Cruach na Seilcheig (Argyll)

28 April 2012

Participants - Neil and Ben
Where - Cruach na Seilcheig, 380m/1,247', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 55, NM 854110

It's always good to go to a new area and the sub- 2k's are a good excuse for doing that. The area east of Kilmelford is not one that I had been to before and there were a few sub-2k's there. The trick was to pick the one that would provide the best views and Cruach na Seilcheig looked like the best for that; close to the sea and with no forestry on it. So with a good forecast for the following day, I drove up and spent the night at Connel and was ready for my exploration of new country more or less first thing in the morning.

I left the main road at Kilmelford and took the single track road that eventually went to Taynuilt. After about two miles, I found a place to park at the west end of  Loch an Losgainn Mor and took to the hillside from there. There were a few ups and downs but the going underfoot was not too bad- a mix of heather and grass. I would think that this is a prime area for midges in the summer! This is a view back to the place I parked the car from a short distance up the hill.....

and this is a view to the top of the hill from the same spot.....

They give an idea of what the going was like.

This is an area of many lochans. There was one just below the summit, Loch a' Clachain, great if you're a spaniel.....

From about here there was a good view down to Kilmelford.....

For anyone who climbs this hill on a misty day (which would be a great shame as it is a fantastic viewpoint) there are two cairns and it is the second one that you come to that looks to be higher. From here, the view is down the Sound over many small islands to Jura with the Paps clearly visible. If the weather stays the way it was today then the MBA volunteers will have a great time renovating the new bothy at Cruib on Jura. Here is Ben posing for his usual photograph at the summit.....

And this is the view to another Island Marilyn, Cruach Scarba on the island of the same name.....

The best of the view from the more northerly cairn was to Ben Cruachan.....

There was hardly any wind and it actually felt quite warm so I spent a bit of time at the summit looking at the views (and listening to the first cuckoo of the year). I had certainly made the right choice of hill! Back at the car, I continued my exploration and followed the road to Taynuilt. This is Loch Avich looking north......

As the road goes north, there is more and more forest and views of Loch Awe are few and far between, which was a bit of a disappointmet. This is from one of the few viewpoints looking to Ben Lui which had collected a fair dump of snow overnight.....

A lot of forestry operations were taking place and I noticed that a new wind farm was also to be built at one point. The road surface was good and there was hardly any traffic so it was an enjoyable drive. Hopefully the weather will now settle down and I'll get a few more west coast excursions.

Carleatheran

15 April 2012.

Participants - Just me
Where - Carleatheran, 485m/1,592', Sub-2K Marilyn, Map 57, NS 687918

Region 26 in my Marilyn book has been well filled in for some time now but, strangely, Carleatheran has remained unmarked. Yet it is only a few miles from home. I think that it must have been reports of parking difficulties plus the fact that the summit is a long way from the start point that has led me to dismiss it in the past in favour of second ascents of most of the other hills in the section. Anyway, today I was going to put things right.

I found the rough single track road that runs along the foot of Carleatheran and Stronend at the second attempt; I forgot to look at my map and just assumed that it started in Kippen. Doh! There was also plenty of parking- room for at least half a dozen cars- not far past the entrance to Ballochleam farm, which was also the track to the hill. The track wandered up at a gentle incline through a few fields with lots of sheep and lambs in them, and also some cows and calves. Just as well I hadn't brought Ben who would have had to stay on his lead which he hates. I stopped a few times to look at the view back towards the hills of the Southern Highlands, a view that stayed with me all day.....

I have climbed Stronend a couple of times and now that I have climbed Carleatheran as well, I reckon that it is the better hill because the view is with you all of the way. The track continued to the Spout of Ballochleam (about an hour's walking); it wasn't doing much spouting today as the burn was virtually dry. After the Spout, I was out on the open moor where a grassy track headed for the top of Lees Hill. The Southern Highland hills were now on my left and the view behind was to Stronend.....

I was on the plateau but where was the summit? Surely that couldn't be it....a pointed top away in the far distance? I took this photo on the way back just after I met some people who were also heading up; they give a sense of scale to the plateau..... the summit is the small point just sticking up second from left.....

There isn't much height gain on this walk but it sure is a long way and I was glad when the summit cone eventually came into view.....

The track was good for the most part but became a bit boggy in places close to the summit, which hosted a trig inside a large cairn.....

 I was glad to be able to sit down for a while in the shelter of the cairn, both for the rest and to get out of the cold northerly breeze. I had my woolly hat on by this stage and also my gloves! This distance across the plateau, the view to the east was now to Stirling and the Ochils.....

I was conscious of the distance that I had to travel to get back so didn't linger too long. It had taken 3 hours to reach the summit but with the advantage of more downhill bits I managed it back in a bit less time (but not much!). There was a good view looking west along the escarpment not long after leaving the summit.....

So that's the highest point of the Gargunnock hills visited. It was a grand airy walk well worth doing, although I was a bit stiff by the time I got back to the car.

Cairnkinna Hill

11 April, 2012.

Participants - Just me, there were too many sheep and lambs about to take Ben
Where - Cairnkinna Hill, 554m/1,817', Sub-2,000' Marilyn, Map 78, NS 791018

The weather forecast suggested that heavy showers would build throughout the day so I left early and was booted up and on my way before 10 am. This was a new area for me, I had never been up the valley of the Scar water before, The road was single track but well surfaced and there were a few places to pull in close to the start of the track to the house at Woodend. As I left the car, the long south ridge of Cairnkinna Hill was above me.....

The track led across a field and then through a small wood before reaching the house, although on the outward leg I left the track before the house and headed steeply up to the ridge. There were lots of 4WD tracks on the ridge and as it was also grassy, there was no problem underfoot, unlike my last two outings. It was also quite a gentle ascent after the initial steepness was out of the way and it was just a case of heading for the obvious top of Woodend Craig; the main top is further to the right and you can just make out the cairn in this photo.....

The weather was performing as the forecasters had said; showers were pushing in from the west coast and it was looking a bit black over the hills of north Galloway. I stopped to take a picture in that direction and as I did so realised that there was an object showing up on the lens that shouldn't normally be there......

So I quickly put the camera to zoom and took another one.....

I've no idea what type of plane this is; it was completely silent so I hadn't noticed it coming. Very unlike the usual sound barrier breaking jets that you normally see from the hills. And what it was doing spying on the upper Scar valley also remains a mystery!

With the clouds gathering I carried on to the trig and cairn- yet another massive cairn for quite a small hill.....

The Lowther hills are in the background. I thought that the rain might reach me on the descent but although the head of the valley was obviously catching a shower, it remained dry for me and indeed brightened up again. There was a good view to Criffel and the Solway on the way down.....

This is probably the last of the sub-2k Marilyns that I have to do in this area that I can reasonably do in a day trip from home. Everything else is getting to be too far away. Pity as the south of Scotland is often clear when the weather up north is grim. Still, there are a few that I have walked before that I have not yet blogged that certainly deserve another visit.