Andrewhinney Hill (677m) and Calkin Rig (451m) 3rd October 2009

 

Calkin Rig

 

Andrewhinney Hill (677m)

I parked the car at the NTS car park near the Grey Mare’s Tail, and started walking at 11.15 am. It was very windy, even at the car park, and higher up I was fighting to stay upright and had to force my body in the direction I wanted to go. Frequent heavy showers came rolling in and it was quite unpleasant. At times I had to turn my back away from the rain, as it stung and felt like needles in the face. There were great views to White Coomb and the Grey Mare’s Tail but I couldn’t really appreciate any views with the wind and rain, although it was drier for part of the descent. Andrewhinney Hill is a steep hill from this direction, one of the steepest I have walked up, and it was hard on the legs. I reached the summit cairn after an hour of battling against the wind and I was relieved to get there. There were views of the Ettrick Hills and of Hart Fell, as well as of White Coomb but I didn’t stay long due to the wind. It was so strong my hat was blown off my head and my rucksack had 3 and a half litres of water in it and it was blown along the ground when I put it down. I retraced my steps to the car, reaching it at 1.20 pm.

 

White Coomb and the Grey Mare’s Tail

 

Calkin Rig (451m)

I had lunch in the car and drove via Moffat, Lockerbie and Langholm to the starting point for the ascent of Calkin Rig, near Bentpath. I parked the car at the edge of the wide entrance of the track to Old Hopsrig farm, at NY318888. I started walking at 3.20 pm along the track and at NY305885 and I took a track that climbed the hillside. Calkin Rig could be seen from here, as could Crumpton Hill and Bombie Hill, and they looked lovely in the sunshine with their golden hillsides of bracken. The track ended at NY304884 and I then followed some atv tracks up Shaw Hill which went up Calkin Rig. There were gorgeous views of the Ettrick and Eskdale hills and the extensive forestry sheltered me from the wind. At NY291875 there was a gate, over which lay the summit of Calkin Rig. I reached the unmarked top, located at a large firebreak, at 4.40 pm and admired a number of rainbows as a shower came over. I started the descent at 4.50 pm by following the NNE ridge, and enjoyed the beautiful views to the Ettrick and Eskdale hills and the hills above Langholm, despite the heavy shower that blew in. I got to the track, where I saw and heard a solitary buzzard, and followed this back to my starting point. I got to the car at 5.50 pm, a total of 2 and a half hours.

 

The Eskdale hills from the slopes of Calkin Rig

 

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Technorati Tags: Scotland,Southern Uplands,Ettrick Hills

Lamachan Hill (717m) 19th September 2009

 

A misty Lamachan Hill

 

The car was parked at the end of the road in Glen Trool, and Mark and I set off at 10.05 am. It was a pleasant sunny morning but we wondered how long the good weather would last, as the forecast wasn’t good. We stopped at the Bruce’s Stone and enjoyed the views over Glen Trool and the hills of Mulldonoch and Buchan Hill. The bracken on the hillsides was starting to turn brown, as were the trees in the Buchan and Glenhead Oakwoods. The oak trees were festooned in moss and the woodland had a wild quality which to me made it a special place. We crossed a bridge over the Glenhead Burn and walked along the river on the Southern Upland Way, before taking a forestry track that climbed up towards Lamachan Hill. After a while the forestry came to an end on our right hand side and we could see the lower slopes of Lamachan Hill. However, it was windy, cloudy and rain was in the air. We left the track at NX435790 and climbed up by the Shiel Burn, which fell in some attractive waterfalls. We followed a ridge which petered out in a sort of bowl, the slopes of which led on to the summit plateau. Before we reached the exposed plateau we took lunch in the shelter of the upper slops of the hill.

 

The Shiel Burn

 

It had stopped raining but before we set off after lunch it started again, and became heavy. On reaching the plateau the wind increased and with the heavy rain and mist it was an unpleasant place to be. We navigated by both compass  and GPS and they complemented each other well, allowing us to reach the summit of Lamachan Hill at about 2 pm. There was no view and we stayed for about 10 minutes before moving on.

