A snowy stroll - Saturday 26 January

The snow never stopped yesterday. Literally. The birds constantly made it clear that they needed fed. A 3-4 hour power cut rounded off the evening.

Our regular

There was respite today so we took ourselves out across local tracks stopping for a pleasant half hour's chat with a local man who, having spent over thirty years with the Forestry Commission, was now a volunteer warden and speaker with the Woodland Trust. The Trust owns an important area of the Glen Devon side of the Ochils, thus protecting it from the march of wind turbines. We really ought to be members.

The wall has vanished

The Ochils would have been skiable for most of their 28 miles

Sunday was a different world. One of wind, rain and rawness, the dirty piles of  snow, cleared from driveways with so much effort only the previous day, now slowly thawing. A depressing sight.  I know snow creates problems for those who work and have to travel but I'll take it over the miserable, dull, dark days.

Still, the thaw allowed me to get the top-box off the 'van - but horror!  I'd  forgotten to take the Golite Quests out and mine is now covered in mould.

Strong winds caused another power cut last night and I wouldn't be at all surprised if another follows today.

Happy New Year

New Year greetings from the bonnie Ochils from both of us. It's snowier than it looks!

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Two short winter days

(1) - Tuesday 11 December

Everywhere being solid ice, Kahtoolas were needed straight from the car but we made quick progress along the drove road before beginning our ascent of this lovely unnamed prominence west of, and overlooking, Glen Eagles. Off with the microspikes then through the tussocky grass, avoiding the ice in the hollows between, picking up sheep trods, stopping to view distant Ben Chonzie (Ben-y-Hone), aiming for the highest sunlit snow patch.

Distant Ben y Hone above Crieff from the drove road

It's all familiar ground, and being creatures of habit we sat in our usual lofty spot drinking Lapsang Souchong enjoying what warmth the sun could muster before climbing the last few feet to the cairnless top.  Time being short, the heathery expanse westwards to Wether Hill was not for us today so we dropped down to St Mungo's Farm and the drove road - a useful route for ancient drovers who wanted to avoid paying at Gleneagles Toll.

As a result of walking the Ochils drove roads, A R B Haldane of Cloan House near Auchterarder became interested in "this droving traffic, the routes by which it reached the Lowlands, its ultimate destination and the methods of the men whose work it was". His excellent 'The Drove Roads of Scotland' makes fascinating reading.

The car could have done with its own set of crampons

Just a  simple, satisfying few hours in the 'verdant Downs the Ochil Hills', a few miles from home. What more could you ask?

Local

Having a local walk without a rucksack to see how my torn back muscle feels. Fine it seems, except for slight dull pain. Maybe it will, after all, be OK for our planned West to East in a week's time, but then again there's a big difference between a stroll across fields and carrying a pack across Scotland, crawling in and out a tent etc.

And maybe I risk losing the rest of the summer by worsening the injury.

It will be a mad rush to deliver parcels if we do decide to go.

Spring

We've walked some 11km into the Ochils on this glorious spring day and now soaking up the sun above the Upper Reservoir. The call of the curlew for company; herons skim the water. Hard to move from here but.....
A few day trips to old haunts further north this coming week are planned then a holiday with the motorvan delivering a couple of parcels for our forthcoming' West to East' on the way.
Life is good!
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A year ago

This was the scene around here on 29 November 2010. By contrast only some wet snow is evident in the garden this morning, although the Ochils had their first sprinkling a few weeks ago.

It’s been a wet and very windy November and I hope the above conditions come quickly in December.

There are a few photographs taken last December here

Loch Leven and some graves

The 'dismal' day mentioned in a previous post had transformed itself into a sunny, but blustery one by the time we arrived at the Kirkgate car park; oyster catchers were scattered along the grassy shore and Lochleven Castle was catching the afternoon sunshine.

The castle was used as a state prison (its first use) when, in 1316, King Robert the Bruce imprisoned John of Lorne there;  in 1390 it was granted to the Douglas family as a royal stronghold. In 1567 Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned in the castle and forced to abdicate in favour of her infant son James, later King James 1st, uniting England and Scotland. She escaped in 1568.

