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This weekend, for change the weather was supposed to be dry on Thursday night so I thought we could get away then rather than wait til Friday morning. So I went off to pick Allison up after her work...in the rain. The Afton Hills were the focus for this weekend's excitement and I'd made up a circuit from the Afton Reservoir that would hopefully include an overnight at Clennoch Bothy. I'd done a similar circuit in the past involving these hills, but from the south - the approach from Afton is significantly shorter. Where to camp in these southern hills is always a worry for me - I had vague recollections of there being flat green areas around the Afton Dam so thought we'd take a risk and try that out...
Dark roads, rain persisted for most of the journey, easing off when we were driving along the narrow road from New Cumnock to the dam itself. The car park is currently closed - "unstable trees" but there is a wide enough area for parking just before it. I don't remember all the large Scottish Water industrial buildings, but maybe that's just a lacuna in my memory. We sat and had our tea in the car before packing up the rucksacks and walking a shortish way towards the dam, where we found a nice grassy verge to camp on. Stars were out, water running by in the trees. I lay in bed, my mind mishearing the gurgling of the water as music...specifically Irish type ballads. Sometimes I hear water as voices in conversation (but can't make out the words), sometimes, if the pitch is just right, it's music. I consider it similar to seeing images in flames or clouds...
250775D8-7333-4F41-BE8F-EDF0115780AD by
Al, on Flickr
We got up neither early or late on Friday, cloudy day but at least dry. I had planned to head up the flank of Blackcraig Hill from Craigdarroch, but thinking of my companion I decided we'd walk along the road to the bridge at Blackcraig and take the farm track up all the way to Quintin Knowe. The downside of this is having to walk along the road, downhill, for almost 2 miles, losing the best part of 100m elevation in the process. The track is alright, until it ends at the fence line on Quintin Knowe and you're onto soggy stuff.
A slow pull to the summit of Blackcraig, which is slightly to the north of the trig point. Then down to a very soggy bealach with Blacklorg Hill, something I will describe as walking on a waterbed with added tussocks. Long climb back nap - this is a subMarilyn, only 150cm short of being a Graham itself. Fenceline following next - Meikledodd Hill, who's summit seems to be marked with a stick, then away downhill again towards Alwhat. I remembered doing these hills with Allison previously, having come in from the south, and having to virtually force feed her chocolate covered marzipan as she was so exhausted. She remembered that episode with distaste, having no stomach for marzipan.
Blackcairn
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
Towards Meikledodd
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Al, on Flickr
Afton Reservoir
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Al, on Flickr
We made Alhang with the aid of some Lidl Hippos and I had a think about what to do next. I had intended to head over Moorbrock hill then have a walk up the track to the bothy, but that was still some 8km away, and time was getting on. It occurred to me (sometimes I am a bit simple) that we could walk the other half of the loop, over Windy Standard, ending at the bothy with about 4km less...Allison was in full agreement with that cunning plan. Just one big down and up then, from Alhang to the flank of Windy Standard, onto wind farm track almost to the summit then across Tristan Hill and to the final summit of the day, Dugland, which is now a Donald Top, having been merely a Simm when I did it first time. From the summit we made a beeline for where the bothy should be, and indeed the flat, squat building appeared out of the gloom as we got lower. I fetched some water from the Bow Burn and we headed inside.
Windy Standard
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
Windy Standard summit
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
Dugland
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Al, on Flickr
Carsphairn and the bothy
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
We'd stayed here once a few years back, a dark walk in from Craigengillan. It has no fire, so we didn't expect any company, and indeed it seemed to have been visited only 3 times since the start of October, if entries in the bothy book can be believed. Mice had been active however...We swept up the offending substances and made our tea before settling down for the night. A gorgeous clear sky overnight, with a sharp crescent moon and lots of stars pricking the velvet sky. An undisturbed night.
745368BE-958F-4D5F-9D7D-4A026AC47A68 by
Al, on Flickr
Sunshine, yes sunshine! on Saturday morning. We had decided to mount another assault on Dugland (don't ask why) and left our packs behind in the bothy. As we stepped out we saw a strange sight - a woman high stepping in what we initially took to be shorts, but later realised were pink trousers, through the high grass on her way towards Cairnsmore. We used the track for a bit then up the steep grassy flank to the top of Dugland, before retracing our steps, picking up our packs and heading along the track towards Moorbrock. A raven flew over, laughing away at the sight of such pitiful earthbound creatures hobbling along the path while he could soar in the clear sky. Someone had left several loads of keeps out for the deer, who appeared to have been busy chomping them. There's a nice track up Moorbrock, which was welcome this morning - we walked along the summit plateau towards the north, having Keoch Rig as the only other summit for the day.
