From the Big Apple to Cairnpapple

[superstar_tradesman]

A cure for jet lag…a quick shimmy up a hill on the way home from the airport?

I'd arrived back at Edinburgh airport on the overnight flight from Newark after a brilliant few days in NYC, and felt that I could squeeze in a quick walk on the way home. So, over a sausage sandwich and a superstrong americano at arrivals, I plotted a route to Cairnpapple that would let me stretch my legs a wee bit, rather than just getting out the car and walking 50m to the top

As I drove up through Bathgate towards Ballencrieff Toll, it was clear that it would be fairly snowy, and by the time I parked at the Korean War memorial, the weather in the west was looking decidedly dodgy.

A wintry scene at the start of the walk

But I wanted some fresh air so, full waterproofs on, I headed back down the road, then turned E then S on more minor (and very slushy) roads following signs for Cairnpapple. I decided to pass the hill with the burial chamber for now, so continued south on the minor road steeply downhill and back up again, through occasional sleet, rain and light snow, until just before the Knock junction, and its curious stone circle nearby.

Long and winding road towards the summit

West Lothian's answer to Stonehenge?

I hopped over the gate and, now the cloud was right down, I blundered west over the snow hoping to spot the trig point and the highest summit of the day. Sure enough, it loomed out of the mist. No cows today, but no views either!

There's a trig point somewhere over there in the mist…

There wasn't much to keep me here, so I headed back to the gate, then S again up the curious lump that I guess is Knock Hill, with the viewfinder. It promised me views of exotic lands like Ben Lawers and North Berwick Law, but I couldn't even see back to where I'd just been…

Hey, this view indicator doesn't work!

Retraced my steps (okay, slid) back down to the road, and back to the steps up to the real Cairnpapple Hill. I wandered up for a surreptitious look at the burial chamber (wondering if you'd have to pay the entrance fee in the summer if you just wanted to climb the hill ), and after a couple of photos realised my phone had decided it was too cold, and just shut down.

Cairnpapple entrance fees. D'you get your money back if there's no view? :)

Since I'd been using it to record my route, this made up my mind that rather than a longer walk through Beecraigs forest and back to the car, I'd just return directly along the roads, taking care not to skid and fall on my backside.

After I got back to the car, warmed up my phone, and drove off, there was a nice wee postscript as the weather really brightened up. So I pulled in at the Cockleroy car park and nipped up that too. I'd been orienteering in Beecraigs plenty of times, but never been to the top of Cockleroy, so at least I got some views (oil refinery and bridges, mainly, but Cairnpapple now out of the cloud, and Edinburgh's hills too). A nice couple of walks, and I didn't fall asleep once

Back to Cairnpapple Hill from Cockleroy

Fields and bridges, looking E from Cockleroy

[superstar_tradesman]

Enjoyable report and photos. You perhaps know this from your orienteering days. - Behind the Korean war memorial there are steps up to a path which takes you to the top of Witch Craig, another nice wee hill in the area.

I don't think the map I ran on ever stretched that far south, so I didn't know about Witch Craig! I'll need to come back and explore another time