Shalloch on Minnoch
Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2011 12:34 am
The Bells memorial car park is just over 2.5 miles past the forestry commission signs for Kirriereoch coming from the Glentrool side or a hundred yards past the sign for Shalloch on Minnoch from the Straiton side.
The Shalloch on Minnoch sign is at the start of a foresty road that leads downhill for just over a kilometre giving your legs a chance to warm up.
You eventually reach a fork with a bridge clearly visible in one direction. Cross the bridge and almost immediately to your right is a land rover track. This leads directly to the abandoned Shalloch on Minnoch farm marked on maps.
Directly beyond the farm is two main options for routes that take you up into the forested area that then takes you up onto the steadily inclining and broad ridge that leads to Shalloch on Minnoch.
I've marked two potential ways up and down on the map. The more north easterly of the two routes is easier either direction and follows a firebreak that can be seen from the farm. Once you've followed this for about a kilometre you can cross the burn (might be difficult following heavy rainfall) and follow fence posts (clearly marked on the OS map - but not the one below) that lead up through another firebreak onto the slope of Shalloch on Minnoch.
The more southerly route looks more direct but actually requires more awareness through intersecting firebreaks in the forest and is potentially heavier and slower going underfoot. (On the detailed walk route and description for Shalloch on Minnoch and Kirrieoch there is a sleeper bridge mentioned as a route across Shalloch Burn if you follow this direction - on my visit it was in a far worse state than pictured (August 11) and it took me a good few hundred metres to find a crossing point further on)
If you look at a 1:25000 OS map before you depart it is worth taking note of the firebreaks that are indicated. They can make a real difference to how long it takes you to get through this section of the walk. The going can be very boggy either route.
This isn't a well worn walk. More likely you will pick up on deer tracks through the forests as opposed to people tracks. On this occasion I was fortunate to see a number of deer several times.
Once through the wooded area it's a straightforward walk to the summit. The view across to Kirriereoch and the Merrick are great from this side of the ridge.
It's quite a tough walk because of how boggy the ground up through the forest is. On the plus side; walking this in August, I saw more species of Butterfly than I've seen on any other walk in Scotland and given that it was a Saturday was surprised to meet only one other person (at the summit) the whole time I was out.
The Shalloch on Minnoch sign is at the start of a foresty road that leads downhill for just over a kilometre giving your legs a chance to warm up.
You eventually reach a fork with a bridge clearly visible in one direction. Cross the bridge and almost immediately to your right is a land rover track. This leads directly to the abandoned Shalloch on Minnoch farm marked on maps.
Directly beyond the farm is two main options for routes that take you up into the forested area that then takes you up onto the steadily inclining and broad ridge that leads to Shalloch on Minnoch.
I've marked two potential ways up and down on the map. The more north easterly of the two routes is easier either direction and follows a firebreak that can be seen from the farm. Once you've followed this for about a kilometre you can cross the burn (might be difficult following heavy rainfall) and follow fence posts (clearly marked on the OS map - but not the one below) that lead up through another firebreak onto the slope of Shalloch on Minnoch.
The more southerly route looks more direct but actually requires more awareness through intersecting firebreaks in the forest and is potentially heavier and slower going underfoot. (On the detailed walk route and description for Shalloch on Minnoch and Kirrieoch there is a sleeper bridge mentioned as a route across Shalloch Burn if you follow this direction - on my visit it was in a far worse state than pictured (August 11) and it took me a good few hundred metres to find a crossing point further on)
If you look at a 1:25000 OS map before you depart it is worth taking note of the firebreaks that are indicated. They can make a real difference to how long it takes you to get through this section of the walk. The going can be very boggy either route.
This isn't a well worn walk. More likely you will pick up on deer tracks through the forests as opposed to people tracks. On this occasion I was fortunate to see a number of deer several times.
Once through the wooded area it's a straightforward walk to the summit. The view across to Kirriereoch and the Merrick are great from this side of the ridge.
It's quite a tough walk because of how boggy the ground up through the forest is. On the plus side; walking this in August, I saw more species of Butterfly than I've seen on any other walk in Scotland and given that it was a Saturday was surprised to meet only one other person (at the summit) the whole time I was out.