Now managed by Historic Scotland, a frequent ferry service runs from the pier to the castle during the summer and despite living nearby for many years, we have yet to make a visit there. Likewise we have still to walk the full 'Hertitage Trail'. Some way round, Lynne spied a cluster of yew trees off the path and guessed an old graveyard would be found there.

It was indeed just that and so we spent a pleasant hour 'Guddling among the Graves'.  This was the title of a series of illustrated talks by Hamish Brown about the folk art of Scottish gravestones, a talk which eventually gave birth to his fascinating book 'Scottish Graveyard Miscellany'.




Note the hourglass ('the sands of time are sinking') and the skull and crossbones




















We were in fact at the site of the old Orwell Kirk, (without a church, the 'graveyard' would be a cemetery) which was moved to Milnathort in 1729. Now another building stands here - a mausoleum dated - 1865.




The earliest date we could find on a stone, was 1633 (and on the same stone 1688.) Note the spelling of 'year' as it was then.

The two photographs above show 'table stones', the gravestone having been placed on legs to prevent wear.

Further along the Trail is a seat with a rhyme in Scots carved into the backrests.

It relates to standing stones found on the land of Orwell Farm. The stones, which can't be seen from the trail, mark the site of cremation deposits which have been dated 2300BC.

In the centre backrest

To our east lay Bishop Hill and below it the village of Kinnesswood, once an important centre for the maufacture of vellum and parchment. Alexander Buchan the 'Father of meteorology' was a Kinnesswood man who identified the principles of isobars:

Buchan warned of windy weather

When isobars lay close together

We've enjoyed many a fine walk on Bishop Hill .........

Bishop Hill from the Heritage Trail

....but none better than in March 2010 when we paid our respects to Carlin Maggie.

The whole Trail covers 12.5Km and there is much more to tell than I have done here. One day we really must walk it in its entirety - and take that boat trip to Loch Leven Castle as well.

Note: much of the above is courtesy of  the Loch Leven Heritage Trail with some checks from Lynne.



A stroll in freezing fog - Friday, 21 January

Today, and after a minimum temperature overnight of -9C, we are shrouded in a freezing fog with just occasionally the faint hope of the sun breaking through. We would be experiencing a temperature inversion if we were up on the Ochils but, alas, Lynne has managed to cough her way to a strained or torn intercostal muscle so carrying a rucksack is out for the moment. For the sake of clarity I should add that the 'alas'  indicates sympathy for Lynne rather than signifying regret at being unable to get out on the hills. (She might just read this you see.)

A low level saunter was, however, possible and provided a pleasant, if familiar, outing in improving conditions. And high or low there's always something interesting..

Contours on ice

















As we walked I was mentally fleshing out the detail of trips planned for 2011 (8 or 9 at present), including our West - East walk in May (not the TGOC -  a tad too late in May for us since the organisers moved the start date). I'll put the route up sometime for anyone who might be interested. A friend wants to 'follow' us across so I'll be putting up maps as well.

The summer of 2010 was a relatively lean one for us in terms of hills etc because of Lynne's book and associated commitments, so this year we'll hopefully get to Rum, Knoydart, Skye and the far NW in June and to the Outer Hebrides in July, all of these being a mix of motorcaravan and backpacking trips. A visit to 'Screaming Geo' featured on the Triple 5 climbs broadcast last year is high on the list when we're on Lewis. April and autumn plans are more flexible but the Cairngorms and Lochaber always figure large.

As always, I hope the weather is kind to us!

It certainly improved today as we made our way across the fields and regained the track and headed home for some hot coffee.





A thaw and a bridge gone

The rapid thaw and torrential rain last Saturday gave the River Devon the power to demolish the army-built bridge which links the 'Millenium Path' to Rumbling Bridge Gorge.

Destruction

The remains further down-river

I wonder how long it will take for it to be rebuilt?

