Burgiehill, Moray.

Summit Burgiehill

Burgiehill, Moray. – Section 9A

Height – 254 metres. Map OS Landranger 27 & 28.
Climbed 1 July 2010. Time taken – 45 minutes.
Distance – 4 kilometres. Ascent – 60 metres.
Trip Report Details:

I was en-route to Forres and came up with this Marilyn for a short stroll beforehand as it is definitely not worth a separate journey as there is very little height gain, it takes less than an hour and is contained within a forest.

The start of the walk was the unclassified Hazlebank to Middleton Road to the east of Burgiehill and shown on OS Map 28. I parked at the bellmouth of a forestry road diagonally opposite the track to Burgiehill where there was more room despite the fact another car was already parked there.

I crossed the road, walked round a gate and headed west along a straight track through the forest as a couple of jets and a nimrod aircraft passed overhead descending towards the nearly RAF bases.

The main track later turned south and I followed it, although my map indicated it came to an end. However on-line it was shown as going to the summit. The track soon swung right where it made a slight descent west before it turned right again this time on a gentle rise to the north. Not long after that I saw the radio masts and on reaching them found the summit trig point of Burgiehill behind a high fence and slightly obscured by bushes.

The return was by the outward route.

Photos taken on walk.

Arnaval, Isle of Skye.

Arnaval 

Arnaval, Isle of Skye. – Section 17B.
Height – 369 metres. Map – OS Landranger 32.
Climbed – 16 June 2010. Time taken – 4 hours.
Distance – 9 kilometres. Height climbed – 440 metres.
Trip Report Details:

The weather forecast for Skye was for low cloud most of the day so I was looking for a hill without too much height and as I was staying at the Skyewalker Hostel, at Portnalong this Sub 2000 Marilyn meant I didn’t need to use my car.

I left the Hostel and walked west along the B8009 for around 300 metres to the signposted route for Portnalong Cemetery. I followed the cemetery road to its end where a cottage was located. Just before this cottage a vehicle track took me to a small forest where I climbed over the gate, entered the forest, and walked along the vehicle track which suddenly came to an end. I therefore had to clamber over a barbed wire fence and follow the edge of the forest to the bridge over the Ardtreck Burn. Obviously if I was following this route again I now know to avoid the forest.

Once across the bridge I followed the fence line until it turned left where I commenced the ascent of Cnoc na Coille-beithe and on towards Arnaval crossing a mixture of vegetation including some boggy sections. It was an easy gradient and I soon arrived at the summit cairn of Arnaval, with low cloud swirling around.

I sat here for around forty minutes as I kept thinking the cloud was going to lift but it never cleared sufficiently for me to get any views. While seated there a hawk type bird briefly landed around 30 metres away but on spotting me quickly flew off.

Rather than just return by the ascent route I decided to head for the rocky knoll, Dirivallan, which in the cloud necessitated me using the abundance of lochans to navigate my way there, avoiding the Arnaval Crags.

Once lower down I was out of the cloud and could see the route ahead. I climbed Dirivallan, which is a lump of magma, where I had views of Fiskavaig Bay and the Island of Oronsay. I descended to the crofts at Fiskavaig, finding a skylark’s nest before passing through a fenced off area which was overgrown and made for awkward walking. On reaching the road it was a short walk back to the hostel as the sun tried to break through. However the cloud never lifted off of Arnaval that day.

Photos taken on walk.

Beinn Bhreac, Minginish, Skye

Summit Beinn Bhreac

Beinn Bhreac, Minginish, Skye Section 17B.
Height - 445 metres. Map – OS Landranger 32.
Climbed - 13 June 2010. Time taken – 4.5 hours.
Distance – 10 kilometres. Ascent – 540 metres.
Trip Report Details:

I was on Skye to climb the Cuillin Munros but the weather forecast was poor so I headed to Talisker to climb this Sub 2000 Marilyn. I drove to the end of the public road in Gleann Oraid, which was reached from Carbost, where there was limited parking.

