First Hill of 2023

[DoogHarden]

After having a quiet 2022 in terms of hillwalking I decided to work my way back up to the bigger munros and corbetts and Dumglow was a very good call.
The very beginning of the walk, once you go through the first gate in the deer fence, is probably the "worst" of it in terms of ascent. I didn't try to walk up and over the Innean hill and walked the path around the side of it instead. I did struggle with the forestry gate which was at the beginning of the straight that takes you most of the way to Dumglow. It was difficult to get my hand through to the other side and it felt like it wasn't going to open. I walked back up a small part of the path and spoke to a couple of women from Glasgow who were out with their lovely wee dog Archie. I explained that I couldn't get it open but it turns out I was just missing a trick and they got it open.
I tagged along with the three of them from that point until we reached the top. The route description did warn of trees blocking the straight path up towards Dumglow but we made a slight detour and got out of the dark plantation in time for the sun coming up properly. We then followed the grassy path up to the trig point and summit cairn.
The views were amazing and we took some snaps and found a sheltered area to have something to eat and drink. The ladies and Archie headed off before me so I made the way back down myself. I went back the exact same way to the sign post but followed it to the left and followed the forestry track all the way back to the road where I parked the car.
This is a good route and a nice wee hill for those who want to get into hill walking, get back into it without going to big too soon or if you stay in Fife or Kinross and want something close by. I'll definitely do this one again and maybe change it up a bit.