Ettrick Pen, Wind Fell and Capel Fell

[jgregor]

On my Todd for this one, with the rest of the family testing positive for Covid and isolating. I got my birthday wish and tested negative again when I got up, meaning I could get into the hills. I was heading up the Ettrick valley on a lovely morning for the start of spring, warm with the sun bright but low in the sky over Ettrick Pen. I was following the Walk Highlands Ettrick Hills horseshoe, but decided to go round the opposite way, so that I could decide later on if I wanted to include Bodesbeck Law. It is somewhat removed from the other three and adds a fair bit to what is (for me) already a longish walk.

So I parked the car at the end of the public road and headed through the gate and down the track as it followed the Ettrick Water upstream.

After a mile or so I passed Over Phawhope bothy.

Over Phawhope bothy

Then turning east I crossed the Ettrick at a bridge. Shortly after, the larger, wider track I was on turned left and headed up into the extensive plantation to the north. I continued straight on on an older and narrower track alongside the Ettrick tributary Entertrona Burn as it curved round to the south, keeping it and more plantation on my right as I approached Ettrick Pen.

After a while the track petered out into a rough path as I started to climb Ettrick Pen in earnest from the west. Then I lost the path altogether and I continued over the clumpy grass up to the summit. There's a large cairn there, and as the highest hill in the area there were extensive views in every direction.

Ettrick Pen cairn

View south from Ettrick Pen

View from Ettrick Pen - looking north into Corbett country

Looking north-west from Ettrick Pen

I stopped for a rest here, and took the time to fish my coat out of my bag and put it on. I hadn't needed it up to now, but the wind was pretty chilly up here. Then I set off again, following the fence south-west to Hopetoun Craig.

Top of Hopetoun Craig

From there it was onto the second Donald of the day, Wind Fell.

Little Nick, between Hopetoun Craig and Wind Fell - looks steep

Wind Fell summit is rather flat, and the peat bog, collapsed fence and summit-marking post stuck in the ground at an angle gave the top a rather decayed look.

Top of Wind Fell, peat boggy with the summit marked with a stick

Not much reason to tarry there, and as I continued down the western slope the going and view both improved markedly.

Turning north-west I headed down to the col between Wind Fell and Capel Fell, crossing the Southern Upland Way at that point. It was rather boggy there, and I detoured around a bit to the east before converging with the fence again and following the path up the long slope of Capel Fell.

View north-west from Wind Fell - Selcoth Burn valley (left) as it heads down to the Moffat Water, Rae Grain (middle) and Capel Fell, the next hill

View south-west from part way up Capel Fell

It was a bit of a slog up, but as it levelled towards the top became easier, and I soon arrived at the summit of the second Graham (and third Donald) of the day. This too was marked by a post, though a more substantial one than on Wind Fell, and on more solid ground.

To the top of Capel Fell - by post

Croft Head from Capel Fell

Continuing on, I followed the fence north and then east down towards the col between Capel Fell and Smidhope Hill. From here there were excellent views north-west towards the Corbetts rising on the other side of the Moffat Water. White Coomb I've already climbed, and looking forward to climbing Hart Fell one day too - hopefully on a less windy day than the White Coomb climb was!

Looking over to Hart Fell, with White Coomb off to the right

It was time to decide about Bodesbeck Law. Should I press on another 2 or 3 miles over some other hills to reach it, or call it a day and head more directly back to the start? Still feeling a bit puffed out from the climb up Capel, and noting that time was getting on I decided on the latter. So abandoning the path as it headed up Smidhope Hill I stayed east and cut down towards the pine plantation and the Ettrick Water beyond.

Abandoning Smidhope and heading east towards the trees

Little Black Burn cutting through the trees

Having a longer right leg would be handy here

I'd planned to head further north and pass through a gap in the trees afforded by Little Smid Hope burn. However, spotting a gap nearer at hand I scrambled down to the forestry track.

A scramble down to the forestry road

Further down was another newer looking track not marked on the map, but heading my way. Rather than follow the track round to the junction with the lower one, I cut through the rough ground bearing saplings and old stumps.

I want that lower road. Over Phawhope bothy visible again down the road

On the lower road, looking back the way I'd just come

I followed this track north until it joined up again with the outward track just north of Over Phawhope bothy.

Joining back up with the outward track

On the way back to the start I took a detour through the grounds of a seemingly abandoned house.

Old shed. The hefty lock seems somewhat redundant

All mod cons. Hot and cold running water.

And finally back up to the starting point on the public road, reflecting that I hadn't seen a single other person the whole walk.

The gate back onto the public road remains open, but is now guarded by sheep

A fine hike, and one I was glad to have managed. I tested positive the next day and had to go into isolation for 10 days!