Erie Hill and Tops, via Silver Jubilee Road

[jgregor]

It was an early start due to dropping my eldest off for his day's activity at 6.30am. While driving down the A702 in the dark isn't what I'd call fun, it did give me the opportunity to start a hike at day-break. I arrived at the road up to Fruid Reservoir and pulled into the southern of the two entrances to the Silver Jubilee Road. Light was starting to spread across the land, but the sun wasn't yet visible, and there was still a thick frost covering everything white. It was below freezing, but still and quiet - what I would call an ideal winter's morning, except it wasn't winter yet for another few weeks. I followed the Silver Jubilee Road south on the side to the west of the Menzion Burn.

Early morning start on the Silver Jubilee Road

Frosty view over Fruid Reservoir

Looking down to Over Menzion

The sun rising just north of Erie Hill

Looking down the Menzion valley, the sun now reaching the road I'd just walked along

An abandoned go-cart

By the time I got to the southern extent of the road the frost had almost completely gone. Erie Hill was now near at hand, and I found a spot that wasn't too boggy to scramble up the banking by the road and up onto the hill. I made my way through the heather and over to the fence.

The southern extent of the Silver Jubilee Road, with Erie Hill looking over

Leaving the road to start up Erie Hill

Still early - around 9am

This was familiar territory for me, as I had ascended Erie Hill before. The previous occasion I had come up from the head of the Fruid Reservoir, and climbed up on the other side of the fence from where I now stood. Erie Hill is one of my favourite Donalds - unlike many Donalds it has the classic steep-sided dome shape and well defined summit area.

Looking back down to Fruid Reservoir

The Silver Jubilee Road from Erie Hill

After pausing for a rest at the summit cairn, I continued on my way north over the Donald Tops of Laird's Cleuch Rig and Garelet Hill. After the huff and puff up Erie, these two were much easier, and with good views over the extensive hills all around. Between the two tops there's a gate in a deer fence allowing easy access to the Garelet Hill summit outside of the forestry land.

The two tops - Laird's Cleuch Rig and Garelet Hill - from Erie Hill summit

Looking over at Talla Cleuch Head

Megget Reservoir and St Mary's Loch just visible

Near the summit of Laird's Cleuch Rig

Garelet Hill trig, looking over Talla Cleuch Head to Broad Law

From the Garelet Hill trig I turned west, passed back through the deer fence via another gate and descended the west side of the hill. At the bottom I followed a tributary of the Menzion Burn until I arrived back at the Silver Jubilee Road at a sharp bend at Laird's Cleuch.

Heading down the west side of Garelet Hill, back towards the Jubilee road

Following a tributary of the Menzion Burn to the Jubilee Road at Laird's Cleuch

Once more I followed the Silver Jubilee Road, this time as it wound back north-west, offering fine views over the Talla Reservoir.

Following the eastern section of the road north

The dam end of the Talla Reservior

The head of Talla Reservoir

The north end of the Silver Jubilee Road

Back on the Fruid road

The Silver Jubilee Road ends at a farm track. Going left leads up the valley to Over Menzion, which looked long abandoned when viewed from the road above earlier that morning. Going right leads back to the Fruid road, a few hundred meters north of where I started.