Cruinn a`Bheinn.

Again the west coast had the best forecast.It`s hard to tell sometimes early morning as the mist tends to hang over the Clyde Valley but as I pulled out the driveway and up the hill Ben Lomond was sitting pertly on the horizon.I arrived at Bob`s house to find out that John and Chalkie were also on their way.A slight delay to John caused by the closure of the Clyde tunnel meant that it was almost 9 `o` clock when we left.Still,we weren`t going too far today,just up to Aberfoyle and then west along to Inversnaid.

Ben Vane and Beinn Ime came into view at the far end of Loch Arklet..

The carpark at the pier was pretty much deserted as we set off south along the shores of Loch Lomond...

...with Ben Vane being prominent across the Loch....

We continued for a few miles until we reached Cailness .Bob had been up Cruinn a`Bheinn years ago and convinced us it was best to ignore the path and head up the south side of Cailness gorge itself.Ever since Bob took us caving ,in Ayrshire of all places, John And I have been extremely wary of following him anywhere but you only live once so they say and we followed him upwards.Turned out there was no danger to life this time and we weaved our way up through through the woods on a carpet of oak leaves linking up traces of animal tracks.

Nice view back across the Loch to Ben Vorlich...

A short drop down took us to the Cailness burn beyond which lay the last 1,000ft to Cruinn a`Bheinn.Regular readers will know of Chalkie`s remarkable enthusiasm for humping anything on four legs regardless of size so,as there were some sheep in the far distance,we took the opportunity of cooling his ardour by making him cross the frozen waters of the burn which were just deep enough to immerse the offending anatomical parts and deep freeze them for the rest of the day.

Sheep may safely graze now hopefully .The hill steepened....

..and then eased off just before the summit....

John And Bob looking over to the rarely visited north face of Ben Lomond....

We didn`t hang around very long as time was getting on a bit,just like ourselves :)
We took a direct route back across the head of Gleann Gaoithe and were glad that we had listened to Bob`s advice to ignore the path on the way up.The ground quivered below our feet and there was no way of avoiding the bog.There was an ATV track but if anything that was worse so we just headed straight across.If you do this hill then follow our ascent route and then reverse it.It`s much nicer and you`ll have dry feet.

The Cobbler just before the descent to Loch Lomond...

The sun was sinking behind Tarbet as we descended.....

...and had just about gone completely as we hit the lochside.Bob spotted a Colin Prior style opportunity.

After that it as just a few miles back along the lochside in the dark to reach the car.

Another Graham which proves that the wee hills are harder than the big hills :)  An added bonus was finding this lovely lump of folded schist while scrambling through the rock band under the summit. The photo doesn`t do the contours or colours justice...

Three part special on Glencoe coming up when Bob gets his pc online again...

Dun Rig and Deuchar Law.

7th November 2010

Time for a jaunt down to the Borders again before the winds of winter strip the last leaves from the trees.As usual, a bit of thought had to be applied to satisfy our different objectives.A hill for me and something interesting for Bob.I`d noticed an interesting looking wooded glen south of Innerleithen that looked like it might provide a bit of colour for Bob.It also had the advantage of a few hills on either side.It`s usually about an hours drive from my house to Peebles but it took over two hours this morning as Bob was stopping every few minutes to take photos.



Early morning mist burns off Tinto.

The rolling Border hills were looking at their best in the early morning light.....

Even the sheep seemed unconcerned about the approach of winter and were enjoying a bit of breakfast...

Usual Co-op stop in Peebles for grub and papers and on to Innerleithen before turning south on the B709 for a few miles to the entrance to the Glen.We parked at the Private Road sign leading up to The Birks as this would let us have an easy uphill start on a good path for a circuit over Birkscairn Hill and along the ridge to Dun Rig.It was pleasant enough walking up to Birkscairn Hill itself and the sun was warm enough to allow us the luxury of consigning the jackets to the rucksacs.

Looking back down on Innerleithen from the slopes of Birkscairn Hill with the Moorfoot hills in the background....

The least said about the next few miles along the ridge the better.! The weather was playing ball but the conditions underfoot were pretty grim.Squelchy bog and sodden peat hags needed threading all the way and it didn`t help that we were both in lightweight summer boots still . A cold wind was blowing at the summit of Dun Rig and we didn`t hang around,not even for a photo.We made a bee line down to the south west aiming for Whiteknowe Head.We stopped here for a minute to discuss what to do next.Bob went off down the narrow defile towards Loch Eddy for pics and I carried on to the east up to the summit of Deuchar Law,the idea being to meet up further down the glen.More heather bashing up to the top and it took a while to find the couple of stones marking the high point.

Looking back over towards Dun Rig from the slopes of Deuchar Law.The bothy at Glenshiel Banks at the bottom....

Loch Eddy nestling in the upper reaches of the glen....

Bob had been pottering around enjoying himself up at the loch and as I was down first I worked my way back up the glen  to meet him.....

From here it was a pleasant stroll for a few miles in the late afternoon sun down the glen passing a few memorials to late departed members of the Tennant family and down an impressive tree lined avenue  back to the car....

 Passing Glen house just before reaching the car....

Top day out and for once I enjoyed Bob`s bits more than the hills.!

Deuchary Hill.

