Dumglow via Loch Glow

[jgregor]

We'd initially planned for King's Seat Hill over by Dollar this weekend. But checking the weather for Sunday it looked like we'd be soaked with sleet, pelted by hail or blown off it altogether. Opting for something lower and hopefully less exposed we picked Dumglow instead.

Driving through driving sleet on the way out of Edinburgh and up the M90, I was starting to reconsider the wisdom of venturing out at all. By the time we came off the motorway and picked our way up the pot-holed road to the Loch Glow car park it was snowing, and lying on the road. The forecast indicated it would be changeable, so I was banking on not being snowed in by a foot of snow by the time we got back to the car!

We were coming in this way because I fancied including Loch Glow on our hike. Having browsed the walk reports I happened upon rob munbett's route which did just that, albeit on a nicer day!

Starting off, we followed the track about half a mile round to the anglers' car park next to the dam at the east end of the loch.

Fallen tree across another road - fortunately we weren't going that way

View across Loch Glow - or a bit of it anyway

We walked along the dam wall and started along the north shore. The intension was to walk the length of the loch and continue on to Black Loch before heading up the hill. However the wind and snow blowing across the loch stung our faces. I decided to change tack and headed north-west away from the shore, aiming for the track through the trees and a bit of shelter. This route took us past The Inneans - a group of three small hills. The direct route would have been between the first two of these. However, the wind and cold were such that map and GPS were abandoned for the moment, and we ended up heading past the first two to the east before realising and turning south-west towards our intended path.

High time we took the left-hand path

The trees we were aiming for

We reached the edge of the forest just west of the middle Innean. On the map, it's all forest south, west and north of here. However, a large part to the west of us looked to have been fairly recently felled. Our path led west along the exposed edge of the southern section. A sign announced that there would be more logging starting here the following day and lasting 6 months. So looks like we picked the right day to come.

Walking up the path, we saw many trees blown over - seemingly due to a combination of shallow roots, boggy ground and being exposed on what is now an edge of the forest.

After passing the track joining the path from the north, we continued through a section with trees close in on both sides.

Winter sun

It was pretty boggy through here, but drier ground could be used at the edge of the path, though care was needed to avoid a poke in the eye by branches.

Reaching the edge of the forest, we could here a rushing noise that sounded like a river, but turned out to be the wind whipping along the edge of the densely packed pines. We emerged out of the trees onto the bare hillside not far from the summit.

Walking into the light...

...and out into the snow

The wind wasn't as bad as it sounded, and in fact the weather had cleared considerably. We could now see down to the west end of Loch Glow Reservoir.

The west end of Loch Glow, with the Forth now visible in the distance

Crossing a style and following a path north-west though the covering of snow we soon reached the cairn and trig point at the summit.

The summit, with view north over Crook of Devon to the Ochils beyond

Loch Leven, with West Lomond just visible on the left, Bishop Hill lost in the fog and Benarty Hill (centre)

Looking south-west to Knock Hill (left) and the rest of the Cleish Hills

View of the western Ochils in the fog

After taking in the views in every direction, we headed back down to the style, but instead of crossing it this time we followed the fence south a short distance. At a corner in the fence we could see down the steep slope to Black Loch.

Steep descent to Black Loch, with Knock Hill beyond

View over Loch Glow

We slipped and slid our way down, then threaded our way between the loch and the trees to a wall. Climbing over the wall, we then followed it south-east along the edge of the forest to the western edge of Loch Glow Reservoir.

Looking along Loch Glow Reservoir from the western end

We walked along the north shore of the loch, back round to the anglers' car park and buildings. The snow came on again for a while.

Following the shoreline

Not something you see every day

That's the snow on again. Is it supposed to fall sideways?

It just remained to head back along the track to the car park. Despite the recent snow, it was no longer lying on the road.