Steeles Knowe

18 August 2010.

Participants - Just me
Where - Steeles Knowe, 485m/1,592', Sub-2,000' Marilyn, Map 58, NN 969080

For this week's walk, it was back to the Ochils, where there are lots of Marilyns. The last time I went up Steeles Knowe I simply followed the wind farm access road from Glen Devon, an easy but not really a hill walking route! This time, I parked in an FC car park on the Yetts o'Muckhart to Dunning road opposite the entrance to the track up the Corb Glen and so approached the hill from the east. The track initially went through a small wood, then through a gully/gorge, then it meandered across the side of Muckle Law before reaching a farm at Coulshill. I left the track about 1/2 mile before the farm, crossed the burn, and took to the grassy slopes of Steeles Knowe. This is a picture from fairly high up on the hill looking back at the way I came; the notch towards the left of the picture is the gully.....

My return route was over the hills on the right of the picture- Rowantree Craigs, Green Law, Sim's Hill and John's Hill before dropping back to the track near the entrance to the little wood which made an excellent round. There were rough tracks over all of the hills and I also used the wind farm road so it was all easy going. This is the less popular side of the Ochils, I only met one other walker all day.

What used to be a remote trig in the middle of moorland is now surrounded by turbines.....

This is looking back at the summit which is at a point between the two turbines on the right.....

and this is looking back at Steeles Knowe from Rowantree Craig.....

Despite the mechanised intrusion, this is still a good walk. I was out for 4 hours and the distance was about 7 miles with just over 300m of ascent. More of this area is attracting turbines however- I noticed that another wind farm on the other side of Glen Devon was being constructed.