24th October 2010

We fancied combining a bit of autumn colour and a hill today.Well,to be more exact,Bob fancied a bit of autumn colour and I fancied a hill.The Dunkeld/Pitlochry area seemed to suit the bill for both requirements if the forecast did indeed remain stable overnight.I still get excited about hills so the usual routine while waiting Bob`s arrival is cup of coffee,check BBC news 24 to see that the country hasn`t gone completely to the dogs,have another cup of coffee and wander outside to the garden for a calming cigarette and check that the weather is behaving itself.
If I wander around to the lane at the back I can usually see as far as the Ochils and Tinto but today there was no need to even go that far.The small hill across the field is as good a barometer as any.

View from the front doorstep...

We headed north negotiating our way through the interminable M80 roadworks before reaching the A9 and a speedy journey from thereon up to Dunkeld.A quick stop for food at the Co-op and we parked the car at the Cally Loch car park.The car park was surprisingly busy given the early hour with a mixture of walkers,dog walkers and mountain bikers.We`re not used to busy places as we much prefer a
bit of peace and quiet.We can navigate over the hills in whiteout conditions but the profusion of paths and signposts here almost scuppered us at the start as we were completely enveloped in trees.None of the markers made any mention of Deuchary Hill,our destination, and there were so many to choose from.It didn`t help matters that my OS map was so old that it didn`t show any paths at all in the area.The map was so old in fact that it still showed the A9 passing through Dunkeld. I kid you not


See what I mean about the signs ?

We followed a path in the general direction of the hill through the forest and as the sunlight had yet to reach in here it was a bit on the parky side...

A couple of miles further up we reached the Mill Dam...

Soon followed by Rotmell Loch...

It was fairly level walking now on a good path for the next three miles along past Raor Lodge and all the way up to the outflow of Loch Ordie.

We had a seat here for a bite to eat and watched the a couple of Whooper swans,some Canada geese and a mixed selection of duckery.Thank god for ducks....where would I be without my duck down sleeping bag
We then headed back the way we had came for half a mile to look for the path that branched off and led up to Lochan na Beinne which lies just under the summit of Deuchary Hill.It`s a big six foot wide gate if you are looking for it although it looks a bit misleading as you can`t see the path beyond it.It is there however and easily picked up once you are through.The intention was to have a wee break at Lochan na Beinne but it was in the shade when we arrived ...

....so we carried on up to the summit where we found a wee bit of shelter from the bitter wind.Not enough shelter to keep us there for any length of time though.! A
quick bag of the trig point and a few pics and we were off.

Bob caught the sun bouncing off the summit of Schiehallion amidst the darkening skies twenty miles away to the west...

We took the quick way back to the car, straight down the southern slopes of the hill and we were soon back at Mill Dam.It might not look like the most inspiring of hills from a casual glance at the map but if you go the way we did then you get your moneys worth.A nice wee corner of Scotland at this time of year....

Urban Autumn.Glasgow Parks and River Clyde.

We did go out on Sunday as usual but Alex was ticking a hill.For once the weather was not great the photos were rubbish despite our best efforts and I forgot my boots for the first time ever(Doh! I left them in the wrong car.Mine!)

I have here however a good collection  of recent pics to capture the delights of Autumnal weather.
Spring is my favorite season of course but I must admit Autumn can be not bad for colours.

Although I enjoy the greater wilderness beyond Glasgow sometimes when the weather is really foul as it is now the urban zones around cities have their own delights.It is more sheltered and warmer here and the colours are actually more intense probably due to the extra stress of trees living in a city.

Glasgow has some great parks.Some of the best in Europe in fact and we tend to take them a little for granted til we go abroad and see whats on offer there.On the odd occasions I do go further afield in the UK and Europe it just makes me realise how special this Victorian legacy to us really is.They had the effort, the money and the vision- we just reap the benefits.With the proposed  and ongoing sweeping cutbacks to services however its only a matter of time til they start looking at parks and public gardens as costly items that maybe could be pruned back so we can not afford to assume they will always be open whenever we want to visit them.Hence this little reminder of the wonder around us.

This is either a young wood mouse or baby rat.At that age I find it hard to tell.It did have very big hind legs for a mouse though!

Any Ideas?

This is looking over Shawlands from Hillpark.Yup I,ve been  getting  around despite the rain.

The Erskine Harbour area is really under rated as a walking venue.It has lovely half day walks and one full day monster(Which I may save for a post later so hush hush.)
From the car park at the Erkine ferry slipway, (no longer running due to the bridge.)there are a range of options.Up and over the Erkine bridge with stunning views.

Or follow the river past the golf course into the big woods of Erskine hospital grounds which are extensive and beautiful with many hidden paths.

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Going the other way you have wide views over Clydebank A walk and cycleway all along the Clyde with many points of interest til you reach Braehead and the smashing little Ferry Park.You can also go across the Renfrew Ferry If its still running.Not been across on the latest version for a few months.Hope its still on.

Another walk- cycle offshoot goes along the river from the ferry past a scrapyard carbreakers then up the Black Cart water til it meets the White Cart.Also good. Very flat on a bike.

And if you are lucky a Large ship may be heading upriver when you are there.
Happy days.
Mind you I still prefer spring!