Queensberry Trio

[The English Alpinist]

This walk was preceded by 'The Lowther Hills'
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=128703

Queensberry, with Penbreck in fhe foreground across a deep divide, as seen from Earncraig Hill.

<<<<<<<<< Thornhill, A702 ............................... Beattock, Moffat, M74 >>>>>>>>>>

A short and sweet walk report, for a short(ish) and not always sweet walk! In contrast to the day before, this time I was treated to full visibility and golden sunshine from the start, but it was a nice temperature being late March. Kinnelhead made for a pretty starting point to tackle these hills from the west, although it is probably a better ascent from the other side (as indeed one couple had done, the only folk I saw all day), but the advantage here is that you can virtually hop straight off the motorway to get there. Alas, the path is not wonderful beyond the farm, if there is one at all. I see from past reports I am not the only one to perform the 'Queensberry cheat' from this direction - no, not a chess move - and scramble over a bit of fencing to acquire the forestry tracks instead, so annoying was the moorland. The downside of this was a final scramble up through forestry debris to the upper slopes, but I've had worse of that type of thing. Queensberry itself is a lovely summit and viewpoint, well worth a visit - I can't say the same for the second and especially third Donalds of this day.

The farm at Kinnelhead, Queesnberry is about 5k away, the big cloud-topped hill on the left.

One gets looked at.

The 'Queensberry cheat' is not a chess opening. Bit of fence scaling and forestry track use.

Looking back on what I've got done.

Queensberry, 2,287 feet (697m), with other Lowther Hills in view.

There's that, before you can get across to Earncraig (or just go around).

Doesn't look half bad from below; the Penbreck-Earncraig divide, I came down that.

I suppose you could say the sweeping route to acquire Earncraig and Gana Hill from Queensberry is 'interesting'. Through sheer lax map-reading, I failed to realise what a deep cleft there is between Penbreck (the lower satellite of Queensberry) and Earncraig Hill. The recognized route takes you on a detour around this, which I only realised later on checking over what I'd done. I found myself dipping down into this rather forbidding (at first sight, from above) cleft, but it is perfectly doable - for I did it - so long as you don't descend too soon, ie too west, down the most severe part. Getting up the other side onto Earncraig was easy, but I'm unsure whether this unintentional 'shortcut' would have saved me any time. Earncraig itself is a good viewpoint too, so perhaps I do it a disservice. It's the getting to it, or from it from Gana Hill - indeed I had to do both for my route today, to get back to Kinnelhead - that is the issue. Despicable bog between it and Gana Hill; utterly drenched feet time, unless wearing wellies (which I am contemplating as a future strategy). Some people have attempted to identify paths through this kilometre of mush: forget it, anything that materializes that looks like a path should be avoided. Gana's summit is a questionable reward for one's forbearance, a barren kind of place, and I don't expect to visit it again.

Gana Hill, 2,192 feet (668m), looking back to Earncraig Hill and Queensberry.

Half way down Gana Hill, if in mist this cairn would tell you you are 'somewhere' I guess.

Return journey ascent of Earncraig Hill; Burleywhag Bothy is down in that valley. Should have visited.

Having done Earncraig Hill (for the second time), I make progress along the delightful Lamb Hill.

The shed at Crook Burn was a major target.

One has to nosey inside, you never know what treasures you might find.

Unexpectedly good bridge. No fording necessary today.

With a dubious sense of satisfaction, I returned to Earncraig Hill, which is a fair dip and separation from Gana as well as the bog. From here, I did not want to go home the same way over Queensberry (or indeed the using the orthodox detour around the cleft either), so had opted instead to strike out along the 'on paper' innocuous-looking Lamb Hill but in reality a peat grough tramp entailing fence traversing, and descend off the end of that across raw moorland to reach some kind of building marked on the map at Crook Burn. This turned out be an old shed, still half in use apparently, but to me it was a veritable oasis - my point of 'escape' from the moor and arriving at a good track for the rest of the way. Even on mere 'hills', Scotland's terrain is so unforgiving, and keeps its teeth into you until the bitter end. Not quite as bad as my Rannoch Moor experience, however, where I went in up to my thigh just 5 metres short of the lovely track I was aiming for that day. As a postcript here, I managed to miss a key junction on the way back (complacency with map again), spoiling a little but a beautiful glen stroll, taking me up the hillside on a forestry road, necessitating a downward scramble through ex--forest to get to where I should have been. Nothing too awful, and a sort of cute circular route more or less executed as planned. I half recommend.

It's goodbye to 'the shed'.

Pleasurable stroll back to Kinnelhead (so far).

The east face of Whiteside Hill, across the glen from my return track.

The path goes down there, and to the right. Now I see it ('now', not at the time of walking).

Returning to the parking place.

One drives slowly along this road. Moffat beyond.

PS I depart for Skye and the mighty Cuillins this week - bit of a contrast, what?

[The English Alpinist]

A belated writing up of this walk has now be done - and at the time of writing I am en route up the Cuillins, no less. I believe I am ready. Necessary research done, with an attitude erring more on the side of plain fear than relish - but that's probably no bad thing in this case.