A sign indicated the route to Talisker Beach which I followed for a few minutes and before Talisker House left the track and walked through wet vegetation to the west of Buaile an Fharaidh, gradually gaining some height. On approaching this hill I spotted, in the low cloud, what I thought may be an eagle on the castellated south side. It also occurred to me that it may be nesting so I made a slight detour to avoid the area.

The ground was a bit rough as I headed for and crossed the Sleadale Burn with various birds, including skylarks rising from the vegetation. The cloud was lowering and there was now some light drizzle as I climbed along the side of a tributary of Sleadale Burn to west of Loch a’Bhac-ghlais. From here I used various lochans to reach Beinn Bhreac in poor visibility.

I came to a cairn which I thought was the summit of Beinn Bhreac but there was no evidence of the trig point which was shown on my map. I had something to eat hoping that the cloud would clear but it didn’t. I therefore did a search of the area and after a few minutes spotted the cairn across some boggy ground.

I returned to Gleann Oraid by the outward route.

The grid reference shown in the Relative Hills of Britain book appears to refer to the trig point. However the 1:25000 map shows the cairn and a point between the cairn and the trig point as at 448 metres.

Photos taken on walk.

Cnoc an t-Sabhail, Easter Ross.

Cnoc an t-Sabhail

Cnoc an t-Sabhail, Easter Ross. (South of Rhanich) - Section 15B.
Height - 380 metres. Map – OS Landranger 21.
Climbed - 29 May 2010. Time taken – 2.25 hours.
Distance – 6.5 kilometres. Height climbed - 245 metres.
Trip Report Details:

The next hill on my list for this day trip to Eater Ross was Cnoc an t-Sabhail. I drove from the B9176 down the Edderton Road, as far as the hamlet of Balleigh where I took the single track road to Rhanich. The end of the public road appeared to be south of the bridge over the Edderton Burn but there was no suitable parking place there so I returned to some waste ground, on the north side of the bridge, where agricultural machinery and waste were left.

I walked south along the road to the vehicle track beyond the bridge over the Edderton Burn and entered a field as the plan was to head along the vehicle track to the foot of Cnoc an t-Sabhail’s north ridge. However this idea was thwarted by two fields of cows and calves hanging around the track and blocking my progress. I left the track, crossed a barbed wire fence, and headed to the edge of the forest.

Here I crossed another barbed wire fence but was now far enough away from the cattle. I decided to make a gradual ascent of Cnoc an t-Sabhail which was initially through a mixture of vegetation including lots of bog cotton. However as height was gained the terrain became soft and mossy with tussocky grass. Even the deer found the terrain difficult to run across when they spotted me.

After a bit of effort and a slog I reached another barbed wire fence followed by a deer fence which I crossed to access the forest. I followed a fire break, which was not shown on my map, as somewhere along it was the highest point of Cnoc an t-Sabhail. I walked along the fire break but it was difficult to say where the highest point was and continued as far as a navigation pole, at a junction of fire breaks. Even here I couldn’t say where exactly the summit was.

I returned to my car by the ascent route. This was the end of my Marilyn bagging in Easter Ross as the rain started just before I reached my vehicle.

Photo taken on walk.

Struie, Easter Ross.

Struie

Struie, Easter Ross - Section 15B.
Height – 373 metres. Map – OS Landranger 21.
Climbed - 29 May 2010. Time taken 1 hour.
Distance – 2 kilometres. Height climbed – 160 metres.
Trip Report Details:

My second hill of the day was Struie which involved driving further north along the B9176 to Gleann Dadhain. I parked off the road at NH650849 where there was a large area of waste ground, on the west side of the road, which could take several cars. Another vehicle was also parked there but I never saw the driver.

I walked north along the road for a few metres to beyond the road bridge over the Allt na Coraig as I had spotted what appeared to be a path onto Struie. Once across a ditch I commenced the ascent, following this walker’s path through the heather and passed a small copse of trees. Beyond here the ground was steeper and slightly rocky as it passed to the north of Creag na Cadhaig, where ravens were possibly nesting.

