Ben Tianavaig

May 2009

Participants  - Just me
Where - Ben Tianavaig, 413m/1,355', Sub 2k Marilyn, Map 23, NG 511410

The weather seems to have settled in to an overcast and often wet spell. Looking out of my window, the Campsies are more often than not covered in clag. So to cheer myself up, I will end my posts for 2012 with a look back to a trip on a glorious sunny day in 2009. It wasn't a long walk- only 1 hour and 30 minutes to the top- but it represented all that is good with hill walking.

Most of my hillwalking trips to Skye have resulted in me getting no further than Sligachan or Glenbrittle and the Cuillin and the Red Hills. I have never, however, been fully comfortable scrambling about on high, narrow and rocky places and this feeling of unease has got stronger as I have got older. So on this trip I decided to fore go the Cuillin and have a look at some of the smaller hills that the island had to offer. I had also discovered sub-2k Marilyn, another reason to give the scary places a body swerve!

Ben Tianavaig caught my eye as one that should prove interesting. From Portree harbour, it just looked like another hill of no special note.....

But from the south, near the village of Braes, it looked entirely different, like a hill that had been split down the middle with only half remaining, the other half having disappeared into the sea. Really dramatic, I almost expected Johnny Depp and the Black Pearl to sail out from beneath the cliffs. OK, a bit of an exaggeration but it was an unusual hill.....

The above pic is taken from near Braes and this one is from Raasay at the other side of the Sound of Raasay.....

I drove to the village of Camastianavaig and parked at a picnic area at the beach. The map showed a path starting at the houses a couple of hundred yards further on (where the road swung to the left and next to a post box) and going up a narrow "close" between two houses and on to the open hillside. It was a bit rough in places lower down, a good excuse to stop and catch my breath and gaze at the views opening up behind me.....

Ahead, I could see what looked like a band of crags and I wondered if there was an easy route through them. There was, close to the seaward side. Beyond that, the going became excellent on short cropped grass and by sticking close to the cliff edge I got some great views. Arrival at the trig opened up views to Portree and the north.....

The summit was a marvellous perch; the hill dropped away abruptly very close to the trig and it looked like a long way down to the sea. I sat around for ages looking down the Sound of Raasay to the distant Red Hills.....

There seem to be a number of similar small hills in Skye that end in precipitous cliff top views. I look forward to visiting them also.

I hope that everyone who reads this blog enjoys great hill walking in 2013. Happy New Year to all!

Beinn a'Mheadhoin

September 2009

Participants - Just me
Where - Beinn a'Mheadhoin, 610m/2,002', Graham, Map 25, NH 219255

So here's the first of my retrospective reports. It was one of these days when I had no firm plan of what I was going to climb, I had enjoyed an excellent walk on Ben Wyvis the day before so I was looking for something that was not too strenuous. I headed to Strathpeffer and the car park for Cnoc Mor but there were a number of signs telling me to keep out as tree felling was taking place. So I thought that I would do something up Glen Strathconnon instead but soon encountered signs saying that there would be long delays on the glen road as resurfacing work was taking place. A three point turn and I headed for the road to Glen Affric instead.

Beinn a'Mheadhoin only really registered with me as a possibility when I stopped in the car park at the bridge over the Abhainn Gleann nan Fiadh to look at the river and to consult the map. The track opposite the car park was the one that I had used years' earlier when I climbed the Glen Affric Munros. I followed it for less than a mile before taking to the hillside. There was a great view of Sgurr na Lapaich from the path, from this angle you wonder why such a striking hill is not a Munro in its own right but closer inspection shows that it is only the sharp end of a gentle ridge that runs all the way to/from Mam Sodhail.....

 Climbing the gentle slopes.the view soon opened out up Gleann nam Fiadh to the Munro of Tom a'Choinich.....

 The going was mainly on grassy slopes and it wasn't long before I could see my objective.....

