The Glenrath Hills: all four Donalds

February 16, 2013

13.2 miles  6h 58m  ascent 926m

Windy Neese-Dun Rig-Birkscairn Hill-Glenrath Heights-Stob Law

Last week I abandoned my expedition to these hills at Stob Law. If at first you don’t succeed….  try it anticlockwise.

Track to Glenrathope

The Manor Glen at Glenrath looked the same as it had previous week, though it was definitely less windy. I parked at the same spot (NT207342) and opened the car door to screeching as a small dog made short shrift of a bird nearby. An omen? Did this mean I would vanquish these hills? There were so many pheasants around that last week I had thought this should be called Pheasant Farm. I doubt a wee dog could catch one of those, so perhaps it was something else.

Windy Neese…give us a K

The first half hour was spent warming up along the track to Glenrathope. Back Burn was full to brimming with melt water from the previous week’s snow so the bridge at Glenrathope was a welcome finding. I skirted the farm buildings, where there is a large solar panel, and headed up the stony zig-zag on Windy Neese, the firm footing making the climb easier.

The views back down Glenrath glen were good and it was interesting to see the many different lines that burns had previously taken across this flat valley.  I thought there was a path continuing south along Glenrathope Glen but couldn’t see how far it went. It isn’t visible on Google earth but the images are from 2007.

Glenrath from Windy Neese

Once the gradient on Windy Neese eased the track became straighter, and swapped stone for bogginess, but the terrain and conditions became distinctly more unpleasant above 550m. By then I had climbed into mist; the track, which had become gradually fainter, ended at a line of grouse butts having led me into trackless deep heather interspersed with broad snow covered areas. Early on I had come across one of these snow covered areas with a hole revealing water beneath it, so I stuck to tramping through the heather where I could. I walked on for what seemed an eternity guided by my trusty compass.  Time itself slowed down (my watch suggested half an hour had passed but it seemed much longer) and I might as well have been walking on a treadmill, since no matter how far I walked everything looked the same. Eventually after a very long half hour, a fence line appeared ahead out of the mist, the fence junction only a few metres away.

Windy Neese about 600m

I had expected to find a track running along by the fence but if there is one it was lost beneath the snow. There was more bogginess but once I was on the rising slopes of Dun Rig the ground changed for the better. The deep heather and bog was replaced by firm ground covered in short mosses with numerous sprigs of cowberry. Amongst this mist covered white, green and brown was a single patch of orange, a scarlet cup lichen?

Dun Rig Summit, the trig is there in the centre

This was certainly a more pleasant walking experience than the deep heather, but all good things must come to an end. As the ascent ended I realised I had reached the top of Dun Rig. There, at what felt to be the highest point, was a stake driven into the ground. But there was supposed to be a trig pillar, where was it? Was I on a minor shoulder, the real summit hidden in mist? I decided to get the GPS out to check where I was but as I unslung the rucksack the swirling mists briefly thinned to reveal the trig pillar a few metres away, definitely lower than where I was standing. I have subsequently looked more carefully at the OS map and I see that the trig is not the top. The trig pillar has a small plaque with a phone number to ring if you find the pillar damaged. I don’t recall seeing one of these before.

Dun Rig trig

My plan was to decide whether to include Birkscairn Hill once I got to Dun Rig. So I had a wee snack, a cup of coffee and consulted my watch. Since I was bang on time, a Birkscairn Hill there-and-back seemed reasonable. As it turned out, the section between Dun Rig and Birkscairn proved to be the most difficult, and set my timings back a bit.

The fence descending from Dun Rig takes a turn to the left, which the unwary might mistakenly follow in poor visibility, but a line of rotting fence posts continues on towards Stake Law. These led through a coven of peat hags where the hollows were filled with snow. The snow had those special characteristics, such that with care one could stand on it but lifting one foot to take a step caused the snow beneath the other to collapse. I met a couple of walkers coming the opposite way just as I tumbled having sunk to my thigh in a snow drift. I lost my dignity but I then had their footprints to warn me of deeper sections.

