walkhighlands

Share your personal walking route experiences in Scotland, and comment on other peoples' reports.
Warning Please note that hillwalking when there is snow lying requires an ice-axe, crampons and the knowledge, experience and skill to use them correctly. Summer routes may not be viable or appropriate in winter. See winter information on our skills and safety pages for more information.

Alva Glen - Surprising & Challenging

Alva Glen - Surprising & Challenging


Postby Fife Flyer » Mon Oct 25, 2021 7:32 pm

Fionas included on this walk: Ben Cleuch

Donalds included on this walk: Ben Cleuch, Blairdenon Hill

Date walked: 23/10/2021

Time taken: 5.1 hours

Distance: 17.6 km

Ascent: 1086m

3 people think this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).

This was yet another Plan B, ideally we would have liked to have headed NW but the forecast of rain and strong winds wasn't very appealing, so I suggested to George & Parminder we stay local (Ochil Hills) as the forecast was more favourable. The Ochils are a very under rated range of hills and once you gain the height the views offered are awesome - assuming you aren't in the clouds. This would be a second visit to the two hills for George and myself, Parminder would finish them off with Blairdenon.
None of us had started from the car park at Alva so it was a new adventure and it was just as well I had a route plotted as there are paths going in all directions.


our_route.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts



Image
The car park on our arrival at 8.30 - empty

Image
Car park full on our return

Image
The blurb at the car park

Image
Waterfall not far from the car park

Image
Gaining height and we leave the wooded area the views open up

Image
The path heading uphill

Image
Looking down on Alva

Image
Parminder taking in the views, Wallace Monument in the distance

Image
Looking across towards the Forth

Image
The way up and ahead

Image
Arty shot

Image
Good track uphill, so much so we went too far uphill and missed our turning point for Ben Cleuch

Image
Looking back

Image
Looking back downhill

Image
We are just about to get back on course

Image
The path - fairly obvious

Image
Last look south before we enter the clouds

Image
Summit area of Ben Cleuch

Image
The way ahead to Blairdenon Hill

Image
Summit cairn on Ben Buck which happened to be on our route west

Image
Below the clouds and looking south again

Image
The way ahead, we opted to follow a path west rather than try and direct route

Image
One of the joys of getting a view - the inevitable wind turbine appears to enhance the view

Image
Plenty of moisture in the ground

Image
The path, not quite a motorway more a "B" class road

Image
The summit area of Blairdenon Hill, not very exciting

Image
A George photo, I was making the summit a bit more interesting by creating a wind vane with my poles

Image
Parminder looking very impressed and so he should be

The descent off Blairdenon was fairly straight forward over thick tufty grass, we opted for the direct route option which would take us toward Alva Glen. Our first priority was to try and lose height as it was fairly chilly and we wanted our lunch. After about 150m of steep grassy descent we found a nice lunch spot that also offered pretty good views.

Image
It looks fairly obvious that we are in for a steep descent soon

Image
Yes we are going to go down there

Image
Looking across to Cleuch, the grass on the hillsides looks like it has been freshly cut, trust us it hasn't

Image
Still a bit more descending to do

Image
Parminder in his usual position

Image
Our lunch view

Image
We even found 3 rocks to sit on

Image
Plenty of fungi of varying sizes and colours

Image
Looking back at what we descended, looks fairly easy

Image
Looking back whilst on a gradual ascent, before entering Alva Glen

Image
More fungi

Image
The way ahead, Alva Glen - there is a path that stays on the right hand side of the burn, it is narrow and exposed higher up

Image
One final bit to descend and then we pick up the path

Image
Looking back up to Parminder shows the final descent

Image
George surveying the burn for a suitable crossing point

Image
Parminder making the most of his walking poles

Image
All smiles before his final step/leap

Image
We are now in the Glen, even from here you can see the problem - steep sides on both sides of the burn

Image
Looking back

Image
Parminder looks like he is about to use his pole as a javelin, you can see the path isn't exactly a motorway

Image
I don't think this one is edible

Image
An interesting bit

Image
A surprise waterfall

Image
The way ahead, you can see the path on the right

Image
Looking back as George appears from round the corner

Image
The waterfall from a different angle

Image
This huge hollow is known as 'Smugglers Cave' and we met quite a few folk in the area and this is as far as most folk come

Image
The cave again

Image
The viewing point down to the cave

Image
Never seen a bench so overgrown

Image
The path is much better now for all the day trippers

Image
Another waterfall lower down

Image
Easy way to cross the burn

Image
More water

Image
There are a couple of these signs - and there is a bit of a drop

Image
The motorway back to the car

A few camera photo's to finish off

Image
Longannet chimney and Grangemouth in the distance

Image
Wallace monument zoomed

Image
The bridges at western end of the Forth - Kincardine & Clackmannanshire

Image
A zoomed photo for the turbine lovers

Image
Alva Glen zoomed a wee bit

Image
Possibly the last photo I will take of Longannet chimney before it turns to rubble

Alva Glen was easily the highlight of the day.
User avatar
Fife Flyer
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 2641
Munros:272   Corbetts:58
Fionas:39   Donalds:89+33
Sub 2000:130   Hewitts:2
Islands:5
Joined: May 15, 2013
Location: Guess?

Re: Alva Glen - Surprising & Challenging

Postby rockhopper » Thu Oct 28, 2021 9:06 am

That looked a nice Plan B - some good walking in the Ochils and options for different/varied routes - cheers :)
User avatar
rockhopper
 
Posts: 7444
Munros:282   Corbetts:222
Fionas:136   Donalds:89+20
Sub 2000:16   Hewitts:2
Wainwrights:3   Islands:20
Joined: May 31, 2009
Location: Glasgow

Re: Alva Glen - Surprising & Challenging

Postby Dave Hewitt » Thu Oct 28, 2021 11:28 am

Good outing - that western end of the Ochils is always interesting. I was up Ben Cleuch later the same day, but from the other side, via King's Seat to meet a few folk on top for a completion thing - if you'd been a couple of hours later you could have had champagne and cake! It stayed quite breezy but eventually the cloud lifted off nicely.

When descending south from Blairdenon like that, the other - more standard - option back to Alva is when you meet the farm track in the upper Alva Glen (known locally as "the new track", even though it's been there 30+ years), just stay on that all the way along the E side of Alva Glen to where the path leading S off the Nebit comes in. At that point there's a really nice old grassy path that cuts the corner down to the zigzags on the other track and from there you just slant back across to the Alva Glen side entrance that you used at the start - this avoids any problems with the burn, although you don't get the close-up view of the Smuggler's Cave etc. Lots of options, as ever - they're good hills for endless loops and variations.
Dave Hewitt
Mountaineer
 
Posts: 564
Joined: Apr 29, 2010

3 people think this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).




Can you help support Walkhighlands?


Our forum is free from adverts - your generosity keeps it running.
Can you help support Walkhighlands and this community by donating by direct debit?



Return to Walk reports - Scotland

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Graeme D and 39 guests