Dugland
84D3EEFE-0CA8-4845-8523-53E397BC1651_1_201_a by
Al, on Flickr
Cairnsmore of Carsphairn
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
Moorbrock to Windy Standard
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Al, on Flickr
ADBBD3C5-B4D2-4BE7-949A-2F04D597784A_1_201_a by
Al, on Flickr
New turbines on Keoch Rig
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Al, on Flickr
We followed a good deer track down from Moorbrock to the wind farm track before Keoch Rig and sat down in the sun to have our lunch. An Ayrshire man, Alan, stopped to talk with us for a while, and we were also joined by the pink-trousered woman from earlier on who turned out to be Sunny Adventures, whom we'd met in February 22, prior to her Full-House completion. She's now going after a second Full-House and was doing the full loop we'd planned, plus Cairnsmore and Benniner all in one day. Quite something...
We wandered up the track, noting that new roads and new turbines have been added in since the most recent OS mapping. From the summit we headed back towards Windy Standard, thinking we might as well go back to the top, it was very close to where we were. Then a gentle descent mostly on wind farm track back towards the dam. I had planned to head somewhere else today, but it was after 3.30 by this time and a bit late to drive anywhere different when we had options of good camping spots near the dam. There were still people wandering about, going up and down from the dam, so it did feel a little self-conscious putting the tent up, but we guessed they'd disappear when the light faded. Which they did. It was going to be a cold night - the wet outer of the tent froze pretty much as soon as we pitched it.
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
I wandered back to the car for some water and crisps, took a wander up the steps to get some mobile signal to check the weather - another fine day tomorrow - jings crivvens
I had originally planned to head over for teh Elvan/Lowther Hills but it made more sense to head round to Carsphairn and do the three Donalds around Corran of Portmark - that would get everything in the SW region done. Another quiet night, too far from the sound of water to have any hallucinatory music tonight.
It had been cold, the outside of the tent frozen stiff, just like our boots. At least two lots of people came walking with dogs up by the tent whilst we were having breakfast before 8am. Perhaps not surprising as it looked a peach of a day - unbroken blue skies. When we got back to the car, doors frozen stuck, it told me that it was -1.5, but driving into New Cumnock the gauge fell to -5.5, a temperature inversion. All was frosty and white as we headed through Dalmellington bound for Carsphairn. Roadside vegetation was beautified with hoarfrost. We parked at the Green Well where another 4 cars had arrived before us - I guess doing Cairnsmore of Carsphairn. We set off along the farm road when Allison realised she'd not got her phone and thought she'd left it on the car roof...I ran back to collect it and we resumed our amble. Really pleasant to be walking in sunshine for a change.
Past the farm buildings at Garryhorn and towards the remains of the lead mines which, in the mid-19th Century was home to around 300 people with 50 houses, school etc. Not much left standing now, lots of spoil heaps. A chap on a mountain bike passed us before we started uphill. Despite the cold temperatures it was hot work heading uphill in the sunshine and various layers were shed. We paused at the top of Corran of Portmark for lunch, looking across at Loch Doon and the Galloway Hills we'd endured such awful weather in last weekend. A descent - minor - on ATV track to the DT of Bow before climbing up to Meaul. From here there is another drop then a climb of more than 100m to the final hill of the day, Cairnsgarroch. Some sections of hard frozen snow.
993CE5BA-B907-4CB3-A85E-2FA9D3767BDF_1_201_a by
Al, on Flickr
C1C3000C-6015-4865-B0DB-E430C3C97864_1_201_a by
Al, on Flickr
D230C149-87DF-4DC7-8628-5C4942270CDF_1_201_a by
Al, on Flickr
Portmark to Meaul
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Al, on Flickr
To Cairnsgarroch
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Al, on Flickr
From the summit there is a clear path that seems to be going in the right direction...until it disappeared in amongst some boulders - or we lost sight of it. Anyway, from there we were into the land of tussocks which sadly ruined what had been a lovely day out. I think whoever invented tussocks should be hung, furthermore I think oS maps should be obliged to record their presence with the sort of warnings reserved for minefields...skull and crossbones would do fine. My most hated terrain type and really bad for Allison's back. Even when we tried following ATV tracks across the tussocks, the vehicles had not been heavy enough to do any more than slightly flatten the tussocks. And the local sheep hadn't made paths either. It took an eternity to get where we wanted to be - the footbridge marked on the map. Which - needless to say - was now only a single strand of rusted metal. Fortunately there was a reasonable ATV track along the riverside to a ford which was not too deep. Back at the car a good deal later than anticipated thanks to the terrain. I don't remember the return from Cairnsgarroch being as hostile on the two previous occasions.
Bridge
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Al, on Flickr
C0851156-028B-472C-98AA-7D22DA08858C_1_201_a by
Al, on Flickr