Crossing the Drove Road

By Stake Law, the fence was reconstituted, the hags gave way to boggy heath and there were even boggy tracks to follow. In the middle of this wilderness (made more wild by the limited visibility of the mist) it was strange to see a sign post where the drove road crosses the Stake Law-Birkscairn Hill col. There was a stile there, and amidst the miles of bog this was a tempting seat for lunch (it could seat two).  As it was, I had lunch sat on Birkscairn Hill’s large cairn. As I sat there looking about, in the mist, it seemed to me that the highest point was a little way NW of the cairn, so sandwich in hand I wandered across there. My phone, nestling in the rucksack recording the GPS log, didn’t capture this.

Birkscairn Hill

Heading back towards Dun Rig, the mist started to lift giving me my first views of Glensax valley and closer, a hare with a blue tinged white coat. I was now able to see the three cairns above Stake Law, which are set amongst a field of stones south of the fence (other possible seats).

Snow filled peat hollows

Dun Rig was still in cloud but it was certainly good to get back on the firmer ground of its western slopes. From the col between Dun Rig and the unnamed 713m spot height I decided that following the fence further up just to head back down was foolish. I would cut the corner and rejoin the fence lower down. In doing this I made the mistake of trying to cut too directly for the col. Coming out of the mist I could see a cleuch blocking my direct line and had to pick my way between hags along the 700m contour line.

Small cairn, Glenrath Heights

50m down and 80m up through boggy heather and occasional snow had me on the firm ground of a mist free Glenrath Heights, with views over to the Tweedmuir hills. I then followed the fence over the 600m col to Stob Law.

Stob Law from Glenrath Heights

On Stob Law I found the cairn I had visited last week and confirmed to myself that it was not the highest point. I realise now that I was right to abandon last week’s walk here. Stob Law is covered in a thin firm carpet of heather and moss that presumably has been burned off previously. Walking here had been tiring enough last week in the snow but had I carried on to Glenrath Heights, and the deeper heather of Windy Neese I’m sure it would have been very unpleasant.

Summit Stob Law

Coming off Stob Law this time I headed directly for Glenrath Farm, walking down by Hanging Cleuch burn. Closer to the farm I picked up a track that skirted the final field and retuned me to the Glenrathope track.

Heading off Glenrath hill towards Glenrath Farm

 

 

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The Glenrath hills: bailing after Stob Law

February 10, 2013

4.3 miles 3h 2min  ascent 446m

Stob Law

Mrs Drow ‘n’ Smirr had gathered her brows like a gathering storm. Her view being that the weather forecast and my plans for the Dun Rig Donalds were incompatible. I was not to be easily dissuaded, however. The Met Office, BBC and MWIS forecasts predicted the Borders would escape snow until evening, and would indeed be dry.

The plan was to start from Glenrath Farm in the Manor Glen, head up Stob Law then on over the other Donalds and back down to Glenrathope. If the weather turned nasty I would would turn back after Glenrath Heights, leaving Dun Rig and Birkscairn Hill for another day.

I parked just off the Manor Glen Road (NX207342). I could have driven further but felt parking near the farm would be like someone parking in my driveway. The angry farmer from a couple of years back still makes me anxious, and I was walking on a public right of way then.

Out of the car, and into the drizzle, protected by SOAC and waterproofs I headed past Glenrath Farm along the track, past several pheasants, towards Glenrathope. The hills had a dusting of snow and the visible lower tops (600m) were free of cloud.

Scots pines and cairn above them at about 350m

I left the track a little way past a cattle grid and headed up towards a stand of trees, passing through the remains of walls and scattered Scots pines at about 350m.

Looking back at the pines

From there I could see a small cairn a little further up and headed towards it. There was a faint track but it was soon lost in the snow. At this stage I was in the lee of the ridge leading to Glenrath Hill but once I reached the ridge the wind picked up significantly. The wind was strong enough to blow me off route, the snow biting into my face, requiring deployment of the balaclava.

I stopped by some rocks on the flatter section at about 500m to rethink the walk. The wind was my main concern. I was making much slower progress than planned so decided  on the shorter walk. I would to turn back if the weather worsened or the snow became deeper.

There were some white sections amongst the mixed dark and white of the snow covered heather, which I presumed were tracks. The snow tended to be deeper in these so I walked beside them where they existed. The heather was shallow suggesting it might have been burnt within the last few seasons. The possible track I was following eventually started to fall off down the slope so I switched to the “up the maximum slope” navigation method.