 

  The summit of Curleywee

 

The onward route to Curleywee was complicated and it took some careful navigation by Mark to get us on the right route. At the pass between Lamachan Hill and the 603m spot height, known as Nick of the Corners Gate, the mist temporarily cleared and gave us a view of Curleywee. However, in the misty conditions our senses misjudged the scale of the landscape: we thought that Point 603m was Curleywee and we were mystified by a much higher hill rising behind. After a while we realised that the higher hill was Curleywee but this illustrated how mist can confuse the senses and distort perceptions. The mist closed in again but while we were climbing Curleywee it parted, giving us views to Lamachan Hill and Cairnsmore of Fleet, before closing in yet again. We reached the cairned summit of Curleywee, 674m, at 3.35 pm and stayed for 25 minutes because while we were there the mist lifted and disappeared. The sun came out  and the views were fantastic, especially to the Merrick, Mullwharchar, Craignaw, Ailsa Craig and the Rhinns of Kells.

 

The Merrick from Curleywee

 

The descent was slow going on account of the rough, tussocky grass , interspersed with rocks which is typical of Galloway. The views to the Merrick, Mullwharchar, Craignaw and the Rhinns of Kells were delightful in the sunshine. Eventually we reached the track along which the Southern Upland Way runs, near Loch Dee and after a rest we walked along this track back to the car. This walk was lovely in the sunshine and was notable for two things: the runic stone we came across, which is a recent artwork installation, and the beautiful Buchan and Glenhead Oakwoods in the evening sunshine. We reached the car at 6.50 pm and started for home 10 minutes later.

 

Technorati Tags: Scotland,Southern Uplands,Dumfries and Galloway,Galloway

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Ellson Fell (537m) and Blackwood Hill (449m) 5th September 2009

 

Ellson Fell

 

Ellson Fell (537m)

The car was parked at the forest car park at Billhope Hass, on the road to Hermitage Castle. Mark and I started walking at 12.10 pm by walking up the road for a short distance and then taking to the open hillside. We were looking for footpath marked on the map as heading for the pass of Sunhope Hass but there was no evidence of it near the road. It was raining, and would rain on and off all day, and it was windy so conditions weren’t great. We strayed too far up the lower slopes of Tudhope Hill so had to descend, and we suddenly found the path. There were misty views of Tudhope Hill, Ellson Fell and Roan Fell, as we walked up towards Sunhope Hass. As we ascended Carewoodrig Hope there were views of Carlin Tooth in front of us, Little Tudhope Hill and Tudhope Hill to our right and Geordie’s Hill and Tamond Heights behind us. At the pass we had lunch and enjoyed views to Lightning Hill and Wether Law. For a time the rain stopped, the sun came out and it was quite pleasant for a while.

Wisp Hill

After lunch we followed the fence up the steep slopes to Carlin Tooth, which was more like a molar than a fang with its rounded summit. From Carlin Tooth there was a delightful ridge walk to Ellson Fell, with views to Ellson Fell, Wisp Hill, Pikethaw Hill, Arkleton Hill, Roan Fell and Tudhope Hill. We reached the unmarked summit at about 3 pm but we didn’t stay long as it was cold, windy and rainy. On descent we followed the broad undulating ridge to the 475m spot height and then followed a broad ridge down that took us to the lower part of Carewoodrig Hope. There was a track in the valley that we followed to the road, where we had a bit of a walk back to the car. This was reached at about 4 pm.

Comb Hill and Bye Hill

 

Blackwood Hill (449m)

Mark parked the car in a hamlet called Steele Road and we started walking at 4.50 pm along a disused railway line. There were views to Blackwood Hill, Larriston Fells and Pell Fell, on the English border. The disused railway was boggy at first but it became drier and firmer underfoot once we entered the forestry. At NY539949 we came to a forestry track, which we climbed, taking the right hand option at the junction. Near the end of the track a firebreak, marked by a black and white reflective bollard, climbed steeply up the hillside. A little way up the firebreak was another black and white bollard, a manhole cover, and a cairn made from a variety of rocks cemented together and with a memorial plaque on the side. The firebreak was covered in little red mushrooms and a bagger’s path climbed the slope. Eventually the trees came to an end and we met the full force of the wind. The views were hazy but we could see Roan Fell, Cauldcleuch Head, Greatmoor Hill, Hermitage Castle, and the 416m top of Blackwood Hill. An electric fence ran along the summit ridge and we walked by the side of this to the cairn marking the summit. We stay long, before tracing our steps down the firebreak and back along the forestry track. We followed the railway line for a while but instead of walking along the boggy part we took a forestry track that descended to the road at NY532938, where there is room to park a car or two. We walked along the road, which was preferable to the railway line, and arrived at the car at 7.40 pm.

