Happy New Year from Neil and Ben!

Cnoc nam Broighleag

2 December 2014.

Participants: Just me
Where: Cnoc nam Broighleag, 314m/1,031', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 55, NR 940937

The physio sessions on my medial ligament had helped and I had been advised to get walking again and that although it might be a bit sore, I wouldn't do any damage. Cnoc nam Broighleag had been on my radar for a while and seemed to be just the thing for a short winter day. It lies above Loch Fyne just past Minard. There were forestry vehicles at the entrance to the track so I left the car in a small lay-bye a few hundred yards closer to the village. The track was being used by vehicles involved in the building of the Cruach Mor wind farm and there was also some felling going on but no restrictions had been placed on walkers. It was less than a mile up the track to the start of the ridge of Cnoc nam Broighleag. It was a hill of many ups and downs, the summit is at the west end- on the bump in the middle distance in this photograph.....

Although it is not very high, the going  is rough and is not made any better by the fact that cows graze on the hill. The going was a bit soft in places and the heavy beasts hoofs had made quite an impact. However, there was no sign of the culprits themselves, maybe they had been taken down to lower ground for the winter.

The weather was good and there was still a lot of colour in the vegetation. This is looking along the ridge towards the summit (distant).....

The trig was perched on the top of a small knoll.....

There was a good view back along the ridge. I found it best to stick to the ridge rather than attempt to outflank the climbs as the sides of the hill proved to be even worse going.

The distant views were a bit hazy and there was obviously an isolated shower about. This is looking over Lochan Dubh to lower Loch Fyne with the hills of Arran on the horizon.....

To the west was Loch Glashan and the western seaboard; unfortunately I only got glimpses of the Paps of Jura today.....

Here are a couple of views back along the ridge to finish.....

The big flat-topped hill is the sub-2k Beinn Ghlas where I tweaked my ligament 3 months ago. My leg was a bit sore today with the rough going but there don't seem to be any lasting effects. So back to putting a hot water bottle on it each evening and I should be ready to get back to bagging again in 2015! If the weather is as good as it was today I can't wait to get started.

Lamberton Hill and St Abbs Head

23 November 2014

Participants: Just me on the hill because there were lots of sheep in field. Ben had a snooze while I went to the "top".

 

Where: Lamberton Hill, 217m, Sub-2k Marilyn, Map OS 67, GF 945588

 

Lamberton Hill is a fairly recent addition to the Marilyn list following a re-survey. Actually, "hill" is a bit of a misnomer, Lamberton upland field would be a better description. Nevertheless, it is on the list and gets a tick the same as any other Marilyn. It is only just in Scotland being just a few miles north of Berwick.

 

I drove through the lovely old village of Ayton and along a narrow country road. There was plenty of verge parking and from the churned up mud it was obvious that a lot of Marilyn baggers had been visiting. Parking place.....

I walked about 200 yards further along the road to a gate which enabled me to enter the field without having to cross any barbed wire or electric fences. I had read that there were usually cows in the field but today they had been moved to another field and there was only a flock of sheep present. It was only a 5 minute walk from the gate to the highest point, which was unmarked. It lay just south of the remains of Habchester Fort, an iron age fort of which half of the ramparts and ditches are still obvious. Apparently, the area containing the fort is divided between two farms; one farm has left the remains in place whereas the other cultivated its section over. This is looking up to the remains of the fort from the road.....
 

 

There was not too bad a view considering. These photos are taken from the spot in the field which looked as though it was the summit. This is looking north-east.....

this is to the lower west top which has a trig.....

and this is looking to the Cheviot.....
 

 

I then went to St Abbs and walked along the cliff path as far as the lighthouse and back to the car park by a minor road. Here are some pictures of the cliffs; it was a lovely day and the views were great.....

 

 

An introduction to the SIBs: Great Cumbrae and Barbay Hill

5 November 2014

Participants: Neil and Ben
Where: Island of Great Cumbrae

There seem to be lists of everything nowadays. And here's a new one, courtesy of the folk who brought us Marilyns, Humps, Tumps etc., etc., etc. SIBs- Significant Islands of Britain which, just to make it more complicated, have been sub-divided into different classes according to prominence and land area. So there are lots to choose from. I like islands and don't really need an excuse to visit them but I shall use this list to find new, interesting, places that might be worth a visit. And as a hill bagger, I will of course have to visit the highest point in each!

A ridge of high pressure had arrived sweeping the clouds away so I decided to "officially" do my first SIB, although I had been to Cumbrae many times before. It is a small island in the Firth of Clyde, 4 miles long by 2 miles wide, reached by a 10 minute ferry trip from Largs. This is the view from Largs, the ferry the Loch Shira, and the approach to Cumbrae slip.....