The view near the summit

Out of the mist and snow came a fence that was not marked on my map. It clearly wasn’t running along the top. I walked along the fence while it was climbing but soon enough it was descending again. Unfortunately visibility had worsened, and the wind was both stronger and colder, making me wish I had brought goggles. Looking along the fence it was easy enough to see it for 30m or so but elsewhere everything was white.

The time had come to turn back.

I thought it would be an idea to dig out the electronics and check where I was by GPS and found I was inside the 670m contour. Since the summit is at 676m so I would head there then bail out. The up the slope method proved difficult here since the summit is relatively flat and without GPS it would have been impossible to find it. There was a small cairn of half a dozen rocks but I suspect it was not at the actual top.

Visibility returns

Visibility was still limited but at least the wind was now behind me. I headed west and eventually came upon one of those white gaps in the heather that might have had a track beneath it, and followed it down. I came out of the clouds looking down the Hanging Cleuch towards Glenrath, but rather than heading down into the flooded fields near the farm I  walked across to the pine plantation and back down to the Glenrathope track.

 

 

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Crunching and Crackling over Cauldcleuch Head

February 2, 2013

7.1 miles  4h 32m  ascent 521m

Stob Fell-Pennygant Hill-Cauldcleuch Head-Millstone Edge-Tudhope Hill

There is a plantation of larch and spruce on the road above Billhope with space to park a car or two at its gate. From there, in bright sunshine, but freezing temperatures I set off for Billhope and the bridge over Billhope Burn. Walking down the road, ruminating on how appropriate -hope (hollow) was as a name, I spotted an opportunity for a shortcut  by crossing a field directly to the bridge at NY445977, perhaps saving 400m. Entering the field proved easy since there was a gate, but exiting presented what management types call a challenge, with two barbwire topped fences in the way.

Parking spot above Billhope. Note the parachute on my shadow.

After about 300m of the path along Billhope burn there was a small quarry with a path leading up onto South Mid Hill. The first section was steep enough to mimic a scree slope but soon eased off. The right thing to do here would be leave the path before it turns into the cleuch and head directly up the hill. I say that with the benefit of hindsight since I stayed on the path which carried me into an increasing steep sided cleuch and then petered out.

Billhope Burn. The quarry and path can be seen.

The climb up to the ridge of South Mid Hill proved interesting since it was over partially frozen moss, grass and pools of water. The sensation and sound was like walking in snow: crunching, and occasionally the more worrying crackling of frozen puddles. Once I got onto the ridge there was a faint track, which was presumably made by walkers who had not stayed on the path as far as I did.

South Mid Hill from Stob Fell

I walked through the semi-frozen bogginess of South Mid Hill, the sun glinting on pools of water, and found that the ground firmed up once I reached the higher ground of Stob Fell. There were small areas of snow in hollows but the distant Cheviot and Moffat Hills were completely white.

Pennygant Hill and Stob Fell (from Tudhope)

The route was straightforward, following the ridges from Pennygant Hill via Muckle Land Knowe to Cauldcleuch Head, then along Footman Hass via Millstone Edge to Tudhope Hill.

Pennygant summit, Tudhope Hill behind.

There are a number of interpretations for the meaning of Pennygant (Pen Y Gant) Hill: the hill of the foreigners, hill of the boundary/edge, or hill of the wind. Having walked its ridge I would tend to support pen y gwynt (hill of the wind). Whether it is a hill of wind, boundary or foreigners, Pennygant is a pathless boggy moor, with heather and deep moss. Walking across it was a good aerobic workout and in poor visibility would be a challenge.

Orange topped stakes on Blackgrain Side

Someone had planted a number of orange topped stakes along the way which proved as good a route as any and once at Muckle Land Knowe there was a fence to follow for the rest of the walk. A my appetite grew I wondered where I might find some shelter for lunch. The hollows were filled with snow and I worried if I might be swallowed up by peaty mud beneath it. Archeologists millennia from now would find me and write papers on the meal I had eaten before being cast into the bog. “As with many of the peat bog bodies he had eaten the ritual meal of bread, ham, cheese and pickle”.

Cauldcleuch head from Langtae Hill

Cauldcleuch Head, the main aim of this Donald-bagging walk, proved quite underwhelming of itself. Nothing other than a trivium of fences marked its summit but being the highest point thereabouts it had extensive views: Skelfhill Pen and the Eildons to the north, and the snow covered hills of Moffat and the Cheviots to west and east.

