Tumping around Peebles- Cademuir Fort, South Head Hill and White Hill

25 March 2019

 

Participants: Just me

Where: Cademuir Fort, 407m/1,335', P 90m, Tump, OS 73, NT 200 374, South Head Hill, 378m/1,240', P35m, Tump, OS 73, NT 219 417 and White Hill, 440m/1,444', P67m, Tump, OS 72, NT 090 469.

 

It was a much sunnier day than we had been having recently so I decided to go to the Peebles area to climb a couple of hills that had caught my eye. In the event, I climbed 3 hills as I diverted to Dolphinton on the way home to climb White Hill.

 

I had climbed the Marilyn, Cademuir Hill on a couple of occasions, once when it was tree covered and again when most of the forest had been cut down. It has a top, Cademuir Fort, which is almost as high and which is a much superior hill.....

 

 

There were lots of paths to choose from but in any event, the hill is well grazed by sheep and the grass was short cropped. I started from the south east corner and got a good view of Cademuir Hill on the route up.....

 

 

It was a superb viewpoint. Looking towards Peebles.....

 

 

Towards a distant Tinto.....

 

 

And down the Manor valley.....

 

 

I had climbed both White Meldon and Black Meldon (a Hump and a Marilyn respectively) before but had never completed the Meldon Valley hills by climbing South Head Hill, a Tump. So that's where I headed next. This is a view of White Meldon (l) and South Head Hill (r) from the valley..... 

 

 

There were lots of places to park and there was a convenient bridge over the stream. Although there were no paths going up the hill from this direction, it was easy going underneath, first across a grass meadow and then through some burnt heather. There was what I took to be the remains of a cairn at what looked as though it might be the highest point; here it is with White Meldon in the background.....

 

 

A view of the valley with Black Meldon on the left and White Meldon on the right.....

 

 

I had left the house early as the forecast had been for cloud to build later in the day. So I had actually completed my two hills by lunchtime and felt that I was probably OK for another on the way home. White Hill lies to the east and in the shadow of the Marilyn, Black Mount, west of Dolphinton. I parked on a minor road to the east of the hill next to a stile which led to a track through a nice wooded area and on to the hill. There was some rough heather once off the track and I then contoured slightly east to avoid the steepest slopes.

 

 

 

There was a good view to the Pentlands as I got higher.....

 

 

Black Mount lives up to its name, for some reason the heather on it is particularly dark. I wonder if White Hill was so named as it is such a contrast? Approaching the summit with Black Mount beyond.....

 

 

the view to the southwest is partly obscured by the higher neighbour.....

 

 

The view east to the Pentland Hills is much more open.....

 

and there was a fine panorama looking back to the Peebles area.....

and north to the central belt notwithstanding the many windmills.....

Hill of Barnweil and Wallace's Monument plus Mauchline Hill

11 March 2019

 

Participants: Neil and Ben

Where: Hill of Barnweil, 153m/502', P 59m, Tump, OS 70, NS 407 295 and Mauchline Hill, 198m/650', P 41m. Tump, OS 70, NS 510 275

 

There was a temporary break in a spell of poor weather, enough to tempt me out to do these two Tumps near Tarbolton/Mauchline in Ayrshire. I was attracted to Barnweil Hill by the fact that it had a gothic sandstone tower on top which had been built to commemorate William Wallace, one of a number of such towers in lowland Scotland. This one was completed in 1857 thus predating its more famous cousin in Stirling (also at the top of a Tump) by several years. The architect of the Barnweil Tower was Robert Snodgrass of Beath and it appears to have been paid for by local benefactors. Unfortunately, local authority financial cuts have meant that it is no longer open to the public- a shame as the hill itself is a great viewpoint and the view from the top of the tower must be spectacular. There are however descriptive plaques set into the sandstone base that praise Wallace and lend further interest. Here are some photos of the Tower.....

 

 

And a view looking east.....

 

On the way to Barnweil, I diverted to Mauchline to tick off Mauchline Hill. Not a lot to see here- a very wet track to a transmitter station, a walk through some equally wet scrub and a high point in the middle of a field.....

 

 

A few Kirriemuir Tumps

1 March 2019

 

Participants: Neil and Ben

Where: Hill of Kirriemuir, 193m/633', P 34m, Tump, OS 54, NO 391 546; Meams Hill, 271m/889', P 42m, Tump, OS 54, NO 372 571; Carroch Hill, 244m/801', P 36m, Tump, OS 54, NO 365 588, Kaims of Airlie, 211m/692', P 63m, Tump, OS 53, NO 323 588; Gallow Knowe, 260m/ 853', P 30m, Tump, OS 53, NO 293 554

 

I had a meeting in Glamis in the morning on MBA business and that left the afternoon free to climb some hills. The weather was cloudy and hazy but dry, ideal conditions for the smaller hills.

 

Hill of Kirriemuir was a drive up- it is the main park for Kirriemuir and contains a Neverland children's playground. The high point could be beside a small shelter or could be a few yards away in a wooded area, we visited both.....

 

 

 

It would have been a nice view north if it hadn't been so hazy.....

 

 

I headed a few miles north of Kirriemuir for the next two hills. Approaching Meams Hill.....

 

 

I parked at an old quarry and walked a few yards back down the road to the start of a steep track leading up the hill to some cow pasture, luckily, the animals were on a distant part of the hill. The highest point was in front of some trees and could have been either side of a fence.....

 

 

Back to the car and a mile or so further on I stopped again at the start of a track on Carroch Hill.....

 

 

This was nice woodland and the track led straight to the highest point.....

