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Duncolm fae Dumbarton - Old Kilpatrick rail stations.

PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 12:47 pm
by Norman_Grieve
Scaled Duncolm fae E. Dumbarton station, up fae Bowling & back doon tae Old Kilpatrick rail station.

Herebe 1st tranche o' photies.

PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 1:46 pm
by Norman_Grieve
Herebe 1st tranche o' photies:-

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P1010125 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010126 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010127 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010128 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010129 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010130 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010131 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010132 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010133 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010134 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010135 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010136 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010137 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010138 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010139 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010140 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010141 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010142 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010143 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010144 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010145 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010146 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010147 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010148 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010149 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010150 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010151 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010152 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010153 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010154 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010155 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010156 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010157 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010158 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010159 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010160 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010161 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010162 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010163 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010164 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

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P1010165 by ninagrove1913, on Flickr

Re: Duncolm fae Dumbarton - Old Kilpatrick rail stations.

PostPosted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 11:57 pm
by adamg
Was up that way today. Great few hours out. All the Kilpatricks were completely shrouded in mist, very atmospheric. Not many folk about either which is an unexpected bonus up there these days. You seem to have gotten better views yesterday though! :thumbup:

Re: Duncolm fae Dumbarton - Old Kilpatrick rail stations.

PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 2:11 pm
by Norman_Grieve
adamg wrote:Was up that way today. Great few hours out. All the Kilpatricks were completely shrouded in mist, very atmospheric. Not many folk about either which is an unexpected bonus up there these days. You seem to have gotten better views yesterday though! :thumbup:


Aye, which way did ye go then & can ye spot which photie includes a low flying passenger jet? :wink:

Re: Duncolm fae Dumbarton - Old Kilpatrick rail stations.

PostPosted: Mon Feb 11, 2013 3:58 pm
by dunrig
fit like Norman
-looking at your reports I am just an amateur compared to you - there is something admirable in your long haul public transport trips to climb relatively wee hills - lone ranger like on train, bus , and 'trusty steed'...

Re: Duncolm fae Dumbarton - Old Kilpatrick rail stations.

PostPosted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 12:14 am
by adamg
Didn't bother with Duncolm on Saturday as there was no chance of the views north towards Loch Lomond and Arrochar. Ended up heading across the slacks from Carleith then through the forestry behind Loch Humphrey to Fyn Loch then back across the slacks and home again. The best parts of the Kilpatricks are away from the main tracks. Can't see your low flying plane anywhere though :lol:

Re: Duncolm fae Dumbarton - Old Kilpatrick rail stations.

PostPosted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 1:41 am
by ChrisW
Lovely shots of a fine looking wander so far Norman.......but did you keep that camera in a woolly pocket :lol: the shot numbered P1010145 is a beauty (but for the hairy bits)

TR. pt.2

PostPosted: Mon Apr 15, 2013 12:12 pm
by Norman_Grieve
Wance again the gallop doon yon hill tae catch the 7.38am fae Airberdin tae Queen St. was uneasily plain sailing, nae doubt lulling ma intae a false sense o' security...

If only Frankie Boyle had been with me on the 10.41am fae Glasgie
Queen St. tae Dumbarton, I reckon he'd hae garnered enuf material for
an entire standup tour.

This courtesy o' twa couples o' neds, who shared ma part o' t'
carriage and engaged in a deadpan Weegie confab concerning a lang
sequence o' graphic descriptions o' busts by 'the polis', ensuing
chases / escape attempts / injuries received, queries o'er the
whereabouts of various aquaintances who'd 'got the jail', bad trips...

After initially having being p*ssed after the 10.23am tae Balloch was
cancelled, as the 10.41am tae Helensburgh didnae stop at the nearest
stations tae the hills, Bowling & Old Kilpatrick, I viewed the fine
entertainment as yet more evidence of the truth of that auld saying
'Every cloud hath a silver lining'... Even before the appearance o'
the neds, I chatted amiably with the ticket inspector who teld moi
that if I got off at Dumbarton it would only take me 10 mins or so to
get back tae Bowling, along a pleasant cycleway, along which he
himself regularly went for a run...

Unfortunately he either didnae tell moi hoo tae get fae Dumbarton East
station onto said cycleway, or I didn't listen, consequently I soon
found mesen riding doon the A814, first through a town centre, past a
few wee shops & hooses, then an industrial estate & large hotel on the
left. I eventually spotted the fabled cycleway doon below moi [running
along a disused railway line?], as I crossed o'er a bridge to join the
A82 dual carriageway. As I couldnae see an easy way doon the bank o'er
the fence I opted tae follow the pavement alongside the road, still
wary of such roads following a motor running intae the back o' moi at
speed a few months earlier...

