Mansion Hill (Dalmeny)

27 February 2020

Participants: Just me

Where: Mansion Hill (Dalmeny), 82m/269', P34m, Tump, OS 65, NT 162 775

February has been a rotten month this year if you wanted to climb hills- wind, cloud and rain most days. Today was nice though, albeit with a bit of a cold northerly wind but that resulted in a clear atmosphere and lovely views. I headed back to Queensferry to do another of the three Tumps on the Dalmeny estate. I left the car in the car park at the rail bridge, even on a February day there were a lot of tourists about and I had to search for a space. I then headed up the pavement alongside the B924 as far as the Chapel Gate entrance to the estate. Mansion Hill.....

I followed the estate road for a bit before cutting over to a gate at the corner of the field that is the north side of the hill. There was another gate at the top of the field that let me into the wooded area that contains the highest point. The woodland is fairly open so no problem although there was no view.....

Back at the edge of the wood I got a good view down the Firth of Forth past Granton to the distant Isle of May and North Berwick Law.....

and across the river to Fife.....

I did think about carrying on to add my remaining required Tump on the estate- New England- but decided to leave it for another day. If this weather pattern continues I will need some more short day trips.

Back at the car, there was a great view of the road bridges with the snow covered Ochil hills beyond....

Five Sisters Bing (West Calder)

6 February 2020

Participants: Just me
Where: Five Sisters Bing, 231m/758', P 73m, Tump, OS 65, NT 00750 64052

I've climbed the Five Sisters ridge in Kintail a couple of times; you couldn't get much different with the Five Sisters bing in West Lothian. Here it is.....

I parked on the road to the north beside the entrance to what seemed to be a woodland walk; the entrance to the bing was a couple of hundred yards to the north. There was evidence of cows in the field although no sign of them today. The sides of the bing(s) were very steep but fortunately there were more gentle slopes to the east side. The highest, and the Tump top, was no. 2, counting from the north. There were signs of a path lower down but it was make your own way through broom and hawthorn higher up. The high point was particularly difficult to reach.....

From slightly lower down, I got a view of the three southern bings.....

and a view of bing number one.....

Although there wasn't a path up the highest bing, there was up the northern one. It was also clear of vegetation so of course I went up. Not a bad view looking to the Pentland hills.....

Mons Hill (Dalmeny)

4 February 2019

Participants: Just me

Where: Mons Hill, 119m/390', P64m, Tump, OS 65, NT 154 785

It was a late start to my hill walking in 2020 courtesy of a fall at the end of December resulting in a cracked rib. Although I had been walking on the flat, and this was an easy Tump, I was horribly unfit! Still, it was a beautiful day and a pleasant hill. 

I parked in the car park beside the Forth rail bridge in South Queensferry. Despite the hundreds of times that I have seen it, the bridge never fails to amaze. It is becoming much more touristy here and there is talk of a visitor centre. Some photos of the bridge from the car park and from the early stages of the walk.....

It has been another snow less winter, at least so far, and spring was definitely in the air. The snowdrops were out......

For the first mile, my route followed the shore track which is also part of the John Muir Way. Mons Hill came into view.....

I then headed up another track between fields to arrive at a tarmac road which I crossed. The way to the high point then followed a rough track; there was a notice at it's start suggesting that folk stay on the tarmac track due to wildlife management issues. However, this seems to refer to pheasants for shooting rather than any "wildlife" as there were a few feeding stations (but only one pheasant observed today). It was not a GOML type notice and I was perfectly within my rights to go on so of course I did. There were views to the bridges from the path.....

but the high point was in a clump of rhododendron bushes.....

I returned by the same route.