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Ochil Hill Advice

Ochil Hill Advice


Postby Eskimo » Thu Apr 28, 2011 10:22 pm

Hi guys,

Can any one advise of a suitable route from Lossburn Reservoir to Bengengie and from Bengengie to Ben Cleuch?

Thanks
Eskimo
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Re: Ochil Hill Advice

Postby Dave Hewitt » Thu Apr 28, 2011 11:38 pm

Interesting choice of route. Depends a bit on dryness or otherwise of ground (pretty dry just now), wind strength/direction etc, but if I was doing this in good summer conditions I’d probably go along the track past Lossburn reservoir, across to Jerah (nice spot), then pick up a grassy ATV tyretrack path that goes up on to or at least high on the 541m bump NW of Colsnaur. Can’t recall the exact line, but there are several grassy tracks around here and you’ll likely find one heading uphill. Once up, you’ll find that the section west of the Colsnaur fence/wall is rougher – tussocks, some heathery bog – but not too bad or too far. Then it’s not far across the head of the Balquharn glen to Bengengie, which is a fine summit – neat top above a crag.
To get to Cleuch from there, it’s not really worth trying to contour round the upper Alva Burn slopes – there’s no real problem, but it’s fiddly and at one point you have to cross just about the only awkward barbed-wire fence in the whole of the main bit of the Ochils. Better/easier to head north as if going to Blairdenon (path at first, then a bit squelchy) and then angle across at quite a high level to eventually pick up the sketchy path/track that skirts the southern edge of Alva Moss and eventually reaches the top end of the main track at the Craighorn/Ben Buck col. Then it’s just the standard walk over Buck and so to Cleuch.
One additional factor just now however is that they’re busy felling the plantation alongside the Lossburn track, at the very start of your route. When I was last there about a fortnight ago they’d felled about two-thirds of it. There didn’t appear to be any restrictions on access, but there might be machines around and the track might be a bit messy.
Have a good time, anyway – that whole area west of Alva Glen leading across towards Dumyat is interesting – and pretty quiet.
Dave Hewitt
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Re: Ochil Hill Advice

Postby Eskimo » Thu Apr 28, 2011 11:50 pm

Dave Hewitt wrote:Interesting choice of route. Depends a bit on dryness or otherwise of ground (pretty dry just now), wind strength/direction etc, but if I was doing this in good summer conditions I’d probably go along the track past Lossburn reservoir, across to Jerah (nice spot), then pick up a grassy ATV tyretrack path that goes up on to or at least high on the 541m bump NW of Colsnaur. Can’t recall the exact line, but there are several grassy tracks around here and you’ll likely find one heading uphill. Once up, you’ll find that the section west of the Colsnaur fence/wall is rougher – tussocks, some heathery bog – but not too bad or too far. Then it’s not far across the head of the Balquharn glen to Bengengie, which is a fine summit – neat top above a crag.
To get to Cleuch from there, it’s not really worth trying to contour round the upper Alva Burn slopes – there’s no real problem, but it’s fiddly and at one point you have to cross just about the only awkward barbed-wire fence in the whole of the main bit of the Ochils. Better/easier to head north as if going to Blairdenon (path at first, then a bit squelchy) and then angle across at quite a high level to eventually pick up the sketchy path/track that skirts the southern edge of Alva Moss and eventually reaches the top end of the main track at the Craighorn/Ben Buck col. Then it’s just the standard walk over Buck and so to Cleuch.
One additional factor just now however is that they’re busy felling the plantation alongside the Lossburn track, at the very start of your route. When I was last there about a fortnight ago they’d felled about two-thirds of it. There didn’t appear to be any restrictions on access, but there might be machines around and the track might be a bit messy.
Have a good time, anyway – that whole area west of Alva Glen leading across towards Dumyat is interesting – and pretty quiet.



Thank you for taking the time to provide so much detail Dave, much appreciated. Your ideas on the route are pretty much what I suspected, especially in regards to heading north towards Blairdenon in order to get to the Cleuch.

Bengengie is a hill I have seen several times and thought that looks really interesting, I must do it some time, but we never get round to it. Silly really considering we do Myreton and Colsnaur regularly.

Is the plantation you refer to that is being felled next to the reservoir? As if heading back to Sherifmuir? What we plan on doing is camping near the reservoir before tackling a route to Bengengie, Ben Cleuch, Andrew Gannel, King's Seat and down to Dollar. However if there is heavy works in that area we may have rethink our overnight plan.

Eskimo
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Re: Ochil Hill Advice

Postby Dave Hewitt » Fri Apr 29, 2011 12:34 am

The plantation that's been getting the chop is the one immediately next to the S'muir road, on your left heading down the track towards the reservoir. It might well have all gone by now - isn't a huge area and there was only a third or so left (plus timber stacks to shift) a couple of weeks ago. Actually, the track might be better than it was - when I was last there I only went a little way down, was just pottering about, but it looked to have been resurfaced, presumably to handle the trucks. Used to be quite bad for potholes which would readily fill with water.

Btw, a good way to Bengengie - the classic approach, I suppose, not that it's ever going to be a widely known hill - is to start from Alva, go over Torry (a tremendous little summit, great view of Alva), then along over Mid Cairn to Bengengie. Then across and back via Colsnaur, then back along the back road. Also good is going at Bengengie from the Balquharn dam, although this is a bit fiddly to reach given that there's no clear off-the-road start. From the dam you can just slog up the corner to reach the ridge.

Then there's the sideways traverse across the Craig Leith face above Alva, just beneath the crag itself. This feels decidedly odd, and almost exposed, even though it's mainly on grass. Not sure I'd fancy it on a greasy wet day in boots - even in dry weather in grippy Walshes it needs a bit of care.
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