4.1 miles 2h 10m 260m ascent
The Clints of Dromore are a section of steep south facing cliffs at the southern margin of the Cairnsmore of Fleet granite intrusion. The surrounding peat bogs are said to have 10m of peat in places, representing 7,000 years of accumulation. Where the peat has eroded and granite slabs are now exposed the effects of the long melted glaciers can be seen and the melting glaciers have left a drumlin field stretching out below the Clints.
The last time I came here I was picking my way through the heather of the clifftop in mist, looking in vain for the “Hush” sculpture. This time I set off from home under blue skies hoping for better luck. As I drove along the A75, however, the clouds rolled in from the south and settled on to the hilltops. Ho hum.
I passed the visitor centre, which looked to be closed up, and parked instead at the small parking spot below the viaduct, giving little thought to the “Beware Falling Masonry” sign. Both Sweep and Eddie were with me and there were sheep between us and the Big Water of Fleet so we didn’t go down to see the sculpture on the rocks down there.
Our first stop was the ruins of Little Cullendoch, described by RCAHMS as a township of seven buildings including a farmstead. Among the stones of the walls is “Heart” a sculpture, including heads, chained in place, one with a knife buried to its hilt in the neck.
From the ruins we walked up to the path on the disused railway track. Once on the track we had our first view of the drumlin field and Pibble Hill and Stey Hill in a dusting of snow beyond it. My enjoyment of the view was somewhat tempered by feeling the first drops of rain on my face. It was soon heavy enough to force jacket deployment. At my last visit I had gone directly up onto the Clints but this time I decided to take the easier route. This is now waymarked as the Mountain End Route.
This route leaves the railway track at a wooden bench. Where once there was just a ladder over the wall, a gate now allows access to the hill and the boggy section by the wall is crossed by a short walkway. The manmade stuff soon ends however and there is a short steep climb. It was slightly annoying and hot to climb wearing a jacket, and by the time I was past the steep section the sky had cleared and I could shed the outer layer. The dogs raced up the hill ahead of me then realised I was coming up in first gear and came back down to see what was keeping me.
Rosnes Bench, Clints of Dromore
I wasn’t thinking about the Rosnes Benches as I walked along so was please to notice them. These benches are placed to “slow us down, create stillness, change our viewpoint and help us to remain in the moment and be part off the immediate context that surrounds us“, and I think they achieved this. The benches are on a small shoulder a little way below the top of the cliffs and I suspect I would have just kept on to the top if they had not been there. As it was I spent some time there experiencing my surroundings.
The benches were wet so I didn’t lie down on them but experiencing the surroundings is the aim I think.
Once on the exposed top of the escarpment the wind was just a little on the cold side of cooling, but not strong enough to impede movement. Just right. There is no defined track across the heather. In places people or sheep have chosen the same route and left a defined way but in others you have to find your own path. The Mountain End path way markers are useful targets to head for, but don’t always define the easiest way.
Big Water of Fleet Viaduct (telephoto)
The Clints of Dromore do not have a flat top but are cut by several dips, the deepest being named on the OS as the Deep Nick of Dromore. What this means is that the Clints seem to be made of several fingers or promontories. By sticking to the waymarked route one would lose the views to the south, so it’s worth drifting across a little.
There were sheep on the steep slopes of the dips but the dogs just looked on from a distance. More temptation was to meet us later. The visibility was good and to the north, Loch Grannoch could be seen between Craigwhinnie (and Fell of Fleet) and Craigronald, with Meikle Millyea in the distance.
Loch Grannoch and Meikle Millyea from the Clints of Dromore
I mentioned earlier that on my last visit here I had been looking for the Hush sculpture but couldn’t find it. I hoped for better luck this time but my first foray towards the edge of the Clints wasn’t successful. Looking west from this promontory however I could see what looked like a small cairn on the two promontories away. I headed for it and was rewarded.
Though as you can see the dogs beat me to it. I set up the camera with a timer to commemorate my visit but had to set it up quite a way off, but close enough for a ten second dash. So I readied myself, pushed the button, ran back to the rocks, turned and struck a pose. But the camera wasn’t on the rocks anymore, one of the dogs having knocked it over. It had fallen a metre but onto snow covered heather. I wiped it clean and tried again. Unfortunately I did not realise, until home, that the lens was a little smeared so I am blurred out. So here is a close up of Hush instead.
Hush
I was tempted to put a dog treat into the mouths and photograph the dogs apparently kissing the mouths but I suspected I would not have the speed to step back, point and shoot before the treats were eaten.
The path takes quite a turn to the north to avoid the very steep sides of the Deep Nick. This took us as far as what was the treelike the last time I was here but has now been felled allowing better views, well of the hills anyway, the forest looking a mess. We had a little more light rain which gave us a rainbow looking north and there were great views of the Cairnsmore of Fleet hills from Knee of Cairnsmore to Craigronald all topped with cloud.
Cairnsmore of Fleet
After the Deep Nick of Dromore the ground was a little boggier and in places there was standing water so it was easier to climb back onto higher ground. The mountain end signposts led eventually to a promontory and pointed onwards. I couldn’t see a definite way down so backtracked a little and found another way down. Looking back from below however I think it would have been OK to continue along the promontory. Next time.
It was between the top of Mountain End and below the Deep Nick that we were thrice tempted. Now before you get too excited, this doesn’t involve me meeting three naked sirens. It was the dogs who were tempted.
Mountain End had a flock of sheep standing in our path. They moved off as we approached, and the dogs stayed with me until they were gone. Then on the way down the slope four deer crossed our path before heading up Craig Hill. The dogs froze in concentrated attention but stayed with me still. Wild goats were the last temptation. I saw them ahead of us so slowed down and kept the dogs with me until they had passed, but some stragglers from the group crossed our path only a few metres away. I was worried that they could do the dogs some damage with their horns but the dogs kept with me when called. I was very impressed.
Below the clints there is a narrow track, probably an animal track which offers better walking than a wider boggy track lower down. There are some well placed wooden bridges to help you across waterways though these all looked to be easily stepped across anyway.
We eventually rejoined the disused railway and followed that back to the start. This was an easy stroll. My only concern was when what can only be described as a massive bird of prey swooped along the track ahead of us, initially silhouetted against the sky. Its wingspan was greater than my arm span and given its size I worried it might be able to take the younger dog. Indeed I was too worried for the dogs to get the camera up, but happily it just wheeled away. From the size I think this was an eagle. I have read that white tailed eagles have been seen here but this did not have a white tail so presumably was a golden eagle.
When driving home I passed a buzzard on a post by the road, perhaps 3 miles away, and he bird I had seen on the railway was much larger.
[osmap gpx=”http://www.screel.co.uk/walks/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/RK_gpx-_2015-02-21_1023.gpx”]
