Burleywhag Bothy

20 July 2013

Where - Burleywhag bothy, Southern Scotland

No hills this week, instead, a few pictures of Burleywhag bothy, maintained by the MBA.....

 

I hadn't been at a work party for ages. Anyone who has been on one with me will readily understand why- my talents lie elsewhere! However, work parties are great fun and there's always some small job that I can do without endangering the structure of the building.

The temperatures were still soaring so I set off early to get the walk in to the bothy done before the worst of the heat arrived. The estate allows folk to park at Mitchellslacks farm which is also a starting point for Queensberry, the highest hill hereabouts. When I climbed it, it was from the east side, a very rough and boggy way. The Mitchellslacks approach looks really good so I've put it on my list for another visit.

The track was excellent; it followed the course of the Capel burn up the glen at a gentle angle. It was a very pleasant walk in some fine scenery, the only problem was that I had to be alert for clegs, they seem to like taking blood out of my hands for some reason. It had been a bit misty early on but that lifted as I made my way up the glen.....

I passed two former estate houses that were fast becoming ruinous and then the bothy came into view.....

Here are a few pictures that I took of the bothy. It was routine tasks that were being undertaken, essential if these buildings are to remain available for use by future generations of hill goers. These buildings would quickly become ruinous if left to the mercy of the elements. I think that everyone who enjoys the wild places should be a member of the MBA. Although like me, you may not have technical skills, there are other ways in which you can help and your membership fee will help buy the materials that are essential to keep the buildings wind and water tight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beneraird

14 July 2013

Participants - Just myself
Where - Beneraird, 439m/1,439', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 76, NX 135785

It is not often that a heat-wave keeps you off hill walking in Scotland but for the past week it had been almost too hot to move. However, the heat and humidity had eased, at least for the time being, so I set out to do the last of the sub-2k's that I still had to do in this part of the world. I drove up the narrow road that left the A77 south of Ballantrae and went as far as the farm at Kilwhannel but there was nowhere to leave the car so I turned and went back to the road junction where I was able to get it on to the verge in the bell-end of the minor road. Although it left over a mile and a bit of tarmac walking each way, it was better than parking in Ballantrae itself. I had thought about taking Ben on this walk but was glad that I hadn't; just after passing the farm I had to walk through a herd of cows with calves and after that there were lots of sheep on the pastures. The track was a good one and after such a long dry spell not squelchy in the slightest. As I climbed, the view to the north was of Knockdolian.....

Higher up, there was a good view back to Ailsa Craig and Knockdolian.....

The track got a bit rougher after passing under some power lines and shortly after, my intended hill came into view.....

The track wound its way gradually up the hill to a col and the trig came into view.....

There were a group of people at it; they had come up from the south, a much shorter way but which would have meant a much longer drive for me. The track went to within a hundred yards or so of the trig and a path had been carved out between the two. I hadn't realised just how much moorland there was in this part of the country- a sort of "no man's land" between the Galloway forest park and the Ayrshire coast.....

I could see the Irish ferries arriving and leaving the port at Cairnryan but apart from that there was no real focus to the view. This is looking east to the Galloway hills.....

I went back the same way to complete an 8 mile walk that took 4 hours. It was a pleasant enough hill but I think that of the 4 sub-2k's in this part of the world, Knockdolian is by far the best and the one that I would do again.

 On the way back up the road, I stopped to have a look at Crossraguel Abbey near Maybole. Although it has been knocked about a bit, there is enough left standing to show what the pattern of life must have been like in these buildings during the thirteenth to sixteenth centuries. It's worth a visit.....

Belling Hill

6 July 2013

Participants - Just me
Where - Belling Hill, 354m/1,161', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 80, NT 642118

This was a sightseeing day with a new (for me) sub-2k Marilyn thrown in. It turned out to be a very easy hill although I believe that it has been quite difficult of access in the past when the forest was all standing and could be tricky again when the replacement conifers reach maturity. But today it was a leisurely 40 minutes up and down by track and then path. I drove through Jedburgh and took the minor road signed for Chesters. The start of the walk was opposite a farm called Fallside and there was lots of parking. Then it was a simple case of following the track which turned into a path where it left the trees. And as the starting point was at a height of 300m there was virtually no ascent either! This is on the path approaching the summit.....

The path went directly to the small cairn which was just before an old wall.....

The view to the north was to Rubers Law.....

and on the way down the view was to the north Keilder hills.....

It was a hot day so I wasn't bothered about finding another hill to climb. I had got my new tick! Instead, I had a wander round Jedburgh and visited the abbey, must have been a grand building in it's day.....

and on the way home also made a small diversion at Pathhead to have a look round Crichton Castle; built in the 14th century, it served as home to the Crichton's and then to the Earls of Bothwell. There is not much left now although some of the stonework is interesting.....

It had been a pleasant day out.