Muncaster Fell

17 August 2015

Participants: Neil and Ben
Where: Muncaster Fell, 231m/758', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 97, SD 112983

We went slightly further south today to visit Muncaster Fell. The weather was great and it really was a delightful little hill although there was a catch.....read on!

There is a big car park for Muncaster castle a few hundred yards along the road from the fell track and it seems that you are allowed to park there for the hill, so I did. We walked up the track to Muncaster Tarn- a really nice bit of water.....

With lots of water lillies.....

Not long after, we reached a fence with a gate and the hill came into view. What was that object next to the trig, looks suspiciously like a cow?.....

Worse still, there were quite a few sheep scattered among the bracken so there was nothing for it but to put Ben on his lead. Now if there is one thing that he hates it is to be on the lead and he is a strong dog. I can manage going up hill but coming down is positively dangerous!

The cow that we had seen from a distance turned into a small herd and they also had possession of the trig.....

Taking no chances, we skirted round them and fortunately the highest point is 20 or so yards north of the trig. But I didn't waste much time before dropping down a bit out of sight of the cattle, who didn't seem that interested actually and neither did Ben. It was a good viewpoint, this is looking along the ridge of the Fell towards the high hills south of Wasdale.....

Across (hidden) Wasdale to Seatallan.....

and on the other side, down to Eskdale......

Of course, looking the other way we could see Sellafield.....

With the Isle of Man on the horizon.....

By this time the cows had moved away from the trig but we circled below it just to be sure and headed back downhill. I only landed on my back once trying to keep Ben from charging off! I was glad when we exited the livestock zone.

And then we were tourists for the rest of the day.

Dent (Long Barrow)

16 August 2015

Participants: Neil and Ben
Where: Dent (Long Barrow), 352m/1155', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 89, NY 041129

It was August so I stayed clear of the main part of the Lakes, the roads are horrendous at the best of times and high summer is not the best of times. But I still had a couple of sub-2k's to climb on the western fringes, avoided by most hill walkers. I left the main road at Cleator Moor, crossed the river and drove to the top of the paved lane on the west side of the hill where there was a car park, not noted on the map- and free! The forest road up the hillside left from there.....

This was clearly a popular dog walking area and we met a few folk and their mutts. The track wound round the hill from west to east and after about a mile we came out of the trees.....

The cairn was a bit underwhelming, this is looking into the main hills with Blake Fell centre left........

The weather didn't seem to know what it wanted to do; it was mostly thick cloud but from time to time blue sky appeared and the sun came out. This is looking to Blake Fell again.....

The west top looked as if it might be higher, it wasn't.....

but a lot of folk must have thought that it was because the cairn there was slightly more substantial (or maybe it was just because it was the better viewpoint.....

The Fairy Hill (Doon Hill)

11 August 2015

Participants: Neil and Ben
Where: Doon Hill, 77m/253', Tump, Map 57. NN 525001

I occasionally take Ben up to the forest around Aberfoyle for a walk, there are lots of trails and you can walk as short or as long as you like. Today, I added in Doon Hill- the hill of the fairies- to the walk.....

At the top, there is a pine tree which is supposed to contain the spirit of a local Minister, the Rev. Robert Kirk, who is buried in the old churchyard in the village. In 1691, he wrote a book about elves and fairies. A year after the book was published, he died while walking on Doon Hill. After his funeral, he apparently appeared to relatives to tell them that he was in the land of the fairies and gave them instructions for his releaser. However, his wishes were not carried out and some believe that his spirit remains in the Scots pine at the top of the hill. It is said that if you tie a message to the tree then the fairies will read it and make your wish come true.

 

There must be a lot of folk who believe in fairies.....

 

A strange tale, adding interest to the walk.

