Cairnie Hill, Fife.

Cairnie Hill

Cairnie Hill, Lindores, Fife. Section 26.
Height – 228 metres. Map – OS Landranger 59.
Climbed - 10 September 2011. Time taken – 1.5 hours.
Distance – 4 kilometres. Ascent – 175 metres.
Trip Report Details:

The earlier rain had ceased as I drove along the B937 on the east side of Lindores Loch where a couple of fishermen were setting up their rods beside a small pier. The width of verge parking here was restricted due to a chain link fence but several vehicles could be left there. A couple of the swans frequenting the loch were having a go at each other.

I walked back along the road for several metres before crossing it and heading up a vehicle track keeping to the right at a junction as the other track led to a nearby house. I passed a few game bird enclosures as the track ran below the north side of Cairnie Hill before swinging round to its east side on a gradual gradient. At the point where the track descended slightly I passed through an open gate and climbed steadily across a field.

This route led to the crossing of two barbed wire fences and into some long vegetation where vehicle wheels had flattened the grass which made progress a little easier. Near the highest point I crossed an old fence and walked the short distance to a large beech tree and rock which was the actual summit. I found a Geocache box concealed at the foot of the tree where I sat and had my lunch.

The descent was to the west but initially through some gorse bushes before another track was reached and followed. Unfortunately it led to a game bird enclosure so I had to retrace my steps for a few metres, before working my way between a line of trees and over another barbed wire fence. I then crossed a field to a grassy walkway that led to the track near the cottage not far from the start.

Photos taken on walk.

Craigowl Hill, Angus.

Craigowl Hill

Craigowl Hill, Angus. Section 26.
Height 455 metres. Map – OS Landranger 54.
Climbed - 9 September 2011. Time taken – 2 hours.
Distance – 4 kilometres. Ascent – 215 metres.
Trip Report Details:

I reached the start of this Sub 2000 Marilyn by leaving the A90, north of Dundee, passing through the village of Tealing, and driving to the road end at Hillside of Prieston. I parked my vehicle here as the road was wide enough without obstructing the nearby private roads.

My map showed a path heading north and I planned to use it rather than the vehicle track which was the direct route to Craigowl Hill. I stuck to this plan as there were lots of cows and calves surrounding the direct route, which was actually a tarred road.

The earlier rain had ceased as I crossed a cattle grid and walked round the east side of the derelict buildings expecting to find the path. However there was no trace of its existence, just wet and muddy ground churned up by cattle. There were also a few cows in the area so I headed towards the stock fence to try and locate the path, as well as having an escape route if required.
 
As I walked parallel to the fence I could see evidence of old tracks so I continued heading north until I came to a junction of fences. Here there were marks in the vegetation, on the south side of the fence heading towards Prieston Hill, so I followed this fence until there was a slight dip. I crossed the fence and followed a third fence as it descended to the road leading to Craigowl Hill.

I continued to avoid the road and climbed steeply towards the masts on Craigowl Hill which occasionally appeared out of the low cloud. There were more cattle in this area but they were far enough away not to cause a problem. I headed to and then walked below the perimeter fence of one the communication towers before crossing a rusty fence and walking the short distance to the summit trig point.

There were a few breaks in the cloud but insufficient to allow me a 360 degree view, so I returned to the tarred road and followed it back to the start. This did entail a few minor diversions to avoid cattle feeding close to the road.

Photos taken on walk.

Meikle Balloch Hill, Keith.

Meikle Balloch Hill

Meikle Balloch Hill, Keith. Section 21A.
Height – 366 metres. Map – OS Landranger 29.
Climbed - 4 September 2011. Time taken – 1.25 hours.
Height climbed – 3.5 kilometres. Ascent – 165 metres.
Trip Report Details:

My final Sub 2000 Marilyn on Sunday 4 September 2011 was Meikle Balloch Hill, which was accessed from Keith town centre along a minor road to just beyond the Water Works near Wester Herricks. Here there was a small car parking area with a map showing routes around Balloch Wood.

I followed the blue route, a new path which climbed through the woods, crossed a forest track, and continued uphill. It deteriorated as it passed through an area of felled timber, but improved again when I re-entered the mature forest. The path steepened considerably, but the hard work constructing the path had in places been undone as some of the edges had been washed away and formed a deep ditch.

The gradient eased and I cleared the forest where the improvement to the path ended. It was then a wet and boggy stroll to Meikle Balloch Hill’s summit cairn which was a metre higher than the nearby trig point. I had a late lunch beside the trig point, with views of the hills I had climbed earlier that day, before returning to the car park by the ascent route.  The end of a fairly successful day in the North-East, with four Sub 2000 Marilyns climbed.

Photos taken on walk.

Bin of Cullen, Banffshire.

Bin of Cullen

Bin of Cullen, Banffshire. Section 21A.
Height – 320 metres. Map – OS Landranger 29.
Climbed - 4 September 2011. Time taken – 1.25 hours.
Distance – 5 kilometres. Ascent – 215 metres.
Trip Report Details:

The third Sub 2000 Marilyn on my wee tour around the North-East of Scotland was the Bin of Cullen, located to the south-west of the Moray Firth coastal village of Cullen. To access the starting point at the south end of Shirralds Wood, I drove to Deskford, then Braidbog Farm, where the single track public road entered the woods. There was limited parking at the start of the forest track so I found some verge parking further east.

I walked back to the start of the forest track and followed it as it descended to and crossed the Glen Burn. Immediately thereafter I took a left fork and this track wound its way through the woodland towards the col between Little Bin and Bin of Cullen. The hill was obviously a popular walk for family groups and dog walkers, as I passed several.

Higher up the trees thinned and I was able to get some views of the surrounding countryside. There was a rather rocky looking shortcut heading towards the summit but I opted to remain on the track which eventually cleared the forest before it reached the summit viewpoint and trig point.

I was fortunate to have the summit area to myself as there were quite a few folks ascending and descending the track. I had good views of the Morayshire and Banffshire coasts and across the Moray Firth to Ben Wyvis and the Sutherland and Caithness coastlines. After a few minutes at the summit I returned by the ascent route.

Photos taken on walk.

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.