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Windy standard > Blackcraig circuit

Windy standard > Blackcraig circuit


Postby Coop » Thu Oct 22, 2020 5:31 pm

Fionas included on this walk: Blackcraig Hill, Windy Standard

Donalds included on this walk: Alhang, Blackcraig Hill, Blacklorg Hill, Windy Standard

Date walked: 22/10/2020

Time taken: 6.7 hours

Distance: 24.67 km

Ascent: 1060m

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"Back to life back to reality" :D stuck in my head today. I think I had it too good up in assynt and the far north the other week
Back on the Donalds for another long circuit today

New Cumnock way today.
Drove up to and through the water plant and on the left over a wee bridge there's a parking area
It started well with the views at the reservoir
20201022_083601.jpg
There a wee path on the right to folliw up

20201022_083920.jpg
That's a lot of water coming out of the reservoir which means a lot of water on the hills!


Wait till the snow comes or next summer for this.
The route up to windy standard is a quagmire. Diggers and excavation trucks everywhere putting in a new turbine track. Seriously there must be a 12 foot wide 3 foot deep swamp of wet mud . I ended up on the rhs of it but maybe should have got over earlier onto the lhs.
20201022_091449.jpg

Then there's the electric fence to get over ( I ended up on the left hand side further up). Theres a shiny new large metal gate which i climbed over then up to the trig amidst the wind turbines.
No rain just mist and low cloud today no views no hanging about.
20201022_100310.jpg


Back down to the wooden gate and hang a right . Met a workie here who was rolling about in the heather trying to get some of the mud off himself :D . He said the track was due to be finished months ago, but something cropped up which put it on hold for a while. It'll be a while yet before it's done!!!
And round the circuit i went; over Alhang, then the 2 top's and onto Blacklorg and Blackcraig.
20201022_133207.jpg
A recent memorial put on Blackcraig trig.

20201022_133912.jpg
And the nearby summit cairn on Blackcraig

I think the SMC Donald's and Grahams book says there are route markers. i saw 2 today in total!!
20201022_132826.jpg
Just before the final summit

Coming off Blackcraig i dropped slightly SW of Quintin knowe and crossed the burn and onto another turbine hard-core track and down to the road. Its still over 2 1/2 km back from here. (Mostly uphill!!)
In clearer better weather I'd probably keep to the hill and get down off Blackcraig earlier. I think I'd had enough of walking on a soggy wet sponge and wanted solid ground under me

Oh I forgot to mention the peat hags bog and marshy ground at the beallach before the final pull up to blackcraig.
Stay well left of the fence and add a bit more in just to be sure.
Enjoy :D
Coop
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 1313
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Joined: Jun 5, 2016
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