Benarty Hill (again!)

Participants: Neil and Ben
Where: Benarty Hill above Loch Leven in Fife; 356m/1168', Sub-2k Marilyn, OS Map 58, NT 153979

With a forecast for more ice and snow later in the week, I reckoned that I'd better get out. Benarty Hill is only a short drive from home and I like it at this time of year as I can combine it with a visit to the RSPB reserve at Vane Farm. A shower was coming in as I left the house and it didn't look too clever in the west; however the forecast said that the east would be better and so it was. I took my usual route from the south, up through some nice mixed woodland and then across the moor. There were snowdrops lurking in the sheltered areas and the garden birds were singing at Vane Farm, sure signs that spring is on the way.

It was a good day for photography, the air was clear and the horizons sharp. Here are a few:

 

On the plateau with the trig on the right horizon.....

The trig with the Ochils in the background.....

Looking to the industrial belt.....

Ben, Loch Leven and Bishop Hill.....

Loch Leven and Bishop Hill.....

And a wide angle shot of the loch with Bishop Hill on the right.....

It was lentil soup on the menu at the café at Vane Farm, very tasty.

Torlum: A New Year, an Old Hill

3 January 2015

 

Participants: Neil and Ben

Where: Torlum, 393m/1,290', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 57, NN 819192

 

A  new year and an early opportunity to get out on the hills. All of the new Marilyns that I have to do (or, rather, want to do) either require an overnight trip or involve too much driving for a short winters day so for today it was off to a hill that I had climbed on a few previous occasions. Torlum lies a few miles west of Crieff and is a grand viewpoint for the surrounding area. It had been frosty overnight and the skies were clear; absolutely perfect conditions. The hill is reached by one of a number of narrow country roads; this is the view of it that I got when I approached it from the south.....

 

 

The start was along a forestry track and there was space for a few cars at the gate at the start. Ben hadn't been out for a hill walk for ages and is putting on weight; I just managed to get him under the gate! There were another two gates at the top of the forest section but they both had side gates for pedestrians so no problem there. The track continued for a short distance beyond the forest before turning into a narrow path that wound steeply up the hill.

 

 

It was only a short climb and the trig with its attendant Christmas tree soon came into view.....

 

 

Torlum is a grandstand for Ben Chonzie to the north. Here is Ben at the summit looking pleased with himself.....

 

 

Ben Chonzie .....

 

A view of Crieff.....

 

 

The trees had grown quite a bit since my last visit in 2010 but I could still glimpse the snow plastered Stuc a'Chroin and Ben Vorlich through the branches.....

 

 

Getting a photo of the Ochils to the south was awkward as I was looking straight into the sun but by manoeuvring myself into the Christmas tree to get some branches between the camera and the sun I managed it.....

 

 

It was by no means a cold day but it did start to get chilly standing at the trig; well, it is the beginning of January after all! So we set off down again just as another party of five folk were arriving. On the way down, I took this picture looking to the low ground to the east over the Loch of Balloch, some great colours there.....

 

 

The walk took just under two hours, just right for the time of year.

 

Happy New Year from Neil and Ben!

Cnoc nam Broighleag

2 December 2014.

Participants: Just me
Where: Cnoc nam Broighleag, 314m/1,031', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 55, NR 940937

The physio sessions on my medial ligament had helped and I had been advised to get walking again and that although it might be a bit sore, I wouldn't do any damage. Cnoc nam Broighleag had been on my radar for a while and seemed to be just the thing for a short winter day. It lies above Loch Fyne just past Minard. There were forestry vehicles at the entrance to the track so I left the car in a small lay-bye a few hundred yards closer to the village. The track was being used by vehicles involved in the building of the Cruach Mor wind farm and there was also some felling going on but no restrictions had been placed on walkers. It was less than a mile up the track to the start of the ridge of Cnoc nam Broighleag. It was a hill of many ups and downs, the summit is at the west end- on the bump in the middle distance in this photograph.....

Although it is not very high, the going  is rough and is not made any better by the fact that cows graze on the hill. The going was a bit soft in places and the heavy beasts hoofs had made quite an impact. However, there was no sign of the culprits themselves, maybe they had been taken down to lower ground for the winter.

The weather was good and there was still a lot of colour in the vegetation. This is looking along the ridge towards the summit (distant).....

The trig was perched on the top of a small knoll.....

There was a good view back along the ridge. I found it best to stick to the ridge rather than attempt to outflank the climbs as the sides of the hill proved to be even worse going.

The distant views were a bit hazy and there was obviously an isolated shower about. This is looking over Lochan Dubh to lower Loch Fyne with the hills of Arran on the horizon.....

To the west was Loch Glashan and the western seaboard; unfortunately I only got glimpses of the Paps of Jura today.....

Here are a couple of views back along the ridge to finish.....

The big flat-topped hill is the sub-2k Beinn Ghlas where I tweaked my ligament 3 months ago. My leg was a bit sore today with the rough going but there don't seem to be any lasting effects. So back to putting a hot water bottle on it each evening and I should be ready to get back to bagging again in 2015! If the weather is as good as it was today I can't wait to get started.

Lamberton Hill and St Abbs Head

23 November 2014

Participants: Just me on the hill because there were lots of sheep in field. Ben had a snooze while I went to the "top".