The electric fence leading towards the summit

 

 

Cauldcleuch Head and Greatmoor Hill

 

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Technorati Tags: Scotland,Roxburgh Hills,Southern Uplands

Bardon Hill (278m), 28th August 2009

 

Bardon Hill

 

I parked at the car park for the Billa Barra nature reserve, near Coalville and started walking along Stanton Lane at 6.35 pm. Once I reached the A511 I turned left, towards Coalville, and walked alongside the road until I came to a path signposted for Bardon Hill. There was a short climb to Rise Rocks Farm, where I first saw Bardon Hill, and I also saw a Sparrowhawk. From the farm the path descended and became boggy for a short stretch, crossing fields and some scrubland. It then went through some woodland, before crossing Bardon Hall Road and a quarry road, and then climbing the upper, wooded slopes of Bardon Hill. The woodland was very pleasant, apart from the constant traffic noise, and there were a lot of small crags and rocky outcrops. Although it was hardly the Himalayas, it was far more rugged than I expected. The summit was marked by a trig point, standing atop a rock outcrop, and I reached this at 7.20 pm. The view was extensive, and included the cities of Leicester and Nottingham, as well as a lot of distant and hard to identify hills on the horizon. According to Jonathan de Ferranti’s website Viewfinder Panoramas it is possible to see the Cotswolds, the Malverns, the Shropshire hills, and more. The overriding feature of the view though was the huge quarry which had destroyed much of the hill, and this stood in sharp contrast to the charming woodland on the other side of the hill. There was a sign which described the geology of the area and it explained how the hill was a site of Pre-Cambrian volcanism. I had no idea that there were igneous rocks in the East Midlands and I have since found out that it is a far more interesting area, geologically speaking, than I had imagined. The quarry impressed with its size but didn’t encourage me to linger, so I soon started the descent. I followed my route of ascent back and reached the car at 8 pm.

 

The Bardon Hill quarry

 

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Technorati Tags: East Midlands,Leicestershire,Charnwood Forest

Walton Hill (315m), 23rd August 2009

 

Walton Hill

 

On my way back home from the south coast I decided to climb Walton Hill, so I parked in a lay-by between Clent and the road over St. Kenelm’s Pass. Initially I took a short detour by climbing up to the shoulder of the unnamed 309m hill opposite Walton Hill, where there was a view indicator and good views over the Malvern and South Shropshire Hills, and the Cotswolds. After descending back to the road, I walked along it to Walton Hill Lane. There was a car park here, which is the quickest jumping off point for Walton Hill. A path went directly to the trig on the summit and gave views over the urban conurbation. The summit area was more wooded than the unnamed hill to the north west, so wasn’t as good a viewpoint. I retraced by steps to the car, which I reached 50 minutes after setting out. On turning on the radio I found that England had suddenly and dramatically won the Ashes.

 

The Malvern Hills

 

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Technorati Tags: West Midlands,Clent Hills

The Ettrick Hills: Ettrick Pen (692m), Croft Head (637m) and Capel Fell (678m) 8th August 2009

Bodesbeck Law (665m) from Ettrick Pen

 

Ettrick Pen (692m)

