by guyhansfordmbcs » Thu Sep 22, 2011 4:22 pm
Date walked: 21/09/2011
Time taken: 8 hours
Distance: 12 km
Ascent: 450m
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Ignore the 8 hours: it was my second outing after a broken fibula with 6 weeks in plaster and 4 months nursing a massive bruise so I was walking very cautiously, especially among the usual horrible tussocks with the wind blowing 36 gusting 52 mph.
Blaeloch Hill is just one of the score of indistinguishable lumps between Largs/Fairlie and Muirsheil but it has 7 things in its favour.
1) You're climbing up Fairlie Glen 2 minutes after leaving the train at Fairlie; 2) There's a pretty little sheltered picnic spot at a miniature cave and waterfall at the mouth of the Whatside Burn, and slightly bigger ones on the Outermoor Burn; 3) The usual splendid views over the Firth of Clyde; 4) A grandstand view (September 2011) of the line of wind turbines being built between Muirhead Reservoir and Knockendon Reservoir; 5) The turbines' access road is 15 minutes North from the summit if you're scunnert of the tussocks; 6) That road brings you onto the A760 just 600m East of the NE gate of Kelburn Estate for a very pleasant descent through the park; 7) A big bowl of very good soup at the Kelburn Visitor Centre before strolling back along the path to Fairlie Castle.
