More snow

I've just been out to feed the birds - they are desperate - and have measured about a foot of snow in the garden. Looks like 2010 is (almost) going out like it came in. Another 10" to fall today apparently.

Waiting for breakfast



Martin Banfield is stuck (or has been) at Morrisons car park in Perth but I can't even think about popping up to see him. Pity really. Hope you make it home today Martin.



Snow

It's not the first snow to fall on the hills as we approach winter, but the cover on the Ben Lawers range looked pretty enticing today. The photograph is taken using a compact digital on full zoom so quality is compromised somewhat.

Winter

Lots more snow today, at least 9", and a 5 hour power cut to help things along. Heating bills aside, don't you just love a real winter?

More winter weather

It's snowing heavily again and I've just been out to feed the birds. We've spent most days this month on the local hills, so when we spoke yesterday of heading north soon, we sort of guessed that the weather would break! Anyway, I'm going to pop over to Alan Kimber's site (see Links on this blog) to have a look at conditions. This is an excellent site and even if you don't climb it's worth a look just for the pics and other information.

Ben Cleuch

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

Possible ski-tour

Wandered across the tracks from the house on a glorious morning to check the posssibility of a ski-tour to a little hill called Cult Hill, a mere 264m.

After crossing a minor road, we strolled passed Keith Farm with a wee pony enjoying the winter sunshine and a late breakfast.

The snowy Ochils promise some fun outings if, as forecasted, this weather continues for weeks to come.

The farmers at Wester Aldie were busy coping with conditions they hadn't expected in Kinross-shire when they came a few years ago, and they were relieved to learn that we'd never experienced such a long hard spell here before. We chatted amiably for a while and established that it would be possible to ski from there to our planned hill.

Cult Hill 264m

It's a short tour, only about 11.5km round-trip, but should be an enjoyable one in such beautiful conditions. Meantime, some snow-clearing around the house required...

A couple of short slideshows here

Snowing again

No surprise, but it's snowing again here and the nice top-up for the local Ochils which we noticed yesterday, had been scoured a bit by the overnight wind. The ski-touring should be fabulous when the side roads are clear of snow allowing access, but for the moment we can only dream of being out in conditions like those in early January 2008.

Arriving at the top we noticed a slab avalanche on a route we often take and were glad we'd opted for a different one on that day! Perhaps not a common occurrence in these hills, but Hamish Brown noted that one of the biggest avalanches he'd ever seen in Scotland was in the Ochils not that far from here, on the northern slopes of Whitewisp.

A reminder that you don't have to be in the big hills to get avalanches.

Happy New Year and welcome to our blog

What's this? A bridge over a bridge? Well, actually, yes, and it's at a place called Rumbling Bridge in the county of Kinross-shire.We walked here yesterday, the last one for 2009, access to the hills being almost impossible with barriers of frozen snow blocking off-road parking places.

The Lower Bridge, built in 1713 for horses and carts, crosses the narrowest part of the River Devon and, with a 24 metre drop to the river and no parapet, it's not the best place to be on Hogmanay! The higher bridge, which carries today's traffic, was built in 1816. The Devon itself rises in the Ochils some 6 miles from where it enters the River Forth - a short distance you may think - but its actual journey there is about 30 miles as it flows east then takes a sharp turn (the 'cruick' or bend) west at Crook of Devon. A trip from home to the source will make a fine 2 day backpack in Spring.

At Rumbling Bridge the river rages in waterfalls and swirling pools as it rushes through the enclosing rock walls, potholed on both sides. After heavy rain or thaw, or as now in the grip of hard frost, it is a fine and awesome sight.