Lundie Craigs

24 November 2017.

Participants: Just me

Where: Lundie Craigs (Sidlaws), 353m/1158', Hump, OS 53, NO 281 378

 

I was in Dundee for a couple of days at the Mountain Film Festival. I parked at the Lairds Loch car park at Tullybaccart, the highest point of the Dundee to Coupar Angus road. A track went most of the way. After about a mile it reached the grassy dam of the Ledcrieff Loch and from where the crags came into view.....

 

 

It was a pleasant walk through the forest.....

 

 

and there was a signpost to make sure that  didn't get lost..... 

 

 

Now I was up on the moorland and the clouds were closing in, it looked like I was in for a snow shower.....

 

 

I was now on a path which went to a transmitter mast with the trig only a short distance away. The shower was coming in fast so I hurriedly took a few pictures from the highest point. This is looking east over the Long Loch with Craigowl on the right and Kinpurney Hill above Meigle on the left with it's summit tower showing clearly.....

 

 

looking along the crags back to Ledcrieff Loch. It's an impressive escarpment especially in a range of low lying, grassy hills......

 

 

Over the Tay to Fife as he snow started to fall.....

 

 

Not only was it now snowing but there was a strong wind blowing and it was bitterly cold so I didn't linger. Of course, it was clearing up as I went down; Ledcrieff Loch was looking more wintry as I passed by.....

 

 

and there was a reasonable view over Strathmore to the Grampians from lower down.....

 

 

Then the cloud cleared completely and the sun came out- pity that I was back at the car when this happened. I still had an hour or so to spare so I went to see Lairds Loch, what a great spot.....

 

 

And this is the view of Lundie Craigs that I got from the road on the way back to Dundee....

 

 

This is a fine area that I must explore further. There are lots of Tumps hereabouts and not too much forestry.

Miscellaneous Tumps 2: Dunblane Roman Camps; Dunmallard Hill; Windrigg Hill; Quhytewoolen Hill; Stone Hill; Quinloch Muir Hill; Dechmont Law; Seafield Law; Gormyre Hill

19 September 2017. Neil and Ben. Dunblane Roman Camps, 114m/374', OS 57, NN 775 006.

 

No sign of any Romans but I could see why they would want to camp here. There was a commanding view from this, a park at the highest point in Dunblane. Pity the slopes are all covered in houses. The highest point seems to be the covered top of a water container. North to Ben Vorlich and Stuc a'Chroin and east to the Ochil Hills.....

 

 

6 October 2017. Just me. Dunmallard Hill, 240m/787', OS 90, NY 468 246

 

I had climbed the Marilyn, Grayrigg Forest in the morning and decided to drive to Pooley Bridge on the outskirts of the Lake District in the afternoon. Dunmallard Hill sits above the village.....

 

 

There was a view of Ullswater from the start and glimpses of the Mell Fells on the way up but otherwise the view was zilch. Nice woodland walk though.

 

7 October 2017. Just me. Windrigg Hill, 313m/1027', OS 91, NY 583 177

I was passing time before going to the MBA AGM at Langwathby in Cumbria. There was minimal ascent across a field from the road. The trig was hiding behind a wall; the highest point seemed to be on the other side at a covered water tank.

 

8 October 2017. Just me. Quhytewoolen Hill, 223m/732', OS 78, NY 148 831

 

On the way home from Langwathby. It was the name that attracted me to this hill above Lockerbie. I parked at the end of a track to the east and walked up past an old hill fort. There was a fine view from the top.

 

 

 

 

 

26 October 2017. Neil and Ben. Stone Hill, 274m/899', OS 57, NS 814 997

 

Stone Hill is a western outlier of the Ochil Hills, reached easily from the Sheriffmuir road. A mixture of heather and grass, there is a large stone at the high point- guess that this is how the hill got its name?

 

There was a fine view of  Dumyat from the lower slopes- the foliage is falling fast now.....

29 October 2017. Just me. Quinloch Muir Hill, 221m/725', OS 64, NS 516 810

This is a Tump east of the A809 opposite Auchineden Hill. The quick ascent is from the car park for the latter- cross the road, climb over the wall, walk through some boggy ground and you're there. There are 3 tops, the southern one is the highest (on the right in this photo).....

There was a good view of the west Campsie Fells.....

The lower northern top is the best for the view to the highland hills, Ben Lomond is prominent in this shot.....