Icicles above the quarry

The temperature dropped considerably on the north slopes of Cauldcleuch Head (the clue is in the name I suppose) and this produced an intense feeling of fear for a few seconds until rational thought regained control. Presumably this must have been some sort of adrenaline mediated autonomic response. Weird.

Maiden Paps and the Cheviots in the distance (from Muckle land Knowe)

Tramping through the semi-frozen moss and heather of Footman Hass, listening to the crunching beneath my feet, boredom must have set in, and I began to wonder if with my eyes closed it would seem I was walking through snow. So kids, just take it from me, if you are walking through deep undergrowth on uneven ground, don’t close your eyes. Don’t ask, just follow uncle Michael’s advice.

Tudhope Hill from Millstone Edge

Tudhope Hill (which locals pronounce without vowels, T’d’h’p) has a trig pillar and appears to be the highest point of this walk, though it is 20m lower than Cauldcleuch Head. The descent from Tudhope Hill was a bit of strain on ageing knees but the ground eventually became firmer. I began to wonder if this walk might not have the usual terrain set-up of these southern hills: wet undergrowth that thoroughly cleans footwear surrounded by a ring of muddy ground to re-encrust them just before the end.

Descending Tudhope Hill

On the lower slopes my smile faded as I looked down on the rush like grass between me and the car. The sun had worked its magic on the ground there and thoroughly defrosted the mud.

I suspect this will be a very wet walk on warmer days.

 

 

[osmap gpx=”http://www.screel.co.uk/walks/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/RK_gpx-_2013-02-02_0954.gpx”]

 

 

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Heatherstane Law from Lamington

January 7, 2013

11.1 miles  5h 19m  ascent 674m

Hardrig Head-Whitelaw Brae-Windgate Bank-Hudderstone

This walk started at a pleasant car park near the church in Lamington. There is a tree lined single track road leading up to Baitlaws which would be good for tree spotting in the summer. It was gently uphill which brought a warmth to my heart, knowing the last kilometre homewards would be downhill.

Baitlaws

At Baitlaws there is a sign encouraging walkers to head left down to the burn where there is a choice of wet feet (ford) or dry feet (wooden bridge). Beyond Lamington Burn, and just after leaving the woods, the path forks. I took the right fork and eventually returned down that on the left 5 hours later.

Lamington Burn

The right hand track passes briefly through the trees where it crosses a couple of small burns then turns south and leads to the farm buildings at Bleakfield. Here again there is a choice of ford or bridge and then a track leading onto Easkgill Rig.

The fork near Baitlaw

Easkgill Rig would appear to be a rather boring 1.5 km of climb through heather and moss, but has I think got a Bermuda triangle-like region at about 450m. I had been tramping up the Rig, picking my way through soggy areas, watching deer running away and looking at nearby geological features to pinpoint my position. The hilltops were in cloud and the level dropped at times to embrace me.

Bleakfield, looking up Easkgill Rig

I was expecting to meet a fence or wall coming from my left. All I needed to do was follow the fence up to Hardrig Head. By this time I was in mist and was surprised to meet a fence coming from my right. So either I was not where I thought or this fence was not the one on the map. I was certain that I was on Easkgill Rig, so I decided that the fence’s line might have been moved. It did look new and its bearing was not the same as that on the map. I followed the the fence, but something was wrong. I was now going down hill.  Time to stop and think.

Back where I had met the fence there were several faint tracks leading in at least four different directions. The cloud now lifted to show a hill to my right with wind turbines atop, Hardrig Head. The fence led directly up to it.

Looking back down Easkgill Rig. Tinto in the distance

Once out of mist I could see what had happened. There was a gap in the fence where I was and presumably vehicles had begun to divert from the mapped path to use this opening. The track I was following had turned to the left but in the mist I had not noticed the change in direction. Had the fence not been there I would soon have had warning that something was awry with my route as I stopped climbing.

I decided to follow the fence line rather than the path, in case the cloud dropped again and led me astray. The way up by the fence was pathless heather and the cause I think of the following day’s aching legs.