It just won't stop

Two days ago and it hasn't really stopped snowing since!

The tracks continued to just beyond the bushes and skis might have been useful thereafter, although ours are narrow competition style (we've never skied competitively) so the benefit would have been marginal.

Anyway, we knew we had a driveway to clear so headed back just as the forecasted bitter east wind started to blow.

We cleared it again yesterday and I'm off to do likewise again. Almost 2ft of snow now in the garden.

If you read this Hugh, I hope you are surviving where you are!

Lendrick Hill

Here you are Martin. Maybe next year! Join you on the top if we are around.

Lendrick Hill 456m from Seamab Hill (taken January 2010)



A short trip to Loch Leven

The Loch Leven Nature Reserve is an easy drive from home and although our visits are generally confined to the winter months

     November on Loch Leven

a recent balmy summer afternoon found us strolling along the 12.5km Hertitage Trail, linking Kinross and the RSPB Reserve at Vane Farm.

The Reserve with its range of wildlife, including tens of thousands of breeding and wintering birds, has a number of hides constructed on stilts above the water but they have recently been removed following structural damage from shifting ice during the severe winter. It's hoped to have them rebuilt by August.

        The hide has gone      

The sky was full of swifts and a few geese were scattered along the shores; after the heavy rain and wind over night, the Yellow Irises were flagging a bit.

Followers of this blog will know that we have been unable to get away to the hills since April - something that has never happened (ever) before - and short walks like those around Loch Leven have been brief, but refreshing, outings.

Things are looking up though and, if the last of the proofs of Lynne's book arrive today, we should be heading for Rum and its delectable ridge, Knoydart and Sutherland - soon-ish. Mind you, these sort of hopes have been constant companions throughout May and the first half of June!

Unfortunately I'm not mobile blogging having been too busy to get organised. Maybe before the next trip.

Loch Leven - in the past a home to monks, scene of great curling tournaments and the imprisonment and escape of a queen.

Cult Hill - 31 January

        Cult Hill 5 January 2010

It was supposed to have been a ski tour in the finest snow conditions we have ever had in this area, but we always found ourselves wandering off in other directions. Over time the passage of farm vehicles made the approach tracks too icy to make skis an advantage, and since the expected new snow fall never materialised little Cult Hill remained unkown to us. Until yesterday. It felt like a spring morning rather than the last one in January and by the time we'd reached the track to Wester Aldie we were peeling off our trusty Paramo trousers.

 The Ochils from start of Wester Aldie track

The Ochils drew our gaze and we wondered whether the 13 new wind turbines planned for Burnfoot Hill, which lies to the north of these tops, would be high enough to desecrate the sky line. But it was too glorious a morning to dwell for long on this folly and we turned our attention to more positive things.

A welcome from the lovely young Border collie at the farm sent us happily on our way.

      Pack-horse bridge

As we crossed fences, barbed and otherwise, climbed over gates that wouldn't open and crosssed walls with barbed wire along the top only to find ourselves on the wrong side of yet another wall, fence or gate, we reflected what a trial this would have been with skis! I suppose we are just not used to this sort of rural walking having the freedom of the Highlands virtually on our doorstep.

Lynne on yet another fence/wall crossing

A short, but very worthwile walk from home to a pleasant little summit with wide views. Small crags face north and might be worth a visit some summer evening although scrambling is probably all they have to offer.  Too cold today though, so I just had to climb the trig point!                   

To Pool of Muckhart and Seamab Hill

Thursday 8 January

There hasn't been any more significant snow here for a few days, although flakes are gently falling again this morning. We haven't bothered to drive anywhere in case parking is still as difficult and decided to walk from home to Seamab Hill above Pool of Muckhart. An enjoyable 8 mile trip. Here are a few pics.

        Seamab Hill 439m above Pool of Muckhart             
                                                                   

A 'Chainsaw Carving' of an eagle sits at the gate to what is now the Muckhart Nature Park.

Chainsaw Carving

Me below Seamab

Looking towards West Lomond and Bishop Hill

A few more photos have been added  here