East Cairn Hill from Carlops

[gld73]

Passed the Carlops quarry car park countless times over the years travelling up or down the A702, but today was the first time parking there. Mid week so a few spaces free despite the fine weather. Crossed the road and followed the right of way sign and track to near the North Esk reservoir, then a grassy path towards the Bore Stane. Disappointingly the Bore Stane itself wasn't marked, so it was something in the small rocky outcrop I assume - a new, high spec bit of track suddenly appeared so I followed that up a bit before it stopped and I just followed the well trodden rough path up to the summit of East Cairn Hill. Continued on to the big shelter cairn further west (quite a wet boggy stretch that) before retracing my steps all the way to the reservoir. I'd liked the look of the hills across the other side of the glen as a return route, so crossed the dam, headed up the track, and at the high point near a memorial to a shepherdess, went through the gate on the right and up Patie's hill and down the grassy shoulder all the way back to Carlops.

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Passing to South of the North Esk reservoir

East Cairn Hill in the distance

Bore stane maybe?!

Looking back down the fence/wall followed up to East Cairn Hill summit

East Cairn Hill summit cairn looking west to the slightly lower western top (which has a more substantial pile of stones!)

Beautiful weather over the more northerly Pentlands

The impressively large shelter at the western top

Looking back to the summit, just about to head back there again now on my return route

Back at the North Esk Reservoir, this time taking the lochside path past the birdwatching hide. A couple of different types of geese there today.

Walked along the dam at the eastern end to get to the track heading up the hillside

View back down to the reservoir and over to East Cairn Hill

Patie's Hill, the route I'm taking back runs left to right down the grassy 'ridge'

Memorial to a local shepherdess, around the point I left the track

East Cairn Hill from Patie's Hill

Heading back down into Carlops after a nice walk

Got back into the village near the burn and old mill

[gaffr]

I have not been out this far for East Cairn. I was a bit confused by the map where are East and West Kip on the map?.
We have started our traverses of the Hills from Nine Mile Burn after a bus ride out from Edinburgh. Both Hills, probably my favourites, in the Pentland range and are on my own Phone map labelled up on the 1:25,000 scale.
Have not been down there since the 1960's. We got a huge amount of pleasure when out on these hills.

[prog99]

I have not been out this far for East Cairn. I was a bit confused by the map where are East and West Kip on the map?.
We have started our traverses of the Hills from Nine Mile Burn after a bus ride out from Edinburgh. Both Hills, probably my favourites, in the Pentland range and are on my own Phone map labelled up on the 1:25,000 scale.
Have not been down there since the 1960's. We got a huge amount of pleasure when out on these hills.

Yes, this is more of a western outlier of the pentlands. there's a west cairn hill too with some very esoteric bouldering just south of the summit.
Much quieter than the more easily accessed hills south of edinburgh.

[nigheandonn]

The little ridge from Patie's Hill to Green Law leads to the Kips - they're just off the top right corner of the map.

I went out to East Cairn Hill a few year ago along the line of hills from Mount Maw - back more or less by your outward route. Nice, but lonely.