Hardrig Head, industry in the hills

Hardrig Head is at the eastern end of a wind farm array. The map describes a cairn but I did not find one at the highest point. I suspect that either the high point or the cairn may have been destroyed in construction of the wind farm. Looking north from here there are hills and nature. Looking south a broad road linking the wind farm arrays scars the hillsides. Mind you aesthetics are strange things. Perhaps a visitor from millennia past would have looked north and shed tears that the land was now virtually denuded of trees. He would have looked south and seen strange white giants on the hilltops but a valley full of trees.

Road to Whitelaw Brae

Whitelaw Brae

I chose to use the wind farm road to rest my legs for a while, but once at Deil’s Barn Door I relented and returned to the heather and sphagnum of the ridge over Whitelaw Brae to Windbank Gate. There is a trig pillar on Whitelaw Brae which I used as a windbreak for a my elevenses. From here on the walk was in cloud until after Hudderstone’s summit. The SMC Southern Uplands book uses the phrases: “good view”;”splendid view”; “fine view”  in describing the glories of Whitelaw Brae and Hudderstone. I was denied these views by cloud but I suppose this meant I paid more attention to the mosses and heather I was walking over. This was certainly a very soggy ridge and a good test of footwear waterproofing. Certainly my boots were clean at this stage of the walk.

Splendid View, between Duncangill and Windgate Bank

From Windgate Bank the fence drops steeply into Kyegill Slop. Looking down, this steep valley was filled with mist giving it the appearance of an abyss. I decided that descending into an abyss was outside my abilities so walked further along to a less steep, and more visible, section. I crossed the slap near an animal pen then made my way back to the fence which I followed up to Hudderstone.

Mist filled Kyegill Slop

Kyegill Slop is an interesting name. Gill (Norse) and slap (Scots) both refer to narrow valleys. I presume that Kyegill Slop, Cowgill Glen/Rig and Key Cleuch have the same root, but what does Kye/Cow mean? Kay/Ceo are Gaelic for fog, and having looked down into this mist filled valley I am inclined to believe that I am not the first to have done so.

Hudderstone summit, nowhere to put the camera

Hudderstone (Heatherstane Law being its earlier name) does not have an obvious summit so I had the usual wandering about to find a high point but then set off to find the pile of stones marked near the 620m contour on the OS. These hills are short on places to sit for lunch, being made of wet moss and heather. If any erratics were dropped here they have been swallowed by the peat, so piles of stones are a valuable find for a sit-down lunch.

Seating for lunch, Hudderstone

View during lunch

There is a track down Cowgill Rig, at first faint, but eventually joining a constructed path at a gate around 480m. From this path there are views of Cowgill Reservoir, Woodycleuch Dod and Key Cleuch with Cowgill Loch. Ahead was Lamington Hill. After some consideration I decided not to include it in the day’s walk so headed off Cowgill Rig down the western side of a plantation of pines.

Key Cleuch, Cowgill Loch just visible

The easiest going was close to the trees but beware, there are a great many fence wires lying about to trip the unwary. The upper slopes are heather and the lower slopes tussock grass. At the bottom is the single track road serving Cowgill Reservoir. Cow Gill runs in an unusually shaped flattened valley floor that was presumably once a glacial meltwater channel.

Cowgill Loch

I then followed the path along Key Cleuch, past Cowgill Loch and back to the track to Baitlaws, a nice gentle end to the walk, though the spent shotgun cartridges along the way were a little disquieting.

CSI Key Cleuch

 

Lichen

 

 

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Woodhead Hill – an itch scratched

December 30, 2012

4.16 miles  1h 51m  ascent 262m

Woodhead Hill is my closest Marylin. I see it most days. That its name does not have a tick next to it has been an irritation for some time. This was the last weekend of the year and I was working until Sunday lunchtime. It was too late to go far, the weather had been wet, wet, wet, but I felt the need to get out in the fresh air. The time had come to conquer Woodhead Hill.

I parked in a lay-by on the A711, near Lochanhead, then walked up the authentically pot-holed farm track to the forestry track running around Mabie Forest. Here I turned right and after about 300m there is a moss covered wall running up the hill. Given the recent downpours I had expected, and dressed for, a mudfest but the ground was firm and well drained.

The way up through the trees. This is the view from the forest track and the wall is just on the left, visible to eyes but not camera

The initial steep section was easy going on an obvious faint track, but as the gradient eased the way was often blocked by fallen trees requiring  some zig-zagging since I had neglected to pack an axe. The plan was to follow this wall until I found the wall heading off to the right at the 215m contour. It was well camouflaged in moss but I was looking carefully and spotted it. It could be missed.

