Knock Hill, Banffshire.

Knock Hill

Knock Hill, Glen Barry, Banffshire. Section 21A.

Height – 430 metres. Map – OS Landranger 29.

Climbed - 4 September 2011. Time taken – 1.25 hours.

Distance – 2.5 kilometres. Ascent – 235 metres.

Trip Report Details:

The second Sub 2000 Marilyn on my wee tour of the North-East of Scotland was Knock Hill, located to the west of the A95 Keith to Banff road at Glenbarry. A narrow single track road led passed the house at Swilebog where there was parking for two or three cars.

On approaching the parking spot I could see the route up the heather clad hillside of Knock Hill. Firstly I had to negotiate the woodland below so I walked north for a few metres before locating a track through the forest and along the edge of a small field, where the grass had recently been cut. A path then led to a gate with the open hillside beyond.

The path through the heather was quite badly eroded and was like a small trench in sections. It was a tougher ascent than I expected so I was happy when I reached the top gate. Beyond was the summit cairn and trig point. On exploring the area there was a memorial cairn to Martin, apparently the founder of the stone race, and a stone circle created by runners bringing stones to the summit.

I had been in two minds whether to take my rucksack, containing my flask, with me on this short ascent but was pleased I had as I sat at the summit in the sun drinking coffee and taking in the views of the surrounding countryside.

The return was by the ascent route.

Photos taken on walk.

Fourman Hill, Banffshire.

Fourman Hill

Fourman Hill, Banffshire. Section 21A.

Height – 344 metres. Map – OS Landranger 29.

Climbed - 4 September 2011. Time taken – 1 hour.

Distance – 3.5 kilometres. Ascent – 165 metres.

Trip Report Details:

The forecast was good so I planned a tour round the Huntly, Cullen and Keith areas of the North-East of Scotland to allow me to climb a few of the Sub 2000 Marilyns. The first hill on my list was Fourman Hill, which appeared easier to ascend from the east. However a westerly approach meant a shorter drive to my next hill.

I drove from Huntly to the village of Milltown and onto the public road that ended at Redhill Farm. There were no parking facilities here but I spotted and spoke to the farmer, in fact we chatted for well over twenty minutes, before with his permission I parked at the side of an outbuilding.

Once booted up I set off for the track that ran below the north side of Fourman Hill. I soon crossed a gate, but what was shown on the map as a track was more like a path with over grown bushes at the side. The path was also used by cattle, as an extension to their field on the north side, and was muddy and churned up in sections.

A second gate was reached with a sign indicating the route to the summit. I opted to pass through the gate before heading uphill following the fence line to avoid grazing sheep. I was pleased to note that I had selected the correct side of the fence as higher up there were lots of cows and calves on the other side.

I reached a boundary stone and fence junction where there was a hole in the fence. I crawled through this gap and made the short climb to the summit trig point and cairn, which were surrounded by gorse bushes. It was still a lovely sunny morning so I had good views across the Banffshire countryside towards the Moray Firth and my target hills. After taking a few photographs I returned by my ascent route.

Photos taken on walk.

Creag Dhubh, Affric.

Creag Dhubh

Creag Dhubh, Affric, Inverness-shire. Section 11B.

Height – 539 metres. Map – OS Landranger 25.

Climbed - 27 August 2011. Time taken – 1.75 hours.

Distance – 3.5 kilometres. Ascent – 225 metres.

Trip Report Details:

Earlier in the day I climbed the Sub 2000 Marilyn, Carn nam Bad, near Cannich, so it wasn’t far to drive to the start for the ascent of Creag Dhubh. However I wasn’t exactly sure where my starting point was going to be as it depended on vehicular access.

I drove through the hamlet of Tomich and beyond reached a vehicle track with several water filled pot holes. I knew public access was permitted as far as the Plodda Falls, where there was a small car park, and from previous visits usually as far as the riding centre at Cougie.  However on reaching Cougie there were still no signs or gates so I continued to drive along the track on the north side of the Feith na Leitreach until the track split and deteriorated (NH227210). I parked up on a large area of levelled ground.

Trees to the south of the track had been cleared but direct access to Creag Dhubh to the north wasn’t possible due to mature fir trees so I walked west to the end of the woodland. Here the track rose slightly so I continued for a few more metres before leaving it and heading towards Creag Dhubh’s west ridge. Initially the ascent was through bracken but then it was over some very rough ground including a few old cut or fallen trees, old drainage channels, old vehicle tracks and holes containing water, all concealed by long vegetation.

Underfoot conditions improved as I waded though the lanky heather to reach the west ridge which was followed over a couple of knolls before a slightly rocky ascent led to the summit cairn of Creag Dhubh. Lunch was had at the summit with views of the Glen Affric mountains.

On my return I took a more direct route to the edge of the tress but it wasn’t any easier with some steeper sections to descend. The track was then followed back to my car. I never met anyone from Cougie or from the estate so I cannot say if driving to the starting point would be tolerated.

Photos taken on walk.

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.