Stuc a' Chroin and Ben Vorich

Stuc a' Chroin and Ben Vorich

Friday 17 January 2014

Saturday 11 January - Wether Hill


I've often wondered what my reaction would have been to the creation of Lower Glendevon Reservoir had I been walking these hills in the years leading up to its completion in 1924. Would it have been one of outrage and sadness to witness the destruction of this quiet little glen? Probably. And yet, this stretch of water adds much to the scene and, with sheep grazing on the grass-covered dam wall, there is little to dislike.

Lower GD Reservoir dam (minus sheep)

    Beyond the dam we settled down to enjoy the weak sunshine.



But peaceful though the setting was, we could hear the roar of the Burnfoot Hill wind turbines some four kilometers distant as the crow flies so we pushed on and up the tussocky slopes to the equally tussocky summit of Wether Hill. To the west lie Craigentaggert Hill and Core Hill, the walk to them being pathless and rough. Not terrain for those who like paths, so it is very rare to meet others on these hills.

On Common Hill
There is something seductive about the simplicity of staying local during January and February. For just a short drive, long days or short days can be had among lonely hills; trips to the Highlands can be anticipated; plans laid, plots hatched.

Innerdownie summit, January 2012
 Some real winter conditions can be appreciated most years, but sadly not this year so far.

If, however, the view north tempts, then Ben Vorlich and others are only a forty-five mile drive away, the Loch Turret hills, only twenty-five or so.



Note: In an effort to keep a record of activities there may well be a lot of repetition in posts regarding the Ochils. Sorry about this, but 'keeping a record' which others could read (or not) was the original motivation for starting a blog in the first place, although unfortunately it has never quite worked that way! (Luckily Lynne has kept a diary for years). Hopefully more interesting stuff will be forthcoming when we go further afield.





  

13 comments:

AlanR said...

Hey, there is nothing boring about your blog posts or the fact that you are lucky enough to be able to walk the Ochils and show us the changing seasons. Doesn't bother me one bit that you walk and post about routes we have read about before. Keep them coming. No.3 photo is lovely BTW.

afootinthehills said...

You are very kind Alan. As per usual Lynne took pic 3 - in fact all of them because she now carries the camera! The small Canon IXUS, bought years ago, never really lived up to expectations so I don't carry it.

I've been tempted by Amazon's recent pricing of the Sony NEX 7, particularly since Chris Townsend has spoken so highly of it. I've only got five days to make up my mind and get the great price plus another £50 off, but I can't reach a decision mainly because I'm not sure I need this kind of camera.

It's replacement will cost a lot more so in some ways I'm maybe missing a great opportunity to get the NEX 7 with the 18 - 55mm lens for £639. It's still a lot of money though.

I notice you are on The Challenge this year so good luck on that. No doubt we'll hear about your planned route later.

AlanR said...

Well Gibson, if your not sure you need it then why get it. Good deal or not.
Its a nice camera though. I am down sizing to a Nikon s3500. I have seen the results and they are good enough for me although i won’t be parting with my Sony dsc hx9v.
Yes i am challenging by all accounts.

afootinthehills said...

Hi Alan. I thought you had a DSLR - a Canon if I recall rightly.

AlanR said...

No. Never had a full size DSLR. I did have a four thirds Samsung NX10 but i found the whole experience was overshadowing my walking. I am not that good a photographer that i want to spend time setting up the right shot, at the right speed and aperture etc etc when a point and shoot with a decent lens does pretty well anyway and weighs so much less and takes up no room at all. The Nikon s3500 covers what i need and at 20.1 megapixel means the image can be “manipulated” with software to improve it if necessary.

Sir Hugh said...

Just keep the posts coming. I'm sure you never take your part of the world for granted, but for us further away, making visits less frequent it is always pleasurable to be reminded of Scottish hills.

afootinthehills said...

Thanks Conrad. No, I never take my local hills for granted nor readers like yourself, Alan R and others who visit my blog hence the note.

AlanR said...

Well i had a look at the Nikon S3500 and i will not be parting with my cash. I was very disappointed with the abscence of quality in the hardware. The sensor may be decent but i think thats about it. Numerous times the lens closure stuck open and could be seen across the image. Very disappointed with Nikon selling rubbish like this. IMO. I could never trust it on the challenge.

afootinthehills said...

That's a pity Alan but it's as well to have found out now than go through the hassle of returning the camera etc. You would think a Nikon would be a safe buy although I've never had one. You can't risk a dodgy camera on the Challenge - I'd carry two cameras but then I am a sort of belt and braces sort of person!

I've just bought the Sony RX 100 having abandoned the idea of a NEX 7.

AlanR said...

Very nice Gibson. Thats a cracking camera. Will Lynne enjoy using it. Ha.
I will probably just stick with my HX9V, although i may have a look at the Sony dsc wx200 for the challenge.

afootinthehills said...

The HX9V sounds a great camera as does the dsc wx200. When reading what i thought was a review of the RX100 I thought "this sounds a fantastic, incredible camera". Then at the end of the review it said price £2800. I was of course reading the RX1 review!

Who will carry the Sony and who the Lumix Tz7 remains to be seen!

Gayle said...

Nowt wrong (or uninteresting) about a bit of repetition about the Ochils. It's an order of magnitude more interesting than my repetitions of a small patch of the flatlands of the Midlands!

afootinthehills said...

Hello Gayle. I'm always happy to read about 'the flatlands' so just keep doing it until your next trip comes along.