This new wall proved impossible to follow due to young trees so I struck off into some clear ground just to the left of the wall hoping to find a forest break heading in the right direction. I climbed a wee knoll to get a better view and noticed a track next to a wall. I presume this is the same wall I had tried to follow earlier.

Once on the track the going was easier under foot but navigation was a challenge since all that could be seen was forest. All was going well but then the track took a ninety degree left hand turn. Another track joined from the left after about 50m and one headed off to the right after another 50m. This was heading in the right direction so I turned right.

MTB track. This is the track that leads up to the summit, heading due south at this point.

The map contours suggest it should be up hill from here but there is some up and down. At first I thought I had missed the summit as the track went downhill but I pressed on and eventually it started climbing again.

Eventually I reached a place a wooden ramp over a fallen tree, where the track was reasonably straight, and it looked to be the highest point. I had read that the summit is just off an MTB track and is marked by a small cairn. No sign of the cairn though.

Near the summit

The summit cairn is just over there

Woodhead Hill summit cairn

I had my excuses ready (getting late, soon be dark etc) and got my GPS phone out. I was clearly very close to the summit, indeed it was only ten double paces off the path. The cairn is hidden amongst fallen trees and once you know where it is it can be seen from the track.

I decided to follow the MTB track back down and hopefully find an easier route up, but I was not successful in that particular endeavour. There were several MTB tracks and I took photos at the various junctions, but they all look the same. At each junction I tended to chose the track heading in the right general direction, but made an early mistake by turning onto the track mentioned earlier (50m after the left hand turn on the way up). This initially went north but then gradually turned west rather than east. I didn’t realise this until I came out of the trees and saw the River Nith in the distance.

I was tempted to backtrack but the light was failing and I wanted to get out of the forest while there was still light. This track brought me onto one of the major forest tracks at about 200m and I turned north again. This large track ends after 200m.

Cairn above the quarry where I emerged from the trees

There are MTB routes heading off to the right which join up with the perimeter track but I headed onwards through the woods since I have walked that way before and it is less of a zig-zag than the MTB route. This way I came out of the forest due south of Hillhead Farmhouse. It was then a gentle stroll back to the car in the rain.

Quarry in twilight

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See Morris Hill

December 23, 2012

2.26 miles 50 mins  162 m ascent

A very short walk and an easy route. I started from the foot of the track to Riddingshill and followed the road up until I was just below the giant aerial. From there I left the road and headed across the grass, through a gate, and to the trig pillar.

The weather wasn’t great but there were good views of the surrounding hills, Criffel, Screel, Bishop Forest Hill and Queensberry.

Aerial on See Morris Hill

As I walked across the grass I felt that it was pre-quagmire, but we have had heavy rain.

See Morris Hill with Bishops Forest Hill and Bennan in the background

I had wondered if I should have taken the eastern side of the Aerial compound, as I did, or the western, keeping to the road. I’m pleased I did because, looking down from the top, the ground was very boggy north of the compound.

Sunset over Screel from See Morris Hill

 

See Morris Hill in the wind

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Gathersnow’s Ridge

December 1, 2012

9.2 miles  5h 48m ascent 702m

Coomb Hill-Gathersnow Hill-Hillshaw Head-Coomb Dod-Glenwhappen Dod

A cold day, -3C according to the car. This walk starts from the A701, near where Fruid Water joins the Tweed. I parked near a locked gate at the start of the forestry track that climbs around Weird Law. The path had a coating of snow about an inch deep and the trees had a light dusting of snow so the scene was like something from a Christmas card.

The road to Weird Hill

After about 2 km the forestry track flattens out. There is a small lochan, not marked on the OS map, at NT 077242 and I left the path here to climb over to the Kingledoors glen. There is a track marked on the OS starting by the Glenbow Burn , but I headed directly over to the Glenmuck Burn. This took me between the two minor prominences of Glenmuck Heights and Bank Head. This was across heather but the going was easy enough. I made the mistake of heading directly along the burn which led me into a narrow steep section. I tried climbing the east bank but gave up when it got too steep so headed over to the other side where I found a faint animal track. It would probably have been better to stay a little east of the burn, the side with a sheepfold, and avoid the narrow gully.

