Participants: Just me
Where: Cairnoch Hill, 413m/1,355', P 123m, Hump, OS 57, NS 698 857
With Corona-19 sweeping the country and amid everything shutting down, I decided to get away from it all for a few hours and get another hill walk in. I had looked across the Carron Valley reservoir at Cairnoch Hill on many occasions but it had a bit of a reputation as a forestry struggle so hadn't bothered tackling it. However, extensive felling had taken place recently and I had read a report on FB that said that the introduction of new forest roads had meant that there was now an easy route from the north.
I started at the track to the ruins of Sir John de Grahams castle. Sir John, a loyal supporter and friend of Sir William Wallace is though to have lived here. He died at the battle of Falkirk in 1298. Wallace escaped the battlefield and may have come to the castle following his defeat. The building is thought to have been a substantial timber framed hall defended by a moat; it is certainly impressive. I doubt if it is much visited.....
The forestry track curved along the north side of the hill at a gentle angle before heading upwards and running along the south side. The detailed instructions are first left shortly after leaving the castle, right at the next junction passing a quarry high up, onward for a bit to turn left up a new track which ends at a small quarry, leave the track here and climb directly up the rough hillside and the trig is a few hundred metres further on. The summit area was clear of trees apart from a few recent plantings. There were excellent views of the Carron valley and the reservoir from the upper part of the track.....
Approaching the trig.....
The view north with a snow covered Ben Ledi in the distance.....
The view to Meikle Bin.....
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