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At the end of a soggy week in late November I decided to head down to Daer Reservoir to walk Comb Law and Ballencleuch Law in the Lowther Hills. The weather was clear, but I was under no illusions as to how conditions would be underfoot. Especially given the amount of water on the road heading towards the reservoir.
I drove along the west side of the reservoir and parked at a nice wide section a couple of hundred meters before Kirkhope Cleuch.
I walked a bit further along the road until reaching the trees just before the cattle grid. Thinking the gap in the trees was a path, I headed in and quickly discovered it was actually a stream, and was already into rather boggy territory. Turning left to the edge of the trees a climbed over a wall into a field. It was scarcely less boggy here, but at least there was a bit of a path, and I could see where I was going.
- Heading towards Comb Law
I followed the wall at the edge of the wood until it turned to the north. I then struck roughly west, diagonally up Comb Law.
- Looking back to Daer Reservoir
Reaching the top, I stopped for a breather at a fence/wall T-junction. The tops of Green Lowther and other northern Lowthers were hidden in the cloud.
- Somewhere in the vicinity of Comb Law summit, with the northern Lowthers nearly lost in cloud
Not being entirely certain where the true summit is, I wondered around the likely spots in the usual fashion, until satisfied I'd touched it, or close enough. Then continued south-west down Comb Law.
- Saw a few of these - protecting livestock from bogs?
- Heading south-west down Comb Law
- Another boggy bit
- Looking SW towards Durisdeer
At the bealach between Comb Law and Hirstane Rig I had to find places to leap over or otherwise cross a couple of deep peat hags.
- Crossing the rift between Comb Law and Hirstane Rig
From here it was up Hirstane Rig and on up to the top of Ballencleuch Law.
- Stones marking the summit of Ballencleuch Law, with a view of Rodger Law
From there it was a pretty easy march across to its twin - the Donald Top Rodger Law.
- Looking SW - more Lowthers
- The cracked visage of Rodger Law
Rodger Law seems to have been the busier of the two, with its own trig, and a lot of metal and wire remains of some kind of structures near the top.
- Remains of some metallic structure on Rodger Law
- Rodger Law trig point - complete with its own moat
From here it was straight down the other side of Rodger Law, and on down Watchman's Brae and back to the road.
- Looking SW from Rodger Law, down to the Daer Water
- Looking down to Daer Reservoir again, with Hitteril Hil to the left of it, Watchman's Brae to the right
- View to Comb Law, over Kirkhope Cleuch
- Heading back to the car
- Water, water everywhere