I reached the flat area that contains the summit in about 1 hour and 15 minutes after leaving the car. There were two cairns, the more westerly was the viewpoint and the other, smaller pile of stones the other side of a small lochan, marked the highest point.

I didn't stay at the smaller cairn long but hastened back to the viewpoint....magnificent! This is the  view to Sgurr na Lapaich, Mam Sodhail, Carn Eige and Tom a Choinich.....

Carn Eige and Tom a'Choinich.....

Toll Creagach.....

across Glen Affric to Sgurr nan Conbhairean and Mullach Fraoch-choire.....

and west to Loch Affric and Mullach Fraoch-choire.....

It's funny how unforseen circumstances can lead to such a great day- although the opposite is true as well I suppose! In this case, a combination of tree felling and road works conspired to direct me to this previously unthought of Graham, one of the best that I have climbed

Now for a pause....

I'm going to be out of action for a few months. If it had to happen then I suppose that this is the best time of year! Hopefully, I should be back to hill fitness by the time the better weather and longer days return. In the meantime however I'm going to keep the blog going. I have photographs from walks in 2009 and early 2010 prior to my starting the blog.....the walks are still fresh enough in my memory to put them into trip reports. Hope you enjoy!

Cairnie Hill

23 November 2012

Participants - Just me
Where - Cairnie Hill, 228m/749', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 59, NO 279155

I was on my way to the Dundee Mountain Film Festival and as it was a beautiful day I stopped for a walk. I chose Cairnie Hill on the grounds that although I have climbed it before it had not yet been included in this blog. Anyway, its a nice wee hill. There has apparently been doubt as to whether it in fact qualified as a Marilyn but a survey a few months ago found that its relative height was more than 150m so its status has been confirmed.

Cairnie Hill lies above Lindores Loch south of Newburgh. It is not named on the 1:50 000 map but is on the larger scale map. Although the car park was closed, I managed to get the car off the road close to a fisherman's hut from where it was only a short walk south along the road to the start of a track that went to within a few yards of the summit. Lindores Loch looked very pleasant; there was a large flock of swans at the side furthest away from me and it is obviously an over wintering habitat for birds.

This is pheasant rearing country and there were lots in the wood, definitely not a hill on which to take a spaniel! I was pleased to see thet there was still a bit of colour left on the trees and the area around the summit was very pleasant.....

Approaching the top.....

The highest point is apparently a rock close to this beautiful and distinctive old tree.....

I wonder how much longer it will stand. A path is being formed from the track to the tree so this hill must be attracting its share of Marilyn baggers. Its not really surprising as the views are fine; this is to Norman's Law and the Tay.....

and this is across Fife towards Mount Hill which is close to Cupar.....

Cairnie Hill is not at all distinctive from the countryside round about but it provided a very pleasant short walk.

Tosson Hill

18 November 2012

Participants - Neil, Steven and Ben
Where - Tosson Hill, 440m/1,444', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 81, NZ 004982

The dying days of autumn so we headed south to catch the last of the colour on the foliage (and add a new sub-2k Marilyn to the list of course!). I was really taken with Northumberland when I visited for the first time earlier in the year, it is so close to Scotland yet entirely different- quaint villages, the different use of stone in buildings, and of course the dialect. It deserves more of a visit than a weekend comprised of short days at the fag end of the year. We were staying at Rothbury which is at the foot of the Simonside Hills and the object on this occasion was Tosson Hill, the highest point in the range.

I drove up some narrow country roads through the hamlet of Great Tosson to a large Forestry Commission car park and picnic area at Simonside forest. It had been frosty overnight and it was a glorious day although the forecast was for more rain and wind to come in later. Although a lot of the foliage had fallen from the trees, the colours were still really strong and emphasised by the deep blue of the sky. The route followed good forest tracks initially; out of the car park past an information board and through a one-barred gate and then gently uphill until opposite a radio mast where we turned left. This is shortly after we left the car.....

At the next junction we turned right; the track rose uphill at the side of the forest and there was a good view back to Rothbury.....

