164928

There has been a lot of weather in west central Scotland in the past weeks, rain, wind, a little snow, rain, wind. You get the picture. Even Ben was starting to get fat from lack of exercise. So when a good day eventually came along, there was only one thing to do....grab it.

The better weather was coming in from the west so it was into the car for a run down the Ayrshire coast. Grey Hill is a small lump just to the south of Girvan but it promised a good view of Ailsa Craig. I took the Newton-Stewart road out of Girvan and after a couple of miles, at Pinmore, turned on to a single track road that passed the east slopes of the hill. There was space to park a car just off the road near the farm of Knocklaugh from where a path started up towards the hill. There were two immediate problems; the entrance to the path was by a stile and Ben has so far proved unable to tackle these on his own. So he had to be lifted over. The second problem was that the "path" was a sea of mud; Ben was on his lead at this stage and was so excited and desperate to be off that I had to watch that I was not dragged face down into and then through the mud! Having survived that, we wandered up a very wet hillside for a bit before arriving at this sign and another fence and stile.....

Having lifted Ben over again, things improved after that. The hillside was much drier as we gained height and the only worry was that there were a lot of sheep about. However, they had obviously clocked us and they soon moved off. There was a 4wd track higher up but on the way up that was where the sheep were so we detoured towards the north ridge to avoid them.....

It was good firm going on short grass and we were soon at the trig; it was indeed a good viewpoint. This is Steven and Ben with Girvan in the background.....

me and Ben with Ailsa Craig in the background.....

and a zoomed shot of Ailsa Craig. It looks like an exciting Marilyn to do.....

It could have been a spring day, warm with only a gentle breeze. Going down, we had to repeat the dog lifting exercise but managed to avoid a lot of the wetter ground although not the mud. And going down through the trees....was that a midge....surely not! What was not in dispute was the snowdrops that were fully out in sheltered spots beside the burn. And sitting in the car preparing to leave we watched a treecreeper running up an old tree in front of us. Could spring really be on its way?