 

 

 

 

 

The Coyles of Muick

7 August 2015

 

Participants: Neil and Ben

Where: The Coyles of Muick, 601m/1,972', Sub-2k Marilyn, OS Map 44, NO 329910

 

The Coyles of Muick was on my list of "hills that I really want to do". It stands above the entrance to Glen Muick with an uninterrupted view to Lochnagar. I definitely needed a good, clear day for this walk and amazingly in this dreadful summer, one of those came along. It helped that it was cool for August, which sharpened the views, and there was a wee breeze, which kept the midges and most of the flies away. Looking at the map, I could see that there were routes through the forest starting from Birkhall which would have brought me on to the hill fairly close to the top. But a much better way looked to be starting on the B976 at the end of the track to Loch Ullachie and following it for about a mile onto the open hillside more or less at the start of the north ridge. I would then have a walk of about a couple of miles along the ridge free of all the forestry. So that's what I did and it turned out to be by far the best route.

It was a good track through the forest and we reached the open hill after about 30 minutes. I wasn't sure if it would be heather bashing from then on but in fact the track turned into a good path which followed the top edge of the forest all the way to the top at a gentle angle. And a lot of the trees up here turned out to be of the old Scots Pine variety rather than blanket conifers. Soon after arriving on the ridge, Lochnagar put in an appearance, in fact it tended to dominate this walk. An added bonus was that the heather was in bloom, providing a lot of colour to the moorland.

The ridge flattened out and our objective came into view. It is the twin peaked hill on the left, the hill on the right is Meall Dubh.....

 

Lochnagar again, with a lone pine.....

 

Ben leading the way on the path, heading for Meall Dubh.....

 

 

Good views were opening up all around. This is looking back down the ridge, over the valley of the Dee to the Corbett, Culardoch.....

 

 

and across the forest to another Corbett, Morrone.....

 

 

The views became more extensive as I got higher. The view of Lochnagar now extended to take in some of the hills above Glenshee.....

 

 

A zoom of Lochnagar, looking straight at its cliffs and gullies.....

 

 

As seems to have happened a lot this year, the sunshine had disappeared and the cloud had come over a bit as we got to the middle of the day. However, it looked as though the main Cairngorms were not faring quite as well as we were.....

 

 

The path steepened and came out at the dip between the two tops of the Coyles. It had only taken 2 hours from the car, at a gentle pace with lots of photo stops. I wasn't sure which was higher, they both looked about the same to me and anyway, I was visiting them both. I went to the south top first, where there was a small cairn. As usual, Ben got there before me. He now knows that when he reaches a cairn or trig, he has to sit to get his picture taken.....

 

 

The top of Mount Keen was visible to the south.....

 

 

And another zoom shot of Lochnagar, with the Corbett, Connachraig, in front of it.....

 

 

The cairn builders obviously had no doubt which of the two tops was the main one. The hill in the background is Morrone......

 

 

Ben got his photo taken again, with Glen Muick and Loch Muick in the background......

 

 

A zoom shot of Loch Muick.....

 

 

I was looking straight down the valley of the Dee from here with the distinctive top of Bennachie on the horizon and the town of Ballater in the foreground.....

 

 

Ben had a last look back at the other top with Loch Muick and Lochnagar in the background before we started on our way down.....

 

 

We made a short diversion to take in Meall Dubh but apart from a look back to the Coyles, it didn't add anything to the views that we had already had.....

 

 

This was definitely one of the best sub-2k's that I have climbed. Of course the weather, the colour of the heather and the good path all helped, but it is a hill that I would certainly climb again. And it's worth doing the longer route rather than following the forest roads most of the way.

 

Craigendarroch

6 August 2015

Participants: Neil and Ben
Where: Craigendarroch, 402m/1,319', Sub-2k Marilyn, OS Map 37, NO 365965

It looked as if we were to get some respite from the dismal conditions of summer 2015 so I decided to head for Deeside and take the opportunity to add another Marilyn to my list. But I also needed something for the day that I travelled up and chose Craigendarroch, which I'd climbed a few times before but not since I got a digital camera. The hill dominates Ballater and you get a good view of it from the banks of the Dee.....

It was a getting better type of day but there was still a lot of heavy cloud around when I parked at the start of the path up, in the appropriately named Craigendarroch Road. The hill is tree covered and definitely needs a "haircut" as the view from the top is now getting pretty obscured.

Ben at the trig.....

The cairn, tomorrows hill, the Coyles of Muick (the pointed top), with Lochnagar behind.....

a zoom of the Coyles of Muick.....

and a zoom of Lochnagar.....