The Kingledoors Glen was strangely free of snow given the amount in the Tweed valley and on the hills. I had worried about crossing the Kingledoors burn and as I looked at it my worry grew. It was too wide to jump, too full to find stepping stones, and the bridge I had seen on google earth images was nowhere to be seen. But it proved easier than I had thought. Twenty metres upstream the burn narrowed enough to easily jump.

Craigengar from Glenmuck Hill

From there I made my way up to a farm track, then headed up Craigengar. The contours were furthest apart in a line running from a ruined farmhouse to a cairn on Craigengar, and I was a little way off this line so I headed up then across. There was a faint track but this petered out at about 400m. The lower slopes were grassy but higher up the heather took over making the going a little more strenuous. There are a series of small cairns below the larger one on the map, though they look more like the remnants of something more substantial. I wondered if they had once been grouse butts.

Looking back down the hill I could see a bridge over Kingledoors burn, close to the ruins. It had a rather strange, Mobius strip appearance. Since I couldn’t see it when down in the valley I wonder if it has collapsed into the burn.

Once on the ridge I found myself in a winter wonderland of snow, cold wind, and excellent visibility showing the surrounding snow capped hills.

Culter Fell from Coomb Hill

I had hoped there would be a path along the summits, particularly between Gathersnow Hill and Hillshaw Head but if there was it hidden beneath the snow. I could sometimes see vehicle tracks in the distance, but up close they were invisible. Despite that the going was easy. Presumably any boggy sections were frozen. I did give some suspiciously flat area between peat hags a wide berth in case they hid unfrozen mud.

One problem on this section was finding a place to rest for lunch. There was no shelter from the wind, the hilltop cairns were diminutive, and there was nothing to sit on other than snow covered heather. I decided that I would stop in the col between Gathersnow Hill and Hillshaw Head. There is a gully at the top of Fingland Burn, but rather than providing shelter this was more like a wind tunnel.

Hillshaw Head

So my lunch was taken a little further up the slopes of Hillshaw Head. My sitting mat proved useless in the snow so I sat on my rucksack having thought through the contents, checking off in my mind whether there was anything vulnerable to being squashed. As I sat on the rucksack munching through my sandwich I remembered the banana.

From Hillshaw Head the heather seemed to be deeper and the going became more difficult. It is only a short climb up Coomb Dod, with its weathered trig point and from then on it is mostly downhill so the deeper heather was somewhat easier.

The way off Coomb Dod

Without doubt, the most tiring section of this walk is that over Glenwhappen Dod and White Knowe Head above the forest. There was deep heather covered in snow. This was like the section in assault courses where you have to step over ropes, but in addition every now and then the ground would prove lower than expected. I feel pleased with myself that I only actually fell over once.

I fell for the old “grass being greener on the other side of the fence” ploy here. I was separated from the forest by a barbed wire topped fence and the terrain over there looked easier. I wondered if the forestry folk might have been driving above the trees. So I manoeuvred myself over the fence only to find things were just as bad.

Once on the summit of Glenwhappen Dod I could see that there was more of the same tiring deep heather to come. Since the summits were no easier I decided to contour around the next couple of prominences. Then I spotted a track in the snow. It was a few metres above the tree line at about 500m.

As I got closer it began to look as if it might be a ruined wall, but even that would be easier then the heather. When I reached it my heart sank. In a film I would have looked up to the sky and screamed “No..oo..oo…oo..oo…oo” my words echoing away as the camera pulled back. It was a ditch.

So I walked beside the ditch. The ground immediately downhill from the ditch had slightly deeper snow fully covering the heather giving the appearance of a path. But the ditch hadn’t finished taunting me. After a while it became wider, less deep, and broader. Since its base was free of heather, and apparently dry, other than snow, I found it was easier to walk in it. But before long it became narrower making it difficult to walk and then deeper. Once the edges were up to my elbow I gave up and climbed out.  I took just short of an hour to cover 2.5 km above the trees.

Once past the trees the forestry track was in sight less than 1km away. Here the fence and an old wall weave along occasionally meeting. I followed the wall initially then headed between a stand of newly planted trees and a more mature plantation to get back to the forestry track where my footprints were still there in the snow.