 

 

There wasn't much in the way of views although from lower down I could see back to Meams Hill.....

 

 

I then followed some narrow country roads passing through Kirkton of Kingoldrum to reach the Kaims of Airlie. This one was a narrow wooded ridge. I parked at the entrance ta farm track, walked 50 yards back along the road to a gate, climbed it, walked a few yards through some rough vegetation and I was at the obvious highest point.....

 

 

More country roads and I was at the foot of Gallow Knowe, on the east side of the Loch of Lintrathen. I parked at a bend in the road and went up some steps to a small covered water container. From there I could see the old WW2 lookout post on the highest point of Gallow Knowe.....

 

 

They like their barbed wire fences around here and the high point was on the opposite side of the fence to me. However, by carrying on for a bit I found a gate which enabled me to visit the high point and the building. There was a good view of the loch to the west.....

 

 

Hendry's Corse (Breich)

26 February 2019

 

Participants: Neil and Ben

Where: Hendry's Corse, 362m/1,186', P 95m, Tump, OS 65, NS 974 577

 

Hendry's Corse lies south of Breich in West Lothian and is a large wooded area (although maybe for not much longer).....

 

We approached from the north on a good forestry track; the high starting point meant that it was only a gentle incline. We were passed by the occasional forestry truck- the reason soon became obvious- the whole of the high point of the hill was being cleared..... 

 

 

Approaching the highest point.....

 

 

The most interesting thing was this marked stone just north of the high point, the Thirl Stane which the Canmore web site says marks the boundary between West Calder and Carnwath parishes at the junction of three estates. Beyond it are yet more windmills with the Pentland Hills beyond that.....

 

 

It was a good leg stretcher although not the most inspiring of hills.

Strowan Hill (Crieff)

25 February 2019

 

Participants: Neil and Ben

Where: Strowan Hill, 99m/325', P 34, Tump, OS 57, NN 817 213

 

The weather was unseasonably mild, in fact, today was the warmest February day since records began with the temperature nudging above 20. It was hovering around the 14/15 degree mark in Perthshire as we visited this little Tump. There are lots of similar hills in the area (see last post) but this one was devoid of the thick tree cover that plagues the others and was extremely pleasant.

 

I parked at the Strowan Woodland Cemetery, which was established in 2006 to provide a natural resting place- no headstones or other memorials, just a simple plate giving details. It is an incredibly beautiful place overlooking the river Earn. The Cemetery occupies part of the lower slopes of the hill. This is the view as we approached the high ground.....

 

 

 

 

There are some nice old trees here and a fine view north to the hills around Ben Chonzie.....

 

Comrie/St Fillans- A couple of wooded Tumps

15 February 2019

Participants: Just me

Where: Cowden Wood, 145m/476', P 31m, Tump, OS 57, NN 776 199 and Ross Wood, 111m/364', P33m, Tump, OS 57, NN 753 211

It was just the weather for doing a couple of Tumps where I wouldn't get a view anyway- sunny but hazy. There are a number of small, wooded hills in the Comrie and St Fillans area and today I tackled two of them and had a look at a few others. Cowden Wood lies just off the B827 Bracco to Comrie road.....

 

 

I parked in the entrance to a wildlife centre, walked down the road, through a gate and across cow pasture to the trees.

 

Ross Wood is off a side road between Comrie and St Fillans. There was a convenient parking place opposite a stile into the wood. It was a gentle walk to the high point which is the southern of two knolls....

 

 

I then had a look at a couple of other Tumps but decided against- they were steep and slippery and looked most unpleasant..

Moffat- Gallow Hill, Oakrigg and Beattock Hill

11 February 2019

 

Participants: Neil and Ben

Where: Gallow Hill (Moffat), 252m/827', P 39m, Tump, OS 78, NT 087 067, Oakrigg, 144m/472', P 32m, Tump, OS 78, NT 095 031 and Beattock Hill, 263m/863', P 45m, Tump, OS 78, NT 065 020

 

Spring was definitely in the air, it was a beautiful day, the snowdrops were out and the colours were at their best. I hadn't been in Moffat for ages, a study of the hill bagging site showed that there were 3 Tumps to be had close to the town so off we went. I parked in Dundanion Road at the foot of Gallow Hill. I wonder how many Gallow Hills there are in Scotland? Anyway, this one has a track going up it which today was quite muddy. Apparently the whole hill used to be tree covered but those at the top have been cut down although it has all been replanted- but with broadleaf rather than conifers. So the views might not be quite so good in years to come. Hart Fell is well seen from here.....

 

 

as are the hills on the north side of the Ettrick valley.....

 

 

I then made my way back to the car and found the side road going south from the town which is the starting point for Oakrigg. The Southern Upland Way crosses the hill and there was ample parking beside the Barnhill bridge. This hill was very easy, over a stile, follow the SUW, over another stile and across a field to the high point.....

 

 

the view to Moffat.....

 

 

to the north Ettrick hills.....

 

 

and to Scaw'd Fell, a Marilyn right at the head of the Ettrick valley.....

 

 

As Ben had had to miss out on Oakrigg as the stiles were too steep for him, we went back into Moffat and had a wander round the park and then I went for a coffee. Hard work this hill walking! Then it was off on the short car journey past Beattock and up a road that goes into the forest area east of Queensberry, Beattock Hill was another easy one as the road passes high up. The problem for Ben on this one was a barbed wire fence but at least he saw the high point.....

 

 

Looking to Queensberry....

 

 

to Hart Fell.....

 

 

and to Hart Fell and the Ettrick hills.....