After a drive of nearly 3 and a half hours to the dead-end road in the valley of Ettrick Water, I started walking at 11.50 am. It was a sunny morning, although windy, and there was plenty of cloud about. Initially I followed the Southern Upland Way as it led up the valley on a broad track, passing the abandoned farmhouse of Potburn and then the bothy of Over Phawhope. There were attractive views of Capel Fell, Wind Fell and White Shank rising above the sea of forestry that choked the valley. Just beyond the bothy there was a track which was signposted to Ettrick Pen, which I followed, and this gave views to Capel Fell, White Shank and Bodesbeck Law, while Hopetoun Craig poked its head above the trees to my right. The track soon ran out and I had to climb the boggy open slopes, which were full of Bog Asphodel. It was steeper than expected but I gained height quickly and had views to Hart Fell and White Coomb. I reached the large summit cairn marking the top of Ettrick Pen at 12.45 pm, only 55 minutes after leaving the car. I sat eating lunch whilst admiring the great view to the Roxburgh Hills, Cheviots, Eildon Hills, and the Lowthers. The mountains of the Lake District poked through the haze and nearby hills of Hart Fell and White Coomb seemed to tower above the other Ettrick Hills.

 

White Coomb (821m) from Ettrick Pen

 

  Ettrick Pen

Croft Head (637m)

I recommenced my journey at 1.20 pm by following some ATV tracks in the grass over Hopetoun Craig (632m) and Wind Fell (665m). I enjoyed the views all around, particularly over the Eskdalemuir Forest and to Capel Fell and Croft Head. The latter looked steep and a bit forbidding but I could see that a track zig-zagged up the slopes and my hope was that this would ease the ascent. I descended to Ettrick Head and the Southern Upland Way, and followed this above a small but impressive gorge cut by the Selcoth Burn. The path descended to the pass between West Knowe and Croft Head and there was a sign here showing how the Southern Upland Way had been diverted from the top of Croft Head and instead followed a lower level route. The sign stated that the path up Croft Head was closed due to forestry operations further on along the route but I ignored it as I wasn’t going as far as the forest and the sign was a few years old. I was grateful for the track up Croft Head as it made the steep ascent easier, although it was still hard work. There was an interesting view to Carmichen Scar on Capel Fell and to the gorge of the Selcoth Burn, a ruggedness not usually associated with the Southern Uplands. I reached the unmarked summit at 3.05 pm and enjoyed the views to Scaw’d Law and the Lowther Hills. I could see dark clouds approaching and the weather was obviously deteriorating.

 

Croft Head

 

Swatte Fell, Hart Fell and Under Saddle Yoke from Croft Head

 

Capel Fell (678m)

After 5 minutes on top of Croft Head I descended back to the Southern Upland Way and followed this back to the pass between Capel Fell and Wind Fell. A fence climbed the slopes to the summit of Capel Fell and I followed this, coming across traces of a faint path. The weather was definitely on the turn but I still enjoyed views of Ettrick Pen, Wind Fell and Loch Fell. I reached the summit at 4.15 pm, just as the clouds descended over the hill so I saw very little from the top. It started to rain, so I descended back to the Southern Upland Way, although by the time I got to the track the rain had stopped. I followed the Southern Upland Way back to the road, which I reached at 5.35 pm. This was a total of 5 hours and 45 minutes for the 11.4 mile round trip.

 

Loch Fell (688m) from the Southern Upland Way

 

  

Ettrick Pen

 

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Technorati Tags: Scotland,Southern Uplands,Ettrick Hills

From Åndalsnes to Home 23rd & 24th July 2009

I had a bit of a boring day in Åndalsnes. My train to Oslo wasn’t until 4.10 pm but there wasn’t enough time to climb any hills by public transport. I went shopping and spent to much money on books, something that isn’t difficult as books are expensive in Norway. I walked up to the first lookout on the path to Nesaksla, where I could admire the view to the town and over Romsdalsfjorden. I was looking forward to getting home but didn’t want to leave Norway.

Eventually it was time to get the train, and I marvelled again at the Troll Wall and admired the courage of those who have climbed it. The train got into Oslo shortly before 10 pm and I walked to Storgata, where I was staying.

The next morning I walked to the bus station and got the bus to Torp airport. The flight to Liverpool was on time and at Liverpool airport I had the luxury of being able to get a taxi home, where I arrived at 3 pm.

So ended another trip to my favourite country in the world.

 

Technorati Tags: Norway,Møre og Romsdal,Rauma