Proprietorial Herdwick

 

 

12 March - Glen Bee

Upper Glen Devon res from our lunch spot

It's a very fine walk out to Glen Bee if you take the right route, but what's missing from this photograph is the presence of...

Upper Glen Devon Reservoir and Burnfoot Windfarm - soon to be extended by 8 turbines

There will now be a pause in posting, perhaps a very long pause, while I consider the future of this blog. In the interim we will, hopefully, be very active with many plans for day from the 'van trips, island hills (Rum Cuillin, Islay and Jura and of course Skye), the Lake District, some backpacking,  and so on. Enjoy summer when it comes!

11 March - Sun, larks and the Angel's Share

Distant Ben Cleuch, (centre) from the road to the Glen Devon Reservoirs

Our plan for the day was to visit The Law. This hill, as with all the western tops of the Ochils, is more usually and more easily climbed from Tillicoultry but since the road in the photograph above will no doubt be closed in the near future as the construction of yet another wind farm begins, we decided to save the 'hillfoots' approaches for those dark days.

Ben Cleuch and Ben Buck, right.

As we wandered along we could smell the 'Angel's Share' from the Tullibardine Distillery at Blackford, the perfect addition to sun and scenery. A lark sang high above as if revelling in the arrival of spring before falling like stone until, a few feet above the ground, it hovered momentarily then gently landed hidden among the tufty grasses. Then another.

Later, a buzzard was seen and heard, a common enough experience but never, ever, one to be taken for granted.

The Law - for another day

..... in the end we opted for Cleuch.

Lower Glendevon Reservoir and Wether Hill

We sat here soaking up the late afternoon sun. All was well with our world.

The trip was around 19km.

10 March - High Pressure

Castlehill Reservoir - where the car is parked

We had hoped to be in the Highlands this week or perhaps the Lake District but about ten days ago I was smitten by a nasty bug and have just finished a course of antibiotics. So, rather than waste the good weather that has arrived by rushing around packing the motorvan and spending yet another day driving, we decided to spend the week locally and enjoy the fine weather.

I'm not going to post much about the forthcoming trips other than briefly record the day out with a few photographs.

The view to Whitewisp Hill from just below the cairn on Tarmangie Hill

We had a grand day (18km) in spring sunshine, birds singing, shadows drifting over the hillsides.

Northwards the hills are plastered and gullies would be death on a stick I reckon. That said, if the mood takes us we might just take a drive further north and have a day on sunlit snow.

Easter Downhill from Castlehill Reservoir