Carn nam Bad, Cannich.

Carn nam Bad

Carn nam Bad, Cannich. Section 12B.

Height – 457 metres. Map – OS Landranger 26.

Climbed - 27 August 2011. Time taken – 2.5 hours.

Distance – 8.5 kilometres. Ascent – 345 metres.

Trip Report Details:

Staying in Inverness it was only a short drive to just north of Millness, on the A831 Drumnadrochit to Cannich Road. Numerous barriers prevented me parking at the start of the forest track but I found a small tarred area slightly further north on the opposite side of the road.

I walked back to the start of the track and read notices on the double gates referring to the Beauly to Denny power line upgrade. At that time I thought the signage was directed at vehicle access as there was nothing pinned to the nearby stile, which I crossed to access the track. I also wasn’t aware that the Beauly to Denny transmission line upgrade included the Cannich to Beauly section.  

As I walked along the forest track, passed a house concealed within the forest, I noted that forest operations had taken place as areas of tress had been cleared and piles of timber were stored nearby. The track soon became wider with a new hard core base which was quite rough to walk on. This led to an open gate with a Health and Safety sign and no entry signs for pedestrians.

I decided to investigate further and soon came to a storage area where huge diggers were parked up. With no human activity around I continued on my approach to Carn nam Bad with a plan to reassess the situation if I came across any work in progress. The widened track was followed through a new deer gate and on-towards Loch Carn nam Badan. I have to admit that I wasn’t enjoying the walk due the track upgrade and the state of the adjoining vegetation which had been churned up or drained leaving an unsightly mess. I was also thinking that if this was the beginning of the upgrade a lot of the Scottish countryside between Beauly and Denny was going to be left in a similar state.

On approaching Loch Carn nam Bad I observed two diggers on the track ahead. Fortunately they were parked up but a short section of the old vehicle track was rather muddy. Before reaching the loch I left the track and commenced the ascent of Carn nam Bad through deep heather with some boggy sections lower down. Areas of the hillside were roped off which made me rather inquisitive but I couldn’t figure out why as there were no pylons in this area. I reached a deer fence and followed it towards the summit cairn which was slightly off the fence line. At the cairn I took a break with views of the mountains between Affric and Strathconon.

 The return was by the ascent route and again there was no human activity. I later learned that a new power line was being constructed over Carn nam Bad rather than upgrading those that already exist in nearby Strathglass. Well at least I saw and visited Carn nam Bad before the area was ruined forever.

Photos taken on walk.

Earl's Seat, Campsie Fells.

Earl's Seat

Earl’s Seat, Campsie Fells. Section 26.

Height - 578  metres. Map – OS Landranger 57.

Climbed - 21 August 2011. Time taken – 3.75 hours.

Distance – 11 kilometres. Ascent – 760 metres.

The Sub 2000 Marilyn, Earl’s Seat, in the Campsie Fells, didn’t appear to be an easy hill to access, despite being close to the Glasgow conurbation. On studying the map I decided to approach it from the A81, the Glasgow to Aberfoyle road, and take in the wee steep sided hill, Dumgoyne.

I enquired about parking at the Glengoyne Distillery but was politely told that they were expecting lots of visitors and it was suggested that I park on the verge, opposite the lay-by which was closed for repair. Apparently it is common practice for walkers to park on the verge as the access road to the hill is private.  However with traffic busy on the A81 getting on and off the verge required some care.

Once parked up I set off up the private road, passed a few houses, to Blairgar, where the track passed along the front of this house and to a field where the gate was open. I followed the walker’s path across the field to a double stile and the crossing of a small stream. Beyond was a steep climb of the west face of Dumgoyne where higher up the path was quite eroded. The summit, marked by a large stone, was reached, where a young couple were taking in the views but they had no plan to continue to Earl’s Seat.

The descent of the east face of Dumgoyne was equally steep with a few rocky sections to traverse. The path joined a vehicle track as it made its way through the Canny Tops to the summit cairn of Garloch Hill. Here I had views of Killearn and in the distance, Loch Lomond.

Earl’s Seat was still some way off. I followed the undulating ridge to Bell Cairn before crossing a fence, and a short stretch of marshy ground, to reach another knoll. Eventually the path swung round to the south where again there was some marshy ground to cross. Then it was an easy climb onto Earl’s Seat. Well it would have been but firstly a fence had to be crossed to reach the summit trig point which was separated from the summit cairn by a second stock fence.