Once beyond the rocky section it was an easy stroll to the summit cairn, reached twenty minutes after setting out from my car. I took a break here looking down to the Dornoch Firth before returning by the upward route.

Photos taken on walk.

Cnoc Corr Guinie, Easter Ross

Cnoc Corr Guinie

Cnoc Corr Guinie, Easter Ross - Section 15B.
Height – 396 metres. Map OS Landranger 21.
Climbed - 29 May 2010. Time taken – 1.75 hours.
Distance – 7 kilometres. Height climbed – 230 metres.
Trip Report Details:

I was planning on climbing a Munro or two either in Kintail or the Monadhliaths but the forecast was for prolonged heavy showers lasting from between 2 – 4 hours so I decided to head for Easter Ross and tackle a few of the Sub 2000 Marilyns, until the rain made an appearance.

Cnoc Corr Guinie is covered in trees but I read on Scottish Hills that forest tracks led almost to the summit cairn so I headed over the B9176 Struie Road to just south of the road leading to Strathy at grid reference NH6527275630. Here a track entered the forest with a signpost for Drove Stance and walkers were welcome. No parking was provided but the entrance was wide enough for a couple of cars to be left at the side. Beyond was an open metal gate with a padlock hanging from it, probably to deter drivers going any further. It worked for me.

Immediately beyond the gate, I took a left turn and walked for around 150 metres to a vehicle track on my right which headed uphill. It was a chilly start but I soon began to warm up as the track gradually climbed through the forest where the birds were the only sound above the noise of the occasional car using the Struie Road.

Higher up some of the trees had been forested and I had views of the Cromarty Firth, the Munro Ben Wyvis, and the Graham, Beinn Tharsuinn and its wind farm. At a junction of vehicle tracks a couple of old fence posts marked the track that headed uphill. I followed the uphill route until it eventually came to a small area of open ground. Here there was another set of fence posts and a cairn off to my right. I walked over to the cairn and after a bit of debate with myself decided it was the highest point although it didn’t look the case whilst standing there. Mountain bike tyre marks indicated that there was a route up from the east through a fire break so there may be a circular trail in the area.

The return was by the ascent route and despite spots of rain I stayed dry.

Photos taken on walk

King's Seat, Angus.

King's Seat

King’s Seat, Angus. – Section 26.
Height – 377 metres. Map – OS Landranger 53.
Climbed - 24 May 2010. Time taken – 2.25 hours.
Distance – 6.5 kilometres. Height climbed – 380 metres.
Trip Report Details:

I was en-route home and decided to climb the Sub 2000 Marilyn, King’s Seat, located to the north of the A90 Perth to Dundee Road.

At Inchture I left the A90 and drove along the B953 through Abernyte towards Balbeggie. This road runs along the south side of King’s Seat but I didn’t observe any suitable parking area so I continued round to Collace where a path led to Dunsinane Hill. I managed to get my vehicle off the road here without obstructing the two farm gates but it may be easier to park in Collace and walk the short distance back to the start.

I passed through a wicket gate after reading about the history of Dunsinane Hill. There was a note asking walkers to take an alternative route during lambing but fortunately the period had just expired. It was a steady climb along the edge of the field and onto the heathery hillside and the top of Dunsinane Hill. A steep descent and then climb took me to the summit of Black Hill with views along the River Tay to Dundee and Perth.

The next section of the route was following animal tracks to the col with King’s Seat. Here there was a pond with shooting butts nearby. I thought that they were probably for ducks rather than grouse as they were so close to the water’s edge. It was then a steady climb onto the summit of King’s Seat marked by a cairn and a trig point which was painted white.

I took a break here before returning to the pond and working my way round the north side of Black Hill occasionally following animal and vehicle tracks. Prior to rejoining the path to Dunsinane Hill it started to rain and was wet on the descent back to my car.

Photos taken on walk.