St Flanan's Hill

 

Various dates

Participants: Neil and Ben

Where: St Flanan's Hill, overlooking the Forth and Clyde canal between Kirkintilloch and Twechar

I'm little further forward with my health issues, still waiting to get further tests. The only hill that I've attempted so far is this little wooded one that I can get to easily from home. I had done it a few times during lock down and it was particularly good in late autumn when the foliage was at its best. The hill is not named on any map that I can find so I've called it after the local area. It seems to be just below Tump height and there are paths up and around it. I suspect that it is mainly the remains of an old spoil tip as this was a coal mining area and there were also brick works nearby. There are remains of old buildings on the lower slopes.

There are two approaches for me- along the south bank of the canal or by a track through the fields from the east end of Kirkintilloch. Looking at the hill across the fields with the Campsie Fells in the background.....

Getting closer.....

Ben at the summit.....

Looking south to Gartshore Bing (Tump).....

Another view of St Flanan's Hill from the north bank of the canal.....

Another hill walking break......

 I've been having occasional light dizzy spells for a couple of years, nothing to worry about according to my Dr. However.....I was out with Ben on his daily walk when I took a really bad turn and ended face down in the vegetation. Back home, I was walking up the stairs when I fainted again. To cut a long story short, I ended up in hospital for a week. Unable to pin down the exact cause, I am now waiting for an out patient appointment so that they can investigate further. Meantime, I have given up driving so any hill walking that I do will be extremely limited, especially as I don't fancy using public transport while Covid is on the go. Oh well!

A Visit to Fife: Clatto Hill, Kellie Law, Dalginch Hill, Hill of Beath

 1 September 2020

Participants: Just me

Where: Clatto Hill, 168m/551', P 56m, Tump, OS 59, NO 436157; Kellie Law, 184m, 640', P 

46m,Tump, OS 59, NO 518064; Dalginch Hill, 138m/453', P 41m, Tump, OS 59, NO 311025; and Hill of Beath, 240m/787', P 82m, Tump, OS 58, NT 138901.

I didn't know it at the time but this was to be my last hill walk for a while (see next post). It was a beautiful day and I had planned a route to take in three Tumps in the East Neuk of Fife, starting with Clatto Hill south east of Cupar. There was a narrow road running alongside the east side of the hill and as it was to be a very short walk, I parked at a field entrance just below the start of the track to a mast. As expected, it was a fine viewpoint. The trig with St Andrews in the background.....

Looking west into Fife, Norman's Law is the hill in the background.....

East to Guardbridge and the Eden estuary.....

I then headed south to Kellie Law, which I had hoped to climb from the road to the west, however, there was a herd of young cows in the field which I would have had to go through. So, plan B, round to Carnbee to the east side of the hill where I met the farmer who said that I could park in a field entrance. Good tracks ran from there to the summit, a very pleasant walk and clearly the best approach.....

It was a very fine viewpoint. Looking east.....

West to Largo Law with Stuc a'Chroin and Ben Vorlich just visible on the horizon....

Largo Law again.....

South over the Forth to the Pentland Hills.....

The Forth estuary heading round to St Andrews.....

I then headed west, through Leven and Kennoway and towards Markinch. There was a Tump just off the road between the latter two villages and it would have been a shame not to have stopped! Dalginch Hill has a couple of tops of equal height with a trig in the valley between them, although it is really just a field with a couple of bumps in it.

That was to be it for the day. However, as I was driving home and passing close to Hill of Beath, I decided to take the opportunity to climb it also.I parked in the car park for the Dalbeath Marshes nature reserve off the B917 and followed paths towards the hill. Unfortunately, I missed a gate on the left into a field, the route that I should have taken and found myself contouring across a steep bramble and thorn covered slope to get back on track. Looking up (taken from the correct route on the way down).....

This is an isolated hill therefore provides fine views. Looking down to Hill of Beath village from about the half way point.....

The trig, looking to the Ochil Hills.....

The Queensferry crossing and the Forth.....

Dunfermline and the Forth.....

Loch Fitty just in view.....

A great day out.

Dareduff Hill

30 August 2020

Participants: Just me

Where: Dareduff Hill, 269m/883', P 44m, Tump, OS 64, NS 457 525

Another of the Renfrewshire/Ayrshire Tumps, this one should really have been left to the winter! The trees were reasonably spaced out even although I missed the ride that I should have taken on the way in- the start was a bit further along the clearing between the bits of forestry than I expected but I found it OK on the way back. The clearing itself was pretty vegetatious however. Nevertheless I managed to find the high point without difficulty, it was situated above a small pond. This one will be good if they ever chop down the trees. Memo to self- a nice open hill with a good view next.