After lunch, sheltering behind the cairn from the wind, I returned by the approach route to the col between Garloch Hill and Dumgoyne then followed a path round its north and west side. This led to the route used earlier in the day which I followed back to the A81.

Photos taken on walk.

Innerdouny Hill, Kinross.

Innerdouny Hill

Innerdouny Hill, Kinross. Section 26.

Height - 497 metres. Map – OS Landranger 58.

Climbed - 20 August 2011. Time taken – 2.5 hours.

Distance – 8.5 kilometres. Ascent – 275 metres.

Trip Report Details:

Earlier in the day I climbed Lendrick Hill so it was only a short drive north on the B934 to the starting point for Innerdouny Hill. Again there was no suitable parking at the side of the road but the entrance to the forest track, immediately north of the house at Littlerig, was wide enough to take several cars without obstructing the gate.

There were various notices regarding forest operations but none restricting access, although one sign indicated that this may occur on occasions. I headed up the forest track where there were piles of cut tress awaiting removal. A car was parked beside this timber and I could hear the noise of a chainsaw nearby. Vast areas of the forest had been cut down leaving a fairly unsightly mess but at least it allowed me to see the route ahead. The summit of Innerdouny Hill was just visible above the remaining tree tops, although my map showed the top to be covered in trees.

I kept to the right at a couple of track junctions and higher up entered an area of uncut mature trees. On a couple of occasions I was tempted to leave the track and use what appeared to be narrow firebreaks to access the summit area, especially when the track made a slight descent. However I persevered with the track as it took me round to the east side of the hill where I came to an old fence and a rather wide firebreak.

The fence was followed towards the summit over some rough ground and trails through the vegetation, possibly animal marks. I passed an old stone dyke before reaching the summit trig point and with improving weather conditions had views of the Lomonds, Ochils and the Forth Valley.

After lunch, sheltering from the wind behind the trig point, I walked back to the stone dyke and decided to follow it. Initially there was little difference in the terrain but when the dyke ended I entered a firebreak where the underfoot conditions were pretty awful, wet and marshy with a few fallen trees. It was too late but I should have returned by the ascent route. Eventually I reached the vehicle track and followed it back to the start. A couple of runners and their border collies, who were headed uphill, were the only folks I met.

Photos taken on walk.

Lendrick Hill, Clackmannanshire.

Lendrick Hill

Lendrick Hill, Clackmannanshire. Region 26.
Height – 456 metres. Map – OS Landranger 58.
Climbed - 20 August 2011. Time taken – 1.25 hours.
Distance – 4.5 kilometres. Ascent – 235 metres.
Trip Report Details:

My plan was to climb Lendrick Hill from the B934 north of the Yetts o’Muckart but I was undecided whether to make a direct ascent of its west ridge or use the forest track slightly further north. On the drive along the B934 the vegetation on the west ridge didn’t look inviting as it appeared very rough and wild so I opted for the route through the forest.

There wasn’t any parking in the vicinity of the track so I left my car in the bell mouth, without obstructing the entrance, and headed off through the forest. The walking was easy as the track wound its way uphill and I had ever improving views of the Ochils. I didn’t have a plan to access the hill but was pleasantly surprised to find a fire break heading in the correct direction. I then noticed a small cairn at the edge of the track and guessed this was one of the standard routes onto Lendrick Hill.

It was a steady climb through the fire break where the ground was wet and in places very slippery. The top end of the fire break took me clear of the forest and to a stock fence, which I crossed. A worn mark in the grass led to the summit cairn which was three metres higher than the nearby trig point.

There were views, not very clear due to the cloudy conditions, of East and West Lomond, Loch Leven and from the trig point the Forth Valley. I found some shelter from the wind for a cup of coffee before returning by the ascent route. Near the end, a mountain biker past me heading uphill.

Photos taken on walk.

An Socach, Cape Wrath Peninsula.

An Socach

An Socach, Cape Wrath Peninsula. Section 16A.

Height – 362 metres. Map – OS Landranger 9.

Climbed - 7 August 2011. Time taken – 4 hours.

Distance – 9.5 kilometres. Ascent – 410 metres.

Trip Report Details: 

The forecast wasn’t great so my plan to access some of the remoter Sub 2000 Marilyns on the Cape Wrath peninsula was put on hold. Instead I headed for one of its easier hills, An Socach. I left my vehicle in a parking area on the B801 at Badcall, east of Kinlochbervie, and walked east to the vehicle track that headed north from this hamlet.