The map that I had printed off the internet suggested that our track should still be deep in the forest but in fact it was just outside. However it was obvious that we were heading for the foot of Simonside crag which was where we wanted to be. But when we got there confusion took over for a few minutes. The other bit of the forest that was marked on the map had been felled and it wasn't immediately obvious where the path that led up on to the moors actually was. After one false start we found it; it wasn't in particularly great condition but it led to where we thought that we wanted to be. As we got higher the views started to open out, this is looking east over Coquetdale and the village of Thropton and the second picture is looking north to the Cheviot.....

We reached a fence and a gate and I took another picture looking north to the Cheviot.....

At this point all doubts that we were on the right hill disappeared, we could see a large cairn in the distance across the moorland. The path, still very muddy, ran along the top of Ravens Heugh, another area of cliffs. This is looking back at it from closer to the cairn.....

And then we were there.....

The cloud was already starting to build in the west and there was a fairly brisk, cold wind blowing so we didn't linger for long before setting off back the way we had come.....

This is obviously a very popular walking area; there were lots of people on Simonside and the ridge to Dove Crag but no one else seemed interested in Tosson Hill. Simonside looked a great walk and if I was coming here again I would do that walk and not bother about the Marilyn. Although it was November and I expected that the moorland would be wet I guess that up on the fairly flat plateau it is never very dry underfoot. Past Simonside, I tried a shot of it straight into the sun, there is a figure on top close to the right edge that gives it some scale.....

Cademuir Hill.....Luck or what?

11 November 2012

Participants - Neil, Steven and Ben
Where - Cademuir Hill, 416m/1,365', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 73, NT 242377

I had looked at Cademuir Hill in passing on a number of occasions and done just that, passed it. The few reports that I had read talked about huge problems in finding a route through the forest that covers the upper part of this hill; the most recent comments that I had come across were "not a nice hill" and "thoroughly unpleasant". Anyway, we were going to Peebles for a Sunday outing and the temptation to give the hill a go proved too strong. I expected that I would have no chance in finding the cairn, particularly as I don't have a gps and the few paths marked on the map apparently bore little resemblance to what is on the ground.

We parked in the Cademuir Forest car park on the south-west side of the hill. A rough path headed up towards the forest.....

This path reached a forestry road at a red marked waymark post. I reckoned that the top of the hill was roughly above us (obviously!) but slightly further to the north. So we turned left on to the track and followed it until it turned into a path which headed steeply uphill. After about 150 yards the path levelled out and I guessed that we must have come all the distance in a northerly direction that we needed. There seemed to be a break in the trees above us at this point - it was not obvious that it continued any distance but we decided to take it anyway so turned right. In fact, there were what looked like old vehicle tracks so the going was OK. Higher up, we appeared to arrive at a junction of similar forest breaks and solely on instinct, we turned right at this point and then almost immediately left. We were back following the vehicle tracks uphill. There was only one fallen tree that we had to get past and not long after that, the forest break that we were following flattened out and we were looking at glimpses of sky through the trees.....

The ground looked higher to our right so we went that way. It looked as though we had hit on the summit area so we scouted around a bit. And, miracle of miracles, after rounding another fallen tree we spotted the cairn.....

Here is the evidence to prove that we made it to the top.....

And here is a close up of one of the party, who was persuaded to sit still for a moment with a shout of "Ben.....num nums" which is dog speak for food in our house.....

There were, of course no views. I suspect that there are other breaks in the trees that lead to the cairn from the main track but we didn't bother to look. We just went back the same way. Going downhill, there was a view of the 407m top, which has no trees, to the west.....

So Cademuir Hill turned out to be not difficult at all; in fact it was easy peasy! Luck or what?