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Fell Shin to Dun Knees

November 17, 2012

8 miles 4h 15m  ascent 673m

Cairn at 680m Fell Shin, Chapelgill in the distance

Culter Fell-Chapelgill Hill-Cardon Hill

The parking place, by the burn, past Culter Allers farm was flooded requiring some careful car placement to allow dry access to the door and boot; and the weather required hat and gloves even in the sheltered valley.

After about five minutes the road crosses Kings Beck and I left the tarmac to climb a rather muddy track. This track looks to have been made by fleeing villains. At some point one of them must have shouted “split up” and from there several fainter tracks head in various directions. I tried to head up Fell Shin as directly as I could while making use of tracks where our directions coincided. I reached the line of Grouse butts at about 350m and then climbed up in line with them. It must be quite a slog lugging guns up there, unless one’s valet carts them up?

There is a small outcropping of rocks at the top of the line of grouse butts and once there the gradient eases off. Culter Fell has three distinct sections when climbed this way. There is a steep climb through fern then heather up Fell Shin, by the grouse Butts. Next is a gentler walk from 520m to 620m over firm ground with a covering of short heather (which looks to have burned back a season of so ago). The track here was waterlogged and unusable. There is then a short climb to a cairn at 680m. Finally there is a very gentle gradient up to the summit across boggy ground and waterlogged peat, easy on the muscles but demanding of care by those who prize dry feet.

Looking back down Fell Shin from the rocky outcrop

My navigation homework for this walk was to guess distances and climbs then check the map. My estimates are getting better I think.

Tinto in the distance was topped with cloud throughout this walk, and Culter Fell’s summit was covered as I approached, but then cleared when I was only a couple of hundred metres away. So I was able to have a good look across to the ridge on the other side of Holm Burn, a future walk no doubt. Looking over to Chapelgill Hill, I could see it was actually a triform hill with Cardon Hill and Chapelgill Hills at its ends and Birnies Bowrock at the apex. There is only 23m between the heights of these summits. The whole hill is connected to Culter Fell, like a dog on a lead, by a ridge made up of Dun Knees and Glenharvie Moss.

Tinto in the distance, from Fell Shin

The walk down to Glenharvie Moss is on firm ground mostly, but there are muddy sections where the grass has slipped beneath the weight of boots and careful foot placement was needed at times. The Moss is a peat bog and given the recent weather it was wet. The hags here are not too well developed so there wasn’t much hag-hopping to be done. There were squalls of rain visible throughout the day and I crossed paths with a snow producing one here.

Glenharvie Moss

On the way up Dun Knees, which by the way has a special resonance for a rheumatologist, I came across a fence not marked on the OS map. This led to a few seconds of navigational doubt until I convinced myself I was were I thought I was. I followed this along to Chapelgill Hill’s summit. There were a couple of small cairns there but I suspect the summit is a small unmarked mound nearby.

Chapelgill Hill

I followed the fence back fora short distance but then decided to strike out directly for Birnies Bowrock. A mistake. The vegetation was thicker and deeper with marshy sections so I got back to higher ground which proved easier going. Birnies Bowrock has the biggest cairn of the three summits and I decided to use this as shelter for lunch.

I remain amazed at the additional bounce in my step that a lunch break brings and found myself virtually skipping across to Cardon Hill which stands a good 2m above Birnies Bowrock. As I walked back down to Dun Knees you might guess what happened. My left knee started playing up again. Luckily this coincided with a twenty minute hail storm, mostly blowing straight into my face which acted as distraction therapy. 

Walking down towards Glenarvie Moss I could see a track climbing along the ridge that led to Park Knowe. This looked to be a way to avoid the hags. I could see a black thing at King Bank Head and headed for that. This turned out to be peat hag that had lost its covering of vegetation. A topless hag. From the topless hag I joined the track but soon enough it disappeared so I headed up to the top of the ridge. This had me negotiating a way across deep hags surrounded by mud. So no jumping off them. I should have continued further along the ridge before climbing up.

Topless Peat Hag

Once on the top of the ridge there was a track to follow. This track continues along the ridge but I planned to head down over Juniper Knowes. There was a distinct path heading down that way which made the descent much easier. The stand of trees below Juniper Knowes are pines and some spruce. I didn’t see any junipers.

Once back on the road, the car was only a few minutes away.

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