A Fife visit: Kincraig Hill, Bankhead of Raith, Hare Law

Participants: Neil and Ben
Where: Kincraig Hill, 65m/213’, P49m, Tump, OS 59, NT 468 999; Bankhead of Raith, 164m/538’, P36m, Tump, OS 58, NT 237 929; and Hare Law, 149m/489’, P 46m, Tump, OS 58, NT 202 965.

It was great to wake up to bright sunshine and a good forecast after days of cloudy and windy weather. It was many years since I had been to the East Neuk of Fife and I had spotted that Kincraig Hill, a headland west of Elie, was on the list of Tumps. Not very high but a prominent landmark which had been used for military defences during WW2. This is the view of it from Lundin Links.....
 

I parked in the car park at the entrance to Shell Bay caravan park. There didn’t seem to be anything to stop me continuing on the track which went almost to the summit but I fancied the walk. As expected it was a great viewpoint. The massive caravan park sort of spoiled the view to the west but otherwise it was great. The high point was pretty close to the edge of the cliffs so Ben had to go on his lead while we were there. These are the photos........

Looking back down the track to Shell Bay with Largo Law in the background.....
 

Looking across Shell Bay to the industrial towns, Leven, Methil etc.....
 

Elie and Earlsferry and one of the beaches.....

 

The Trig, not quite at the highest point.....

 

Ben with the summit mast behind him.....
 

The war time remains were interesting, it’s amazing how many of them have survived along our coastline.....

We then went on to Elie and had a walk round the harbour. It was the school holidays and it was busy so we didn’t linger long before setting off home especially as I had two more hills in mind for the return route.....

Bankhead of Raith was almost a drive over! Situated just off a minor road between Kirkcaldy and Cardenden the highest point was on a track to a farm only about 100m from the road.....
 

I carried on along the road through Cardenden and Auchterderran for the final hill, Hare Law. I parked at the north end of the village. From there we followed a good track initially alongside a golf course and then up the south slopes of the hill; it seemed to be a right of way. There were a number of banks of conifers on the flat top of the hill but fortunately the highest point was reckoned to be just to the east of the first one we came to. Getting to the high point did however involve some ducking and weaving through some prickly woodland. The Lomond Hills were to the north.....

 

 

Another excellent trip.

Craigentaggert Hill (Ochils)

31 March 2019

 

Participants: Just me

Where: Craigentaggert Hill, 493m/1,617', P 70m, Tump, OS 58, NN 906 057

 

I had attempted to climb this hill with Ben a few weeks ago but there was a new fence at the col between it and Kinpauch Hill so we had to turn back. Shame because it was an ideal hill for him with no sheep about. The only consolation was that the weather today was better, an almost clear blue sky and no wind. The view from the start at Blackford, Craigentaggert Hill is on the middle left.....

 

 

There was a track and then a path as far as the high point of Kinpauch Hill which was marked by a cairn, a fabulous viewpoint. I had a rest here and my first cup of chocolate for the day. Looking back down to Blackford with Ben Chonzie in the background.....

 

The view along Strathearn towards Perth.....

 

 

The path ended soon after, at the fence that had stopped us on the earlier occasion. It was then typical Ochil grass and tussocks to the top of the Tump.....

 

 

The summit area was very flat, someone had built a stone man but I didn't think that it was the highest point.....

 

 

There was a small rocky area to the south so I wandered over to that for a view down to the Upper Glendevon reservoir and beyond to the highest hills in the Ochils including Ben Cleuch. I could just make out that there were people at its summit......

 

 

 

It felt quite remote at the summit of Craigentaggert and the hills to either side of it- Wether Hill and Core Hill- are also Tumps so I will have to come back to the area. But no time today as I had to get home to Ben who would no doubt be spending his time sleeping on the couch! But there was time for one last photograph, to the panorama of Highland hills on the horizon, from Ben Lomond, far left, to Ben Lawers.....

 

 

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.....