12 November 2017. Neil and Ben. Three in West Lothian, Dechmont Law, 217m/712', OS 65, NT 034 698; Seafield Law, 198m/651', NT 004 667; and Gormyre Hill, 236/774', NS 976 727.

I hadn't realised that there was hill in Livingstone, especially one that was a viewpoint comparable with many a higher hill. There was a car park at the east side of Deans Community High School and good paths round and up to the trig. It was a popular dog walking area. Some views, of the Pentland Hills.....

to Bathgate and Cairnpapple Hill.....

to the Forth bridges......

It was a bit of 'from the sublime to the ridiculous' next- Seafield Law, which many years ago was a bing although it looks like a "normal" hill now. The local authority are doing their best to improve this area with loads of cycle paths and a nature reserve beside the hill. Not a bad view either, Ben at the top with the Pentland hills beyond.....

For the final hill of this short day's outing, I headed for Torphichan and Gormyre Hill. I'm not sure what the local farmer is trying to keep out, or in, but he has a liking for barbed wire fences. Not the most impressive hill in the area. Looking to Cockleroy.....

and to the sweep of the Ochil hills and the hills of the southern Highlands, the latter with a dusting of snow.

In the shadow of Ben Vrackie

2 November 2017

Participants: Neil and Ben

Where: Creag Bhreac, 557m/1827', Tump, OS 43, NN 949618, Meall na h-Aodainn, 633m/2077', Hump, NN 942 622, and Meall Uaine, 626m/2054', Tump, NN 937 618

 

What a glorious late autumn day- hardly a cloud in the sky and superb visibility. I had climbed Ben Vrackie on numerous occasions but had not ventured on to the ring of smaller hills that lay between it and Pitlochry. They had built a second car park just past Moulin since my last visit and just as well- it was almost full when I arrived. Lots of people on the hill- on the one hill, Ben Vrackie, as I saw no one on the tops that I was on. The path to the hill had been improved as well. First sight of the hills after emerging from the trees, Creag Bhreac with Ben Vrackie beyond.....

 

 

and Meall Uaine and Meall na h-Aodainn.....

 

 

I followed the path to almost its highest point before striking off up rough ground to Creag Bhreac from where there was a great view of Ben Vrackie.....

 

 

View to Meall Uaine from summit.....

 

 

and to Meall na h-Aodainn.....

 

 

and a panorama of all three.....

 

 

I dropped back down to the path and carried on to Loch a'Choire at the foot of Ben Vrackie.....

 

 

The path along the lochside was a bit muddy and on the sheltered side of Meall na h-Aodainn there were traces of ice in places, winter is coming. A view of Ben Vrackie from the path, I could se a crowd of people on top.....

 

 

A shortish climb through the heather brought me to the well defined top of Meall na h-Aodainn, a fine viewpoint. The distinctive cone of Schiehallion with the Blackmount hills visible behind it, the route of the A9 and the village of Blair Atholl.....

 

 

Beinn Dearg (Atholl), a fairly remote Munro.....

 

 

And then Ben disappeared. The sun was in my eyes and I didn't see him go but there were deer about and he must have chased off after them. I didn't know which direction he'd gone and after about 10 minutes shouting I was becoming concerned. He usually comes back to the point at which he left me so I started to retrace my steps although I wasn't certain of the exact route that we'd come. And then he appeared, climbing slowly back up through the heather, goodness knows how far down the hill he'd chased the deer. We were both relieved to be reunited and he stuck close to me for the rest of the walk.

 

I re-joined the path and followed it downhill for a bit before taking to the steep slopes of Meall Uaine. The heather was challenging! Although it was a fairly short climb I wondered a couple of times if it was worth bothering about this hill but we stuck at it. Thank goodness we did, it was the best viewpoint of the day. How's this for a photo of Loch Tummel and Schiehallion.....

 

 

The tops of the Beinn a'Ghlo group could just be seen, east of the Glen Tilt hills.....

 

 

Ben was tired (and so was I)......

 

 

The highest point on this hill has apparently varied over the years from where I was to the next bump along the ridge but thankfully today it was the first top we came to- the one with the small receiving mast.

 

Another view of Ben Vrackie on the way down.....

 

 

and of Creag Bhreac from near to the main path.....

 

 

It was a tough but satisfying round. Most folk doing it would also include Ben Vrackie but that is beyond me nowadays. Still, if Humps and Tumps can produce these views then I don't need to do more repeats of the higher hills.