I hadnae gang faur right towards Glasgie, when I came across a sign
pointing up a lane to the left of another large hotel, which indicated
the start of a circular hill walk. After following this for a short
distance I thought better of it and returned tae the pavement
alongside the bust dual carriageway, where I carried on past the wee
hamlet of Milton. Round a wide right hander I then passed a BP petrol
station close to a lane leading off left, thence a lang straight led
to a roundabout. Here a wide, well worn dirt track led up left, which
I was disuaded fae following by a sign ordering one to report tae the
quarry site office...

Here I devised a cunning plan to avoid the said site office, which I
imagined lay only a short distance up yon track. This involved
continuing my ride alang the dual carriageway, which led slightly to
the left up above the A814 into Bowling, then doubling back along a
track below Auchentorlie House. My initial doubts that this hastily conceived plan hadnae been fully thought through, quickly surfaced when the pavement which I'd been following soon disappeared, to be first replaced by a hard packed dirt fringe at the edge of the dual carriageway, alang which heavy traffic thundered just a couple o' feet tae ma right.

These increased when even this disappeared & I dismounted to pick ma way amongst the littered grass, amonst which lay the detritus thrown out the window o' generations of Glasgie bound motorists. Thus I was somewhat relieved when I reached the haven of the said track leading back up left towards Auchentorlie House, even if it was marked by a wee sign marked 'Strictly Private'. Back in the saddle I swang left past a wee cottage / gatehouse, then up round to the right to a left turn over a bridge spanning the burnie coming down fae wee wooded Auchentorlie Glen.

I then cut doun left again following a rougher track through the woods, thence back right below Auchentorlie House, to join the wide, well worn quarry track just a couple o' hunnerd yards above it's start at the officious sign beside the roundabout. I followed this track steeply up right, ignoring less distinct tracks leading off 1st to the left, then right, pausing to snap the view up the Clyde to the Erskine Bridge, as I basked in the pleasant, warmish mid-winter sunshine.

Those doubts resurfaced, as a succession of big quarry trucks ground their way up & down the hill, as I led mein steed ever upwards, round twa bends up right, then back left towards an auld fort perched on the rocky wee Sheep Hill. My misgivings were then thrown intae sharp focus as a mannie clad in hi-vis vest & helmet strode doon the track towards moi... 'I cannae let ye come up here', says he, with remarkable restraint, nae doubt bottling up his real emotions. 'You'll hiv tae gang back doun tae the main road', he continued, going onto explain that I should have followed the track back up past the BP station...

'OK', I replied, looking back down the 500ft of ascent, up which I'd just slogged, hauling up mein steel hoss, with the sweat running doon ma face in rivulets. I then turned unceremoniously round, remounted & slowly rode back down tae the first bend, looking back o'er ma shoulder tae check that auld Mr Jobsworth had walked back up the track & was safely oot 'o sight. I then heaved mein steed o'er the left bounding fence & led her up tae the short distance to the foot o' a wee wood, where I relaxed a smigeon in the cover, afore advancing up through the trees.

Continuing with ma modified 'cunning plan, mk. 2', I soon leapt o'er the top bounding fence o' the narrow strip o' trees and advanced up the field above, steed in tow, being careful to rmain below the skyline bounding the edge of the superquarry awa on ma left. I crept up yon fields, weaving ma way through the odd wee flock o' bemused sheep, aiming for the upper left corner of the woods dropping doun intae Auchentorlie Glen, on ma right. The going was easy enuf, given the closely cropped grass, courtesy of the aforementioned wee beasts [and mebbe the odd rabbit], thus it wasnae lang afore I hit a rather muddy track, curving round the foot of the upper quarry, Rigangower, following a narrow strip of grassland above the woods.

After dropping doun then climbing back up again, this soon ended at some fairly marshy ground, close to a wee burn running up an even narrower strip twixt the left side of the forest & Rigangower. Thus I decided tit was high time tae change intae ma fancy red SK4 Verto booties & sat doon below a steep grass bank tae begin this onerous task. As I was doing so, a loud engine noise started up just above ma heid & startled I hastily laced up ma boots & set off apace across the boggy ground. Looking back I soon saw that the cause of ma disquiet was a large yellow bulldozer, which was noo sending torrents of earth doon the side of yon bank.

Rather relieved at ma latest narrow escape, I carried on round the top edge of Rigangower, which was looking mair o' a landfill site than a bona bide quarry, fully expecting to be pursued at any second by a herd o' hi-vis clad, safety helmet sporting officials. Only wance I'd crossed leftwards under twa parallel lines o' pylons, jumping a wee burnie en-route, I started tae relax, pondering my near demise under a pile o' Weegie refuse. Things soon brightened up further as I hit upon a guid track, which led round to the corner of the forest on the right.

Here I even had the luxury o' a return tae the saddle, shortly dismounting wance mair tae take a snap looking doon o'er Greenland Reservoir no. 3, to the scene o' ma brush with premature burial. Back in the saddle I then ground ma way up the ascent o' the west flank o' Brown Hill to arrive at a fork, the left o' which sported a familiar wee sign, showing that I was back on the circular hill walk which I'd last eschewed back doon at Milton. Evidently nae having learned ma lesson, I took the right fork & pedalled o'er a snowy col down tae a half frozen Greenland Reservoir no. 1.