The vehicle track was initially in reasonable condition and I passed a few abandoned and rusting implements lying at the side. The track appeared little used and soon deteriorated but it was still suitable for walking along and went as far as the Allt nan Lub Bana, further than my map showed. There was no problem crossing this stream but beyond I was confronted by some marshy ground, which I was expecting as here the contours on the map were wide apart.

I worked my way round some pools of water as I made for higher ground east of Poll Buidhe. This took me onto An Socach’s south-west ridge where the going was a bit rough with more areas of water to avoid. A slight dip in the ridge was followed by a steep and rocky ascent of An Socach’s South-West Top arriving at its large cairn just as the cloud lowered and engulfed the hill.  I took a couple of bearings and headed for the 358 metre Top before doing a dogleg to reach the true summit further north-west, which was marked by a small cairn.

Earlier I had some views, including Sandwood Bay and Loch, but I was hoping that the cloud would lift so that I could get more views of the area. I had a snack at the summit during some light rain and waited for around forty minutes for the cloud to lift which it did. Once I had taken a few more photographs I returned by the ascent route. The cloud continued to lift and I even managed a view east to Arkle.

Photos taken on walk.

Beinn Sgeireach, Sutherland.

Beinn Sgeireach

Beinn Sgeireach, Glen Sgeireach, Sutherland. Section 16E.

Height – 476 metres. Map – OS Landranger 16.

Climbed – 5 August 2011. Time taken – 2.25 hours.

Distance – 6.5 kilometres. Ascent – 410 metres.

Trip Report Details: 

My second Sub 2000 Marilyn of the day, before heading for a weekend in the North-West, was Beinn Sgeireach, which is located between Glen Cassley and Loch Shin. The Glen Cassley road, the nearest public road to this hill, was reached from Rosehall on the A837. It was a pleasant drive up the single track road which ran along the east side of the River Cassley. At Badintagairt Farm I parked directly opposite the farm house, which appeared to be unoccupied.

To the north of the farm I located the vehicle track shown on my map which headed east to a small forested area and apparently up the side of the Allt Bad na t-Sagairt to Coire Buidhe. However the track was in poor condition being rutted in places, difficult to walk on and even find. A more direct route, slightly to the north, appeared easier so I abandoned my initial plan to follow the track and made a more direct ascent towards Beinn Sgeireach, which I couldn’t actually see at this time.

 The ground was a bit stonier and the vegetation shorter but as I gained some height the grasses became longer and the walking more awkward, although climbing these less popular hills I’m quite used  to pathless terrain. The summit area of Beinn Sgeireach became visible while underfoot it was a bit wet with lots of bog pools to avoid so there was a some meandering required to keep my feet dry.

A slight dip, which was wet and boggy, was crossed before the gradient increased with a few rocks to walk round as I climbed to the summit trig point. Here I had good views towards Bens Hope, Loyal and Klibreck as well as several other smaller hills.

After a late lunch I returned to my car slightly to the south of the ascent route to avoid the wetter areas of the hillside but I’m not sure I gained much benefit.

Photos taken on walk.

Meall Dola, Lairg.

Meall Dola

Meall Dola, Lairg. Section 16D.

Height - 323 metres. Map – OS Landranger 16.

Climbed - 5 August 2011. Time taken – 1.5 hours.

Distance – 5 kilometres. Ascent – 160 metres. 

I was headed for a weekend in the North-West Highlands of Scotland with a plan to climb a couple of Sub 2000 Marilyn en-route.  Meall Dola fitted into this plan as it wasn’t far off my route to some of the best landscapes in Scotland.

The slight diversion took me to the village of Lairg where I drove along the A839 towards Rogart. Just beyond Lairg I located the road to Balcharn and after an uphill section of single carriageway road parked on the verge north-east of the farm.

Once geared up I passed through a gate and followed a vehicle track which headed east. Beyond a second gate and a field of sheep that seemed attracted by my presence, the track swung right but my plan was to follow the path shown on the map, if it existed. I located the path which passed close to a small copse of fir trees. Sections were overgrown, wet and occasionally difficult to locate although the line of the path was fairly obvious.

Just beyond the col between Cnoc Moine na Cailinn and Meall Dola the path became difficult to locate but I continued to near the edge of the forest which was surrounded by a deer fence. I crossed a standard fence followed by a short section of boggy ground, before making my way over heather to the summit of Meall Dola, which was marked by a few stones.

I took a short break here with views of the East Sutherland Hills and in the distance the tops of the Caithness Hills were visible. I noted the proliferation of wind farms which have now spread to this area spoiling its natural beauty. The return was by a more direct route to the col then the path back to the starting point.

Photos taken on walk.