Always catching up (Part 2) - Wednesday 9 January. Innderdownie and Whitewisp Hill. 11 January, Wether Hill

Another cold, beautiful day. 

Glenquey House

The narrow Water Board road which gives access to  Glenquey Reservoir as well as Glenquey House  provides a pleasant approach to Innerdownie Hill, though it seems the more popular way nowadays is from Glen Sherup carpark which enables a route round the head of that glen to be made. 

The track through the gate goes to Castle Campbell, a worthwhile walk, but today we were glad to turn right and follow the sunny track below Innerdownie. It is also possible to go straight up the hill from here and cut out a fair bit of walking, but we rarely do this now since it misses out a fine part of the ridge and a rather high gate has to be climbed.

Looking back towards Glenquey House (hidden)

Our direction of travel

Just before the path begins its descent to the hamlet of Burnfoot, we took to the steepish slopes after which the gently rising ridge goes straight to the fine summit cairn. Looking at the map one would think the walk is through dense woodland but this is far from the truth: this is Woodland Trust country and the native trees are well spaced as you would expect. The conifers seen in the picture below are another matter and provide dense cover on the Glen Sherup side though some harvesting has taken place recently.

At the start of the gently rising ridge. L is wearing Karrimor Lycra stretchy, warm fleecy leggings bought some 30 years ago when the Karrimor label meant something. I have a pair of black ones. Who needs new gear?

A superfluous sign if ever there was one. There's now a seat further up.

Foreground: Ben Shee above Glen Sherup

The summit gives good views north, uplifting spirits, inspiring future plans.

The Ochils for all their benign appearance should not be underestimated. We have been turned back from summits in atrocious winter weather, usually because of deep snow and severe winds.

We turned back a few meters from the top on this occasion, in January 2016. The photograph does not do justice to the fierce conditions. 

Access to Whitewisp Hill by this route is blocked by a high deer fence with an equally (obviously) high stile over which, many, many years ago, I had to carry our Border Collie. Long after she'd sadly gone, a dog access door appeared in the fence and today we discovered  a full size gate immediately to the right of stile. Quite a contrast with Sir Hugh's recent experiences at www.conradwalks.blogspot.com

Between Innerdownie and Whitewisp near Bentie Knowe

Descending Innerdownie on our way back two guys on mountain bikes came hurtling down behind us. They gave no warning - we just happened to hear them. We moved aside and they acknowledged the fact, but I feel sure that they regarded themselves as having right of way when they didn't. I find this increasingly irritating.

Note: I'm aware that this route has appeared several times on this blog but that's just how it is at this time of the year.

11 January. Wether Hill - some pictures

Lower Glen Devon Reservoir

Summit area of Wether Hill looking towards Innerdownie Hill

Looking north

St Mungo's Well from the drove road - water supply for Gleneagles Estate

Water purification building for St Mungo's Well water supply

Always catching up (Part 1) - Green Law, Sim's and John's Hill

At the gate leading to Borland Glen and Glen Devon

There's no correlation between activity on the hills and number of posts on this blog, the former far outweighing the latter. I usually have other things that must be done or that I'd rather do - like building model space vehicles such as the Saturn V, reading and so on. However, I sometimes get the urge to do a quick summary of walks, if only as a record for future reference.

2nd January

The car thermometer read -4C but if felt much, much colder than that out of the sun in Corb Glen, bone-shakingly cold, and it didn't feel any warmer at the point shown in the photograph at the top of the Cadgers' Yett while we paused to take this and the next picture.

Looking back from the gate

We proceeded quickly up to Green Law reflecting on just how much we love these quiet unassuming hills. Last summer we dropped south at the dip before Sim's Hill to examine the marked Stone Circle, rarely visited I imagine.

Descending to find the Stone Circle (I was too far left)

Stone Circle 

Today we were unsure as to whether to do both Sim's and John's Hill so stopped in a sunny spot on the lower slopes of  John's Hill for tea, but it didn't take long for the sun to dip below Sim's western slope and thus get us moving uphill again.

Descending to the track to Coulshill and Auchterarder 

A brief stop on the top then down to the path in the glen.

We thought the boggy ground just before regaining the track would be frozen but there were areas where wet feet were a possibility.

It was still achingly cold in Corb, at least for me. Lynne had sensibly donned her Paramo Cascada trousers and was snug enough. As always, a satisfying outing.

Wednesday 9 January - first snow on Ben Lawers

From Innerdownie Hill

31 December 2018 and 1 January 2019

The New Year got off to a good start with a short day out on West Craigs via the drove road from the head of Glen Eagles. We exchanged a 'Happy New Year' with a couple coming up the road just as we took to the slopes.