I always feel like I've been transported to another world when I come to Cumbrae, only a couple of miles from industrial Ayrshire yet everything seems much slower and more peaceful. A road runs round the island, it's almost completely flat so great for cycling or else a gentle wander. I've done both. There is also a regular bus service from the slip to Millport so I usually just walk round the west half of the island nowadays and get the bus the rest of the way! The first point of interest is just north of the slip- a memorial to two young sailors from HMS Shearwater who were drowned here in 1844.....

The inscription on it is getting a bit faded but reads:

IN MEMORY OF MR. CHARLES D. CAYLEY
AGED 17 YEARS
AND
MR. WILLIAM N. JEWELL
AGED 19 YEARS
MIDSHIPMEN OF
H.M.S. SHEARWATER
TWO PROMISING YOUNG
OFFICERS DROWNED BY
THE UPSETTING OF THEIR
BOAT NEAR THIS PLACE
17TH MAY 1844
THIS MONUMENT IS
ERECTED
IN TOKEN OF THEIR WORTH
BY
CAPTAIN ROBINSON
AND
OFFICERS
OF THE ABOVE VESSEL

While the road on the east side of the island looks to the industrial area of Hunterston and its ore terminal, that on the west side is completely highland in character. The views are across the tip of Bute to the hills of Arran and they were at their best today.....

After 5 miles, we reached the only town, Millport. There were lots of properties up for sale but generally it was looking nice in the sunshine. They obviously follow the old traditions here as most of the shops were shut- Wednesday afternoon closing! There is a nice wee harbour and there are usually a few yachts in the bay in summer, not today though. Here are a few pictures of the town.....

 

It was warm in the sun so I found a seat and had a rest for a bit. A cup of minestrone soup from one of the cafes provided an excellent lunch.

Every view of the town features a tall spire- that of the Cathedral of the Isles- so I had to go and have a look. It is known for being Britain's smallest cathedral and dates from 1851. The information says "It was built on ground owned by the Boyle family and it's founder, George Frederick Boyle, later became 6th Earl of Glasgow. It is one of a group of buildings comprising two residential buildings (colleges) and a collegiate church designed by William Butterfield. Planned as a theological college for the Scottish Episcopal church, in its early days it was seen as the "new" Iona and in 1876 it was consecrated Cathedral of the Isles". It is certainly a striking building.....

Another road leads from Millport over the top of Barbay Hill, the highest point on the island, and down to the ferry slip. Barbay Hill is 127m/417' and has a trig, a couple of seats, a telephone mast (I think that's what it's for) and a parking place a few yards from the top. So not the most difficult of hills! And it is also a great viewpoint. The highest point seems to be a sandstone rock west of the trig.....

By the time we got back to the slip, the sky was starting to get grey in the west, the sign of more rain approaching. But the sun was still shining over Largs.....

and very soon, the Loch Shira was approaching the pier.....

Could be a useful list, the SIBs!

 

 

Mountain Bothies- Celebrating 50 years of the MBA

12 October 2014

The book is now available, £10 per copy including p&p obtainable through the MBA website

www.mountainbothies.org.uk

This is what is in it:

 

"Anyone who travels in the remoter parts of the country will almost certainly have come across a mountain bothy. These are usually old cottages or farm buildings which, with the agreement of the owners, have been restored as basic shelters, open to all.

Over 100 such shelters are maintained by volunteers from the Mountain Bothies Association. This book tells the story of how Bernard Heath formed the Association 50 years ago. It recalls how some of the buildings which are today’s bothies were found. It includes the history of some of these buildings and of the people who once lived in them.  It includes tales of work parties, some of which have found their way into MBA folklore, and shows that although materials and methods of working may have changed, the enthusiasm of volunteers has not. Illustrated by photographs, line drawings, and cartoons, it is a celebration of 50 years of activity by volunteers who take delight in maintaining simple shelters in remote country for the use and benefit of all who love wild and lonely places."

It is essential reading for anyone who uses or has used these unique shelters.

Out of action/ Book to be published shortly

3 October 2014

I've been unable to go hillwalking for the last few weeks due partly to a knee injury and partly because I had another (unrelated) hospital stay. However I'm over the latter and the former seems to be clearing up at last. It was a simple tweak of the muscles below the kneecap when I was coming down the hill but I could hardly walk the following days. Years of hillwalking must be taking their toll! I'll have to go even slower in future.