 

Where: Lamberton Hill, 217m, Sub-2k Marilyn, Map OS 67, GF 945588

 

Lamberton Hill is a fairly recent addition to the Marilyn list following a re-survey. Actually, "hill" is a bit of a misnomer, Lamberton upland field would be a better description. Nevertheless, it is on the list and gets a tick the same as any other Marilyn. It is only just in Scotland being just a few miles north of Berwick.

 

I drove through the lovely old village of Ayton and along a narrow country road. There was plenty of verge parking and from the churned up mud it was obvious that a lot of Marilyn baggers had been visiting. Parking place.....

I walked about 200 yards further along the road to a gate which enabled me to enter the field without having to cross any barbed wire or electric fences. I had read that there were usually cows in the field but today they had been moved to another field and there was only a flock of sheep present. It was only a 5 minute walk from the gate to the highest point, which was unmarked. It lay just south of the remains of Habchester Fort, an iron age fort of which half of the ramparts and ditches are still obvious. Apparently, the area containing the fort is divided between two farms; one farm has left the remains in place whereas the other cultivated its section over. This is looking up to the remains of the fort from the road.....
 

 

There was not too bad a view considering. These photos are taken from the spot in the field which looked as though it was the summit. This is looking north-east.....

this is to the lower west top which has a trig.....

and this is looking to the Cheviot.....
 

 

I then went to St Abbs and walked along the cliff path as far as the lighthouse and back to the car park by a minor road. Here are some pictures of the cliffs; it was a lovely day and the views were great.....

 

 

An introduction to the SIBs: Great Cumbrae and Barbay Hill

5 November 2014

Participants: Neil and Ben
Where: Island of Great Cumbrae

There seem to be lists of everything nowadays. And here's a new one, courtesy of the folk who brought us Marilyns, Humps, Tumps etc., etc., etc. SIBs- Significant Islands of Britain which, just to make it more complicated, have been sub-divided into different classes according to prominence and land area. So there are lots to choose from. I like islands and don't really need an excuse to visit them but I shall use this list to find new, interesting, places that might be worth a visit. And as a hill bagger, I will of course have to visit the highest point in each!

A ridge of high pressure had arrived sweeping the clouds away so I decided to "officially" do my first SIB, although I had been to Cumbrae many times before. It is a small island in the Firth of Clyde, 4 miles long by 2 miles wide, reached by a 10 minute ferry trip from Largs. This is the view from Largs, the ferry the Loch Shira, and the approach to Cumbrae slip.....

I always feel like I've been transported to another world when I come to Cumbrae, only a couple of miles from industrial Ayrshire yet everything seems much slower and more peaceful. A road runs round the island, it's almost completely flat so great for cycling or else a gentle wander. I've done both. There is also a regular bus service from the slip to Millport so I usually just walk round the west half of the island nowadays and get the bus the rest of the way! The first point of interest is just north of the slip- a memorial to two young sailors from HMS Shearwater who were drowned here in 1844.....

The inscription on it is getting a bit faded but reads:

IN MEMORY OF MR. CHARLES D. CAYLEY
AGED 17 YEARS
AND
MR. WILLIAM N. JEWELL
AGED 19 YEARS
MIDSHIPMEN OF
H.M.S. SHEARWATER
TWO PROMISING YOUNG
OFFICERS DROWNED BY
THE UPSETTING OF THEIR
BOAT NEAR THIS PLACE
17TH MAY 1844
THIS MONUMENT IS
ERECTED
IN TOKEN OF THEIR WORTH
BY
CAPTAIN ROBINSON
AND
OFFICERS
OF THE ABOVE VESSEL

While the road on the east side of the island looks to the industrial area of Hunterston and its ore terminal, that on the west side is completely highland in character. The views are across the tip of Bute to the hills of Arran and they were at their best today.....

After 5 miles, we reached the only town, Millport. There were lots of properties up for sale but generally it was looking nice in the sunshine. They obviously follow the old traditions here as most of the shops were shut- Wednesday afternoon closing! There is a nice wee harbour and there are usually a few yachts in the bay in summer, not today though. Here are a few pictures of the town.....

 

It was warm in the sun so I found a seat and had a rest for a bit. A cup of minestrone soup from one of the cafes provided an excellent lunch.

Every view of the town features a tall spire- that of the Cathedral of the Isles- so I had to go and have a look. It is known for being Britain's smallest cathedral and dates from 1851. The information says "It was built on ground owned by the Boyle family and it's founder, George Frederick Boyle, later became 6th Earl of Glasgow. It is one of a group of buildings comprising two residential buildings (colleges) and a collegiate church designed by William Butterfield. Planned as a theological college for the Scottish Episcopal church, in its early days it was seen as the "new" Iona and in 1876 it was consecrated Cathedral of the Isles". It is certainly a striking building.....

Another road leads from Millport over the top of Barbay Hill, the highest point on the island, and down to the ferry slip. Barbay Hill is 127m/417' and has a trig, a couple of seats, a telephone mast (I think that's what it's for) and a parking place a few yards from the top. So not the most difficult of hills! And it is also a great viewpoint. The highest point seems to be a sandstone rock west of the trig.....

By the time we got back to the slip, the sky was starting to get grey in the west, the sign of more rain approaching. But the sun was still shining over Largs.....

and very soon, the Loch Shira was approaching the pier.....

Could be a useful list, the SIBs!