It was a winter wind on top but no sign of snow on the Crieff hills.

We'd planned a short day out so returned the way we'd come and were treated to a wonderful sight when a hare shot out of the bracken, streaked  down the slope and across the burn. We expected it to stop at the wall by the drove road, well away from any perceived danger from us, but no, over it went and continued across the fields until some gorse bushes provided cover. If ever there was a superlative demonstration of how to cover hill country, this was it.

West Craigs -  and in more common January conditions below 

January 2018

A short, but satisfying start to 2019.


31 December

As an end-of -year walk we also followed the drove road all the way through the beautiful oaks and past West Mains Farm where we turned left across a field at a waymark pointing in the opposite direction. Why we'd never been tempted to go this way before I can't say.

West Mains Farm and Eastbow Hill 

Pink-footed geese and the ever-present Ben Vorlich and Stuc a' Chroin

We watched the geese for a while before they took to the air as one, and flew to the next field.

Crossing a railway bridge brought us to an old house and former smiddy, Muiralehouse House, (red arrow on map) and the offer of some fresh eggs for £1. All very trusting.

We didn't buy any though

 The mobile phone mast remained undecorated for Christmas.

I assume that at some point this will have to be fixed

Past Peterhead Farm we stopped at our usual spot among a small stand of Scots Pines for some tea and a view up Gleneagles - our route back.

A view to East Craigs near the top of Glen Eagles from the Scots Pines halt (earlier this year)

Ossroad

I was sorry to learn via an automated email that Dave is leaving the blogging scene. I'll miss his fine writing and photographs, though he says in his final post that he may use Instagram for a sort of photography blog. I hope so.

All the best to you and your family Dave.

Wednesday 13 November - Pairney, the Heuch of Coul, Ben Effrey and Beld Hill

Parking at Pairney Farm without obstructing gates was not easy and would be well nigh impossible for more than two cars but after trying different spots we were finally happy that we would not incur the wrath of the farmer and off we went up the track towards the farm.

Our destination was Ben Effrey, locally pronounced, Affrey and readers may recall that we paid a visit to this little hill and Craig Rossie in August by a longer route from Dunning Glen. The post can be found here.

Nearly everyone who approaches either Craig Rossie or Effrey from Pairney mentions the free ranging bulls and although neither of us has fear of bulls or cattle, we are cautious since obviously they can do serious harm to say the least. If calves are around, well, that's a different matter altogether and a very wide berth advisable. Today these fine beasts were in the field relaxing.

Beyond the farm buildings we came across lots of farm machinery and various discarded pallets, tyres etc and lying just across the Pairney Burn and dropping into its waters, the crags of The Heuch of Coul. These are much more impressive than the photograph in Angus Watson's, The Ochils, would suggest but I doubt there a climbs here and, similarly, the impressive quarry crag, overhanging in places, looked untouched. Can't imagine that being the case if it were south of the border.

The Heuch of Coul

The steep quarry crag

To my right lies a hill fort

The track soon emerged into more open country giving excellent views to the hills behind Crieff and to the more distant hills around Loch Earn.

Crieff hills 

Beautiful larch trees frame a view to the Loch Earn Hills

Our plan had been to continue to the gorse-covered lower slopes of Beld Hill and go over it to Ben Effrey, but we came across an unmarked ATV track long before that point and couldn't resist since it would take us on a direct line to the summit. In fact the ATV track turned out to be no more than access to some grazings and petered out quickly, but it pointed us in the direction of the remains of a clachan where we paused before starting up the steepish slopes of heather, moss and blaeberry.

Ben Effrey

Looking down on the remains of the clachan 

Craig Rossie

After a few photographs we made for Beld Hill, a favoured place for the local cattle and on our way back to rejoin the outward track. By the time we reached it, the sky had clouded over and we now felt the full chill of the wind so donned our ME jackets for the walk back to the car. However, we couldn't pass the fort without a look and quickly found evidence of excavations which appeared to have taken place not so long ago.

The site of the fort - at the far end of the escarpment below

Nearly back at the farm and blue sky again

Way to the fort - up left by the wall then right

The site is more clearly delineated than the photo shows but the location of the old walls was discernible

One of the recent excavation sites.

By now we were so close to the car that we decided to have our tea and rolls there rather than try to find a sheltered location. We watched cars speed by and wondered if the drivers had ever heard of 'being able to stop on your side of the road in the distance you can see to be clear'. Obviously not.

I have no doubt we will be back here sometime for another ascent of Craig Rossie and a general look around.

I have now uploaded my first post to my new plastic modelling blog and another is due soon.