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The Awful Hand

The Awful Hand


Postby EmmaKTunskeen » Thu May 05, 2022 1:15 pm

Corbetts included on this walk: Merrick, Shalloch on Minnoch

Donalds included on this walk: Kirriereoch Hill, Merrick, Shalloch on Minnoch, Tarfessock

Date walked: 23/04/2022

Time taken: 6 hours

Distance: 19 km

Ascent: 1000m

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Early April saw us take a frosty wander up Shalloch on Minnoch, on to Tarfessock and back, and it's then we decided we'd walk the Awful Hand in May. But a window of good weather on 23rd April shunted that forward.

I'm glad we'd popped up there those few weeks before though, because that earlier wander afforded us golden plover, larks and - we're pretty sure - hare prints in the thin layer of snow.

Image009 Golden plovers

Image018 Two larks

Image027 Sitting hare

No white stuff at all this time, but a good clear day meant we could see the Straiton Monument from the Stinchar road and the moorland below was looking peachy.

Image001 Straiton Monument from Stinchar Bridge road

Image004 Morning walk 7-30 am

We were soon up at the Shalloch on Minnoch trig and on to its unmarked summit.

Image005 SonM trig and sky

Image008 SonM top with friends

The first of two little groups of deer ran below us and headed off sure-footed round the steep Tarfessock flank.

Image010 Red deer - first group - below SonM

Image011 Same group

Image012 Same sure-footed deer on steep flank

We followed above, dropping down off Shalloch on Minnoch and rising up to the Tarfessock cairn, to the sound of larks all around, the occasional raven and distant black grouse.

Image013 Tarfessock top with friends

The view ahead from here is fine - I've photographed it so often I didn't bother on this occasion, so here's one from earlier in April.

Image049 People on Awful Hand for scale

Glancing back as we descended, to a bright Loch Macaterick, our next top was Kirriereoch, which I've not set foot on before. I think you could walk all the way round to the right and up its broad shoulder, but after enjoying the flat shelf of Carmaddie Brae (nice name), we took a scramble up the steep rocky, heathery crag ahead of us.

Image015 Erratic and Loch Macaterick

Image016 Balminnoch Loch on Carmaddie Brae a la 1992

Image014 Kirriereoch ahead with scrambling

Image017 Carmaddie Brae with Kirriereoch behind

Image019 Tunskeen from Carmaddie Brae
(Tunskeen of 21st-birthday-in-bothy-without-a-roof memory)

Image020 Euan with Tarfessock and SonM behind

Image023 Steep climb up Kirriereoch

Image024 Steep climb up Kirriereoch

More deer appeared below, which I pointed out to Euan only after he'd scrambled over an awkward vertical rock :D

Image025 More deer

As we popped out at the top, we were met with a meadowy scene before us, with cairn plonked on top followed by another unmarked summit, this one revealing lovely Loch Enoch beyond.

Image027 Kirriereoch cairn after the scramble

Image028 Loch Enoch from Kirriereoch top

This walk also meant it was my first view of the Merrick's more interesting side, and I was duly impressed!

Image029 Merrick Black Gairy from north

Image032 Merrick Black Gairy better

In better light, this could rival many a highland vista.

Image033 Loch Enoch Merrick pano

Image036 Eglin Lane

As we descended Kirriereoch and looked back, we could just make out two humans with dog. (You probably can't unless you magnify the photo, so don't strain!) They were soon to catch us up, and they were doing a long circuit which wouldn't include Benyellary but would instead take them down the Merrick above the Black Gairy. (We were being much more indulgent, with a car at each end!)

Image037 Tiny chaps middle left descending Kirriereoch with spaniel

Not sure what best to do here, we didn't walk up the Little Spear, but took a faint track which seemed to head behind it to the ridge between it and the Merrick's top. It was ok, but I imagine the Little Spear could have been a better route. Humans and spaniel certainly thought so - we met them on the ridge.

Image039 Curling round to the bealach-ish by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

So saying, I liked being just under it and looking down a classic glacier-carve. The 'finger' of The Awful Hand's Merrick was to our left - the route the fellas with dog would take down to the road - and Kirriereoch's 'finger' to our right.

Image040 Glacier to west where Ayrshire meets Dumfries and G

Still, we had two more knuckles to take in, so up we went, chatted with the happy blokes, took a glance back over the head of Little Spear and went on up, where we expected there to be a fair number of Merrickers come up from Loch Trool.

Image043 Little Spear and Kirriereoch with SonM behind

There were, so we took quick snaps at the trig and found somewhere as sheltered as possible from the 40mph cold wind that had got up, so we could tuck into some lunch.

Image045 Merrick summit trig

The spaniel fellas had met another dog-walker, and they headed off to the junction together, eight legs ultimately heading right, and six heading on to Benyellary.

Image046 Benyellary left Black Gairy right

Image047 View roughly southeast- Cairnsmore of Fleet left

And after our rolls and tea/coffee, down we headed to knuckle no.5, Benyellary, enjoying the views around us as we went.

Image048 Lamachan with Cairnsmore of Fleet at back

Image049 Lochs Neldricken - Valley and Round Loch of Glenhead below Lamachan

Image050 Benyellary top

Now came just the long walk out (I'd forgotten how long!) It was roasting hot once we were out of the wind, and my dodgy knee needed strapping up, no matter how much I put it off, before we were down by the Buchan Burn.

Image052 Baby willow and wood anemone on descent

Image053 Lamachan Hill
(in sun this time, unlike my March clag-fest up there.)

Image054 Pipit

Image056 Stonechat

Image057 Loch Trool with Lamachan and Curleywee behind

Image058 Little waterfall after grey wagtail

It's all very pretty once you get to the burn.

Image059 Euan on walk out

And after a lot more stoney plod, we were at Bruce's Stone where we'd left Euan's borrowed car. He drove us back to our car on the Stinchar road and took off home, while I got my boots off, Keens on and drove home to meet him there.

All in all, a beautiful day (albeit a bit of reminder why I hadn't bothered to go back to the Merrick itself for five years - there are more interesting Galloway hills! ;-))
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EmmaKTunskeen
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 391
Munros:31   Corbetts:29
Fionas:14   Donalds:17
Sub 2000:6   Hewitts:50
Wainwrights:41   Islands:28
Joined: Aug 19, 2016
Location: was West Sussex, now Ayrshire

Re: The Awful Hand

Postby Alteknacker » Thu May 05, 2022 11:05 pm

Great stuff - but reading through this report, I didn't recognise any of the hill or place names. And no wonder: I'd never have believed it, but it's in Galloway! - as is clear from the route map at the end!

Very impressive, and counter to all my expectations (of Galloway).

Still more importantly, I now find it even harder to accept your protestations that you have no influence with the weather gods - I mean: was this a brilliant weather day, or was it????
User avatar
Alteknacker
Scrambler
 
Posts: 3473
Munros:176   Corbetts:33
Fionas:1   
Hewitts:264
Wainwrights:118   
Joined: May 25, 2013
Location: Effete South (of WIgan, anyway)

Re: The Awful Hand

Postby EmmaKTunskeen » Fri May 06, 2022 7:13 am

Since my move up from Sussex last April (2021), I get a bit more choice about the weather, Allan, around Galloway at any rate. (Quinag was just a lucky day :lol: )
User avatar
EmmaKTunskeen
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 391
Munros:31   Corbetts:29
Fionas:14   Donalds:17
Sub 2000:6   Hewitts:50
Wainwrights:41   Islands:28
Joined: Aug 19, 2016
Location: was West Sussex, now Ayrshire

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