A Walk in Flyrocs

Tuesday 23 March

I bought a pair of Inov8 Flyroc 345 GTX on Monday. It was a bit of a risk since I have a metatarso-phalangeal joint  injury on my left foot and using lightweight footwear on the hill usually means pain, whereas I have had none at all this winter using my Meindl Borneos.

Yesterday I decided to take them on their first walk, an easy one from Castlehill Reservoir through to Castle Campbell via the old drove road. The morning's early promise vanished in thick cloud cover and a spritely breeze, but larks were rising, curlews were crying and around Glen Quey reservoir black-headed gulls congregated noisily.

Snapped trees and branches reminded of the severe winter just gone (almost) and frogspawn that spring was here (almost).

We passed Maiden's Well which is on record as early as the mid-1800s. Legend has it that the spirit of a young woman haunts the well and could be called forth at night by potential suitors. However, those who dared to do so were discovered dead in the morning.  

Records show that she was a princess held captive in Castle Campbell, known at that time as Castle Gloom, because she had dared to fall in love with a man below her station; sometimes her gaolers would allow her to walk to the well to drink its waters.

Full marks for the walk and so far for the Flyrocs, but to find out if the joint injury would remain pain free in these lightweights, some ascent over rougher ground was called for. Whitewisp Hill rose conveniently above us and by the time we reached the cairn I was fairly sure they would be fine. The rest of the walk over Innerdownie and down its steep slopes back to the car seemed to confirm they had been a good buy. Only longer and rougher walks will truly tell.

Their first summit!

A day in The Lomonds and The Well at Scotlandwell

This is a fine little group of hills and it was time for a visit. Only a 15 minute drive from home, West and East Lomond and Bishop Hill rise above Loch Leven in Kinross-shire to 522m, 424m and c457m respectively and we were heading for the southernmost, Bishop Hill.

Loch Leven

It was pleasant walking in the warm sunshine, but a cold wind soon reminded that spring was firmly trapped on the lower slopes. Someone had been post-holing, probably the day before when the snow was soft, and we followed the thigh-deep holes until the hardening surface allowed us to escape them and choose our own line. The area is popular with hang-gliders and para-gliders; fixed-wing gliders are catapulted into the air above Loch Leven from nearby Portmoak airfield and we watched several thrust skyward before noticing a para-glider drifting above us.

Para-gliding above Bishop Hill

We crossed the wind-scoured undulating plateaux towards the top of Bishop Hill, our plan being to re-aquaint ourselves with 13m Carlin Maggie, turned to stone for challenging the Devil's authority.

 Towards Bishop Hill, centre

  

Carlin Maggie 

Lynne wanted to have a look at the 'Well' at Scotlandwell, so foregoing a descent into the Covenanter's Glen and a climb to West Lomond Hill, we retraced our steps for tea in the spring sunshine and a short walk to the village.

The Well at Scotlandwell

A Drinking Cup remains for those who feel in need of a cure.

"What hills are like the Ochil Hills?"

Apart from the rhythmic crunch of boots on hard snow, all was silent; the February sun had only a trickle of warmth. Our eyes were constantly drawn to the north by the snowy peaks of Ben Vorlich, Stuc a Chroin and the Ben Lawers group, but today we were happy to be here climbing the friendly familiar slopes of Innerdownie Hill.

The cairn was a cold and exposed place so we headed for the shelter a short distance from there, but it was completely filled with snow.
                                      

The drystane dyke, part of which can be seen, was built by a local man and his brother in the early 1890s.

The Shelter

 Constructing a small wooden hut inside, they spent two summers up here building or repairing all the walls running over the surrounding hillsides and once a week they would walk down to Dollar, at the foot of the southern slopes of the Ochils, for provisions. We didn't linger long since we intended to visit Tarmangie, the hill to the far left in the picture below, and enjoy the grand panorama to the north en route.

               Drystane dyke running from Innerdownie

I have a great affinity with the Ochils, a predominantly grassy range of hills running for about 45 km west to east and 13 km north to south and I climbed the highest, Ben Cleuch (721m) when 9 years old. Only Dumyat at the western end is craggy and I did my first rock climb there, Raeburn's Gully (of Harold fame) 6 years later. I am eternally grateful to the teacher who introduced me to climbing, by leading me up the route on as foul an evening as could be imagined.  Such a long and happy association with these hills makes it hard, therefore, to witness the thuggery now in progress preparing the way for 13 wind turbines on Burnfoot Hill; turbines which will be seen from every summit of the Ochils, completely ruin the view northwards from many of them, and destroy the feeling of tranquility.  But it's equally heartbreaking to see this happening on a masssive scale across the Scottish hills.
  

NW to Stuc a Chroin and Ben Vorlich                     

Happily I was not thinking these gloomy thoughts as we strode along the flat ridge, keeping to the hard snow for easy going, and noting that Glen Quey Reservoir, like the three others in these hills, was still frozen.

                                 Frozen Glen Quey Reservoir

Save for a solitary crow, birds and other wildlife were not to be seen though there were many faint tracks in the snow. We reached the top of Tarmangie in a biting northerly wind  ".....austere and pure".   

What hills are like the Ochil Hills?

- There's nane sae green tho' grander.

What rills are like the Ochil rills?

Nane, nane on earth that wander.

Anonymous

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