October trip

 11 to 14 October 2024

Where: Torr Mor (Rannoch), 335m/1,098', P 30.2m, Tump, OS 42, NN 708 609; Ord Hill (North Kessock, 191m/627', P 134m, Hump, OS 26, NH 663 490; Ord Hill (Avoch), 149m/489', P 36m, Tump, OS 26, NH 696 573; Kinbeachie Hill (Black Isle), 121m/397', P 32m, Tump, OS 21, NH 629 627; Kirkhill, 62m/204', P 31m, Tump, OS 26, NH 549 456; Hill of Allargue, 558m/1,831', P 33m, Tump, OS 37, NJ 257 099; Creag an Lurachain, 442m/1,450', P37m, Tump, OS 37, NO 259 933.

I was travelling to the MBA AGM which this year was being held at Boat of Garten. Apart from some rain and low cloud on the journey up the weather was good and I was able to use the non-MBA time to bag some new hills. I decided to take the scenic route avoiding the bottlenecks on the A9 and used the Crieff, Aberfeldy and Tummel Bridge route enabling me to bag Torr Mor above Loch Rannoch. There wasn't much of a walk involved and unfortunately the cloud was down spoiling what would have been a good view south to Schiehallion.....

I had decided to stay on for a day after the meeting and do a tour of the Black Isle north of Inverness. Ord Hill at the north end of the Kessock Bridge is a notable landmark. There was a FC car park at its foot on the north side and signposted tracks to the summit, passing the remains of an Iron Age Fort close to the top. The summit is marked by a large cairn although I thought that an alternative top a few metres to the east might have been higher. Being tree covered there were only glimpses of the surrounding countryside although I did make a detour to a viewpoint low down which overlooked the Moray Firth and part of Inverness.....

Continuing east, I next stopped at another Ord Hill, north of the village of Avoch. 20 minutes was enough to walk up a track to the top from where there was a view of Ben Wyvis, snow on it for the first time this coming winter.....

Kinbeachie Hill was a drive past. The road was quiet so I was able to get out of the car and take a couple of photographs.....

I then made my way to the village of Kirkhill, near Beauly, where the high point of the village churchyard is a Tump. Again, little walking involved as I was able to drive to the gate. The churchyard contains a 17th century Mausoleum to the Frasers of Lovat which was interesting and is worth a visit in its own right.....

The next day was homeward bound and I decided to do this via the Lecht- the A939, always an exciting road to drive. Allargue Hill is situated above Cock Bridge and again was only a short walk from the road. Views from here included a snow capped Ben Avon. The actual summit is close to the track to the north of the transmitter.....

The final hill of the trip was Creag an Lurachain above Crathie, one that had been on my to do list for a while, not because of the hill itself but because it contained a couple of cairns to previous members of the Royal family. There is a big car park (for Balmoral Castle) and it was a walk of about a mile along the south Deeside road to the start of the hill track. A short distance up I passed Princess Beatrice's Cairn and close to the summit Prince Albert's Cairn, a massive and impressive structure. There were views north to Culardoch and south-west to Lochnagar. The actual top is not the Cairn but a clearing in the forest some 20m to the south.....