I hope to try my knee out in a short walk when I am at the MBA AGM in the north of England in a fortnights time. Talking of the MBA, the 50th anniversary book which I have been working (with others) on compiling for the past two years is to be published next week. It is a celebration of  half a century's worth of maintaining bothies- tales of work parties, the buildings themselves and the folk who used to live in them, bothy nights and so on. Lots of photos and drawings as well. Hope folk find it a good read. It can be obtained through the MBA website www.mountainbothies.org.uk and all profits go towards the on-going work of maintaining these fine shelters.

Tweaking on Beinn Ghlas (Loch Fyne)

22 August 2014

Participants: Just me

Where: Beinn Ghlas (Loch Fyne), 420m/1,378', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 55, NR 989993

I parked in Minard although there was space a bit up the track that led to the deserted cottage at Gallanach that I could have used; it didn't add much to the distance walked however. When I reached the top of the forest, I could see Beinn Ghlas.....

 

 

The track carried on past a weir; I had a look but I don't trust my balance nowadays to cross tops of dams that are only a foot or so wide especially as there looked to be a fair depth of water in the wee loch. A few hundred yards further on and I dropped down to the stream which was easy to cross, although the vegetation in that part of the valley was somewhat lush, a hazard of walking in August. I headed up to join the west ridge and eventually reached a cairn. I could see the trig a few hundred yards further on.....

 

 

I had no sooner reached the cairn than I felt the patter of raindrops, I hadn't seen the black cloud approaching. Fortunately there was a fairly brisk wind blowing so the shower soon passed and I hung around so that I could take some pictures. This is looking down Loch Fyne.....

 

 

and up Loch Fyne.....

 

 

More showers were approaching so I didn't linger too long before heading off for the summit. The trig was on a bit of a plateau so the views weren't so good from here. Down Loch Fyne.....

 

 

and up Loch Fyne.....

 

 

Going back down, I headed more in the direction of the house at Gallanach. A mistake. It was much rougher terrain and there were lots of reeds to plough through in the valley before I started my ascent to the track. And the rain came back on- a much heavier shower this time which necessitated waterproofs. About half way down, I felt a sharp pain in my knee, I had somehow managed to tweak a muscle. It was a slow walk back and that evening I could hardly walk. A trip to the physio beckons next week.

 

And just so I will remember, I took a photo of the north slopes that I had descended.....

 

Creag Ruadh (Dalwhinnie)

20 July 2014

Participants: Just me
Where: Creag Ruadh (Dalwhinnie), 658m/2,159', Graham, Map 42, NN 685882

The day of the MBA meeting was dull and misty with rain spreading in late afternoon. When I got up on the following morning, it was still dull but looked like brightening up. By the time we finished the agenda items that we had not managed to discuss the day before, it was only the back of 10 am, the cloud had lifted and the sun was showing signs of appearing. It was an easy decision- I would do another hill on the way down the road. I still have a few to do in this area but the Graham of Creag Ruadh has always seemed like a good one to do to break up a journey up or down the A9. It is the hill just to the north of  the Munro, Meall Chuaich, both seen here from the walk in along the hydro road that goes to Loch Cuaich.....

I left the car in the lay-by that is the usual parking place when doing Meall Chuaich. After about half a mile, I spotted a gate in the deer fence that surrounds the hill. So I left the road, dropped down to the burn, crossed it, and headed for the gate. And got a very pleasant surprise when I went through it- a 4WD track that headed up the hill. This is a heathery hill, clearly used for grouse shooting, so it was great to be able to follow the track and avoid the thick heather. The track went well up the hill and above it the heather was short so it was an easy ascent. This is looking back past the start to Loch Ericht and distant Ben Alder....

There was an amazingly large cairn for what I guess is a hill that doesn't receive many ascents plus a stone built shelter. As I was looking around, another walker arrived from the opposite direction having climbed up from Loch Cuaich. She was from Edinburgh and we had a good chat before descending the hill together. And, a rare occurrence for me, I got my photo taken at the cairn! The first pic has Meall Chuaich in the background and the second the Monadliath.....

It wasn't as clear and sunny as Friday but still not bad. This is looking down on Loch Cuaich with the Munro above it.....

across to Carn na Caim.....

and across the A9 to the Monadliath with Friday's hill, Cruban Beag in the foreground.....

The track wasn't very distinct, especially from above, but I somehow managed to find it again and so avoid the heather on the way down. I suppose that the walk took just over 3 hours in total, including a good stop at the top. Continuing down the A9, I came across heavy rain around Pitlochry, but it was brilliant sunshine from Perth home. I had made the most of my weekend.