Hallin Fell

21 October 2012

Participants - Just me
Where - Hallin Fell, 388m/1,273', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 90, NY 433198

Today's MBA meetings finished just after 2pm which meant that I unexpectedly had a few hours daylight to have another walk before heading up the road. Langwathby is only a few miles east of the Lake District and I had noted a small walk that I could reach with only about 20 miles driving. It was of course another sub-2k Marilyn! Hallin Fell sits on the east side of Ullswater and is reached by a narrow road from Pooley Bridge to Martindale. Ideal, although I was concerned that it being a Sunday and a glorious autumn day that the whole world and his family would be out and I would be unable to find a place to park. Anyway it was worth taking a chance. This is a view of the hill across Ullswater which I took later in the afternoon.....

There was a car park just past the highest point of the road at the church and other parking was available on the verges. Amazingly, I found a space, the last one. This is obviously a popular wee hill, easy of access and a superb viewpoint. Grassy paths led from the car park directly to the summit; it only took about 20 minutes to climb. This is from part way up, looking south down Howe Grain towards High Raise and High Street.....

My trip had coincided with the time of year when the autumn colours were at their best. This hill is recognisable from miles around by the large stone cairn, marked on the map as an obelisk, on its summit.....

It sits immediately above the Lake; this is looking north towards Pooley Bridge and Penrith.....

this is across the Lake to Gowbarrow Fell with the top of Blencathra beyond.....

this is across the Lake to Little Mell Fell, another sub-2k in the area.....

and this is looking south towards the Helvellyn group of hills.....

The sun was warm and I sat around for a while. I really like the Lake District, it is just a pity that it is so crowded and that the roads are so narrow. I would hate to visit in the height of summer!
I dragged myself away eventually, drove back to Pooley Bridge and then down Ullswater as far as Patterdale  before reluctantly heading back to the motorway and home. It had been a real bonus walk.

Dufton Pike

19 October 2012

Participants - Just me
Where - Dufton Pike, 481m/1,578', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 91, NY 699266

It was the weekend of The Mountain Bothies Association AGM which this year was being held in the village of Langwathby in the north Pennines. The weather forecast was reasonable so I set off a day early with the intention of doing some walking. I hadn't walked anything in the Pennines so I was spoiled for choice. When I got to Penrith, the cloud was still down on the higher tops so I decided on Dufton Pike, a sub-2k which was part of but to the west of the main Pennine chain. It also had the advantage of being a distinctive hill rather than part of a great plateau which I suspected would be rather wet after the summer that we had just endured. I parked in the village car park in Dufton, a typical north of England village with a village green and picture postcard houses. Dufton Pike rose steeply behind the houses.....

There were choices as to routes but I decided on the most direct approach. I turned right when leaving the car park and followed the road round by a farmhouse where there was a sign indicating "Pennine Way to Garrigill and public bridleway to High Scald Fell". I took this and found myself in a narrow lane bounded by stone walls with the hill rising ahead.....

This gave way to a hill track which apparently once served to connect the village with lead mining activity in the hills ahead. High Scald Fell was ahead.....

I think that Scotland has got the best deal as far as access to hill land is concerned. The position in England with some land being strictly private and some being open access land and some being open access but with restrictions seems confusing to me. I even came across signs which told me that dogs were banned in certain areas at certain times of the year. The Scottish position of responsible access is much more straightforward and to my mind sensible. You could only access Dufton Pike at certain designated points apparently.....

 I duly found the gate which gave access to a direct ascent of Dufton Pike, climbing the steep slope on a trail of short grass. The summit was a remarkably small area, and there was no trig or cairn. This is looking north into the Pennines, to Great Dun Fell which is part of the ridge leading to Cross Fell, the highest hill in the range.....

I still had loads of time so I descended the north-west ridge and picked up another public footpath which ran along the foot of the north side of the hill to rejoin the track that I had started out on, Rather than head straight back to Dufton, I decided to walk up the valley- Rundale I think that it was called- as far as what looked like an old limestone kiln that I had spotted from the summit.....

This is a view back to Dufton Pike from the head of the valley.....

It is always good to go to a new area. I love the distinctive stone buildings and walls and the old fashioned villages in this part of England and this short walk has certainly encouraged me to go back and explore other parts of the Pennines.