Author Archives: drow 'n smirr

Three Lochs Forest Drive: a lochan and a loch

4.39 miles 1h 47min ascent 168m 4.39 miles 1h 47m ascent 168m Just two lochs for us, Reòidhte Lochan and Loch Drunkie. We had seen Loch Venachar a couple of days earlier. There is a map at the car park. … Continue reading

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Ben A’an – heaving high a forehead bare

2.6 miles 2h 53m ascent 340m The hill’s original name is thought to have been Am Binnean, or small pointed peak: a good descriptive name. But Sir Walter Scott called it Ben-An in his poem The Lady of the Lake and that … Continue reading

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Loch Katrine – the scenery of a fairy dream

13.4 miles 5h 25m ascent 373m Strochanlachar-Trossachs Pier Loch Katrine was gouged by glaciers during the last ice age, named for the ceathairne, highland robbers such as Rob Roy MacGregor who stalked its surroundings, and co-opted by Victorian engineers, who … Continue reading

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Silver Jubilee Road – Happy and Glorious

9.2 miles 3h 37min ascent 344m The Silver Jubilee Road, which from its name must date back to 1977, was to be a multi-use (vehicles, horses, legs) trail in the beautiful Tweedsmuir hills. There were to be seven stops: Covenanter’s … Continue reading

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Barlay Hill: another Monica

2.8 miles 1h 4m ascent 75m Another Wee Monica. A forestry track from the Trostan Road, a footpath with a residual red way marker post to the Shambellie forestry track and then the remnants of a footpath up Barlay Hill. … Continue reading

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Dalskairth Hill: just checking

1.83 miles 53m ascent 100m

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Craigend Hill: third time lucky

2.54 miles 1h 46m ascent 126m

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Locharthur Hill: an asterisked Mabie Monica

4.52 miles 1h 50m ascent 183m – failure 24/11/2022 4.24 miles 2h 2m ascent 145m -success 25/11/2022 A Monica is a hill named on the OS 1:50k map. A Mabie Monica is such a hill in Mabie. Some hills don’t … Continue reading

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