Creag na Gaoith (Crieff)

29 August 2020

Participants: Just me

Where: Creag na Gaoith, 159m/523', P 87m, Tump, OS 52, NN 830 221

There are a group of three Tumps west of Crieff and north of the River Earn, I had climbed two of them before but the middle of the three, Creag na Gaoith had still to be bagged. The shortest route was from the north but I decided to take the longer route starting at McCrostie Park in Crieff and following a good track alongside the river Earn. This included Lady Mary's Walk, a beautiful stretch of countryside through an avenue of trees with occasional views south to the Marilyn, Torlum. I had set off from home early as the best of the weather was promised in the morning and it certainly lived up to that forecast.....

After the river bank walk, I joined another path which took me uphill to the col between Creag na Gaoith and its eastern neighbour, Laggan Hill. The trees on my objective today looked rather dense from here.....

Looking back to Torlum.....

This path then joined another running along the ridge from Laggan Hill (everything was well signposted) and I followed that to beneath my hill where I found that the trees were in fact widely spaced and easy to climb through. There was a good view west to Mor Bheinn from here.....

The climb was easy until just before the high point which was covered in head high ferns! It's in here somewhere.....

I returned by the same route, an excellent walk.

Wardlaw Hill and Craigie Hill (Dundonald)

15 August 2020

Participants: Just me.

Where: Wardlaw Hill, 145m/476', P 82m, Tump, OS 70, NS 3259 328 and Craigie Hill, 157m/515', P 66m, Tump, OS 70, NS 427 325

It was down to Ayrshire for this trip, a couple of easy Tumps near Dundonald. I went to Wardlaw Hill first, it has a mast close to its summit so was visible from a long distance away, I drove down a farm road and parked at a gate at the start of the service road for the mast. The high point was not the mast but a closer trig. There were a couple of horses in the adjoining field, I don't know much about horses but they looked like they were of the racing variety. The trig was a good view point for Ayr and the Heads of Ayr to the south.....

Troon to the west with an outline of the Arran hills on the horizon.....

and the view east with Loudoun Hill visible.....

I then drove east to the small village of Craigie.....

It was very quiet so I just parked on the main road beside the former church. Then it was up the lane next to the church, over a gate into a muddy field, across and up the field, over another gate and up again to some extensive and thick gorse. The summit was clear and there was a route through the gorse- just. There were a number of possible high points but the Hill bagging site had told me which was the highest so that avoided a further battle with the gorse.....

Dalmahoy Hill, Ravelrig Hill and Ratho Hill

8 August 2020

Participants: Just me

Where: Dalmahoy Hill, 246m/807', P 38m, Tump, OS 65, NT 135 669; Ravelrig Hill, 218m/714', P 33m, Tump, OS 65, NT 150 668; and Ratho Hill, 117m/384', P 35m, Tump, OS 65, NT 132 710.

It certainly wasn't a typical Scottish August day- it was dry, warm but not hot and the visibility was crystal clear. I am avoiding the highland hills until the crowds go so it was another central belt trip today, back to my old stomping ground around Balerno.

Ravelrig Hill is one of the newly discovered Tumps. It is a short walk from the main Lanark road and I managed to park in a gated entrance immediately opposite the start of a signed path to Kirknewton, now much overgrown. If it had been a longer walk I would have had to have parked in the village and braved the busy road. The side of the hill to the north is quarried out but fortunately that can't be seen using this approach. And the high point is outwith some extensive and thick gorse. Some photos.

The Pentland Hills from the approach and from the summit.....

The view to East Cairn Hill.....

Looking west from the summit to Kaimes Hill and Dalmahoy Hill.....

Edinburgh from the summit.....

I then drove to Ratho and parked in a new housing estate close to the church. The way to Ratho Hill followed a lane up the side of the church hall, into a field at a gate on the left (cows but no bother), and up the field alongside a wooded area. The high point was at a thick fence post overlooking a newish log cabin....

I came back through the wood, there were only glimpses of the Pentland Hills.....

Those were the two hills that I had intended to do but as my way home passed the start of the route up Dalmahoy Hill I thought "Mmmm, I'm here anyway". What a good decision that was. Dalmahoy Hill turned out to be one of the very best of the lowland Tumps. There was plenty parking at the start of the quarry road. I walked up it and crossed a couple of fields picking up a good footpath which went all the way to the top. There were even some rocky sections. Dalmahoy Hill from the north.....

Approaching the summit.....

Which revealed the huge quarry on Ravelrig Hill.....

View to Edinburgh.....

View to Fife.....

View to East and West Cairn Hills in the Pentlands.....

Trig and Edinburgh.....

Trig and Ochil Hills.....

Trig and The Kips and Scald Law in the Pentlands.....

A really excellent day!