Returning back the way I'd come, after snapping that fine body of water, hidden in the forest, I then took the right fork [left when I'd last approached it], following the course o' the fabled 'circular hill walk'. After a few hunnerd yds I again quit this, as I took the right fork, arriving shortly thereafter at the dam wall of the rather more imaginatively named Black Linn Reservoir. I trundled alang the top o' this fine edifice, thence snapping the view back alang o'er the sun-kissed, iced water.

Here I dismounted & led mein steed onwards up the fair path which headed up ontae the open moor, things becoming rather more laborious when I opted tae leave the path, as it swang round leftwards towards the summit of Doughnot Hill. Things got progressively more tussocky & boggy, as I pressed onwards o'er the broad, flat wastes, snapping the distant views to the NW towards the by noo familiar sight of that high & mighty pyramid, Ben Lomond.

After a fair bit o' this rather exhausting going, nae helped by the burden o' ma steel hoss, a steep wee bank led up to a heathery table top, with drier, rather more pleasant going. Following this rightwards I dropped doon it's far side towards the head of the sizeable Fyn Loch. Here progress eased somewhat, with traces of a helpful wee path, slanting up towards a lang, straight wall, to the north of Fynlock Hill.

Here mein elusive objective o' Duncolm finally came intae view, marginally the highest? o' the scattering o' wee tops hereabouts. As I followed the wall doun fairly rough ground, all traces of a path having noo vanished, I was surprised tae see a mannie & his doggie, apparently strolling with ease alang a guid path heading back fae Duncolm, alang the foot o' Middle Duncolm.

Thus I soon quit the wall and headed across mair rough, boggy ground, crossing a wee burnie, nae far o'er the other side emerging ontae said grand highway. I then dumped mein cumbersome steed at the foot o' the final steep wee summit climb, taking the more well worn, leftmost of the twa wee paths tae breach the steep walls ahead. Relieved o' ma beast o' burden, I skipped up the fine wee trod, arriving just a few mins later on the summit, where I had soon mounted the OS column, c.3hr after disembarking at Dumbarton East, the time noo being c. 2.15pm.

The extensive view ranged fae ma recent conquests o' the Campsies in the east, the fleshpots o' Weegieland tae the south and the isles o' lower Loch Lomond to the NW, backed my the snowy Luss Hills & the fine pyramid of mighty Ben Lomond. Just below to the NE lay Lily Loch with Burncrooks & Kilmannan Reservoirs nestling mostly in the forests. There was only a light & very patchy scattering of snow underfoot, a far cry fae the Siberian icy wastes of the NE fae where I'd travelled that morning.

As it was clouding over & none too warm once wan stopped, I was soon on the go again, following a less distinct grassy path to the SW over the gently sloping summit area, then dropping steeply off the end, moving right to rejoin mein patiently waiting steed. I remounted and sped along the well worn path past the foot of Middle Duncolm, jumping off wance mair beside the wide col with imaginatively named Little Duncolm. Abandoning my steel hoss for a 2nd time I then sauntered up the short climb tae the summit o' Middle Duncolm, a wee path easing progress up a steep step low down.

The sun lit up the distant snowfields of Ben Ledi to the NE, on which I zoomed in for a worm-eaten shot, for the dissatisfaction o' wan reader... An even mair rapid descent back doon tae ma hoss & I was soon galloping awa o'er the col twixt Little Duncolm & Fynlock Hill, which I'm ashamed tae admit ah couldnae be bothered tae climb. Given that it has a 400m contour & Duncolm is given a height o' 401m, I later wondered whether I might some day live tae regret this slothful neglect...

Anyways I raced doon the wide trod, worn by generations o' atypical Weegiemen, towards the irregular expanse o' Loch Humphrey Reservoir, my breakneck descent being slowed lower down, as the angle eased & the surface became boggier. Still it wasnae lang afore I was across the final flat stretch to the north end o' the track, where some lazy hillgoer had left his/her vehicle. I'd hae bin doun even quicker if ah hadnae stopped tae take several mair photies looking o'er tae the vastness o' Taggert's merder capital o' Europe, wan o' which captured a low flying jet, still apparently awaiting ID by any SHills reader.

After zooming past the dam at the foot o' the loch I ground ma way up a last wee hill fae where I snapped the view doon the water towards Dunoon & back o'er the loch tae the wee hills I'd just conquered [mostly]. A steepening gallop doon the track then led below a wee quarry where I was astounded tae see a chap & his wee daughter, apparently stuck on a very steep tongue of rough scree. I paused whilst they traversed onto slighly less precipitous slopes, then raced on round the corner to the left, halting at a gate for a shot up the Clyde tae fair Glasgie toun.

A pair o' bonnie wee lassies dressed in pink & white shellsuits approached with a typical friendly Weegie greeting. As I sped doun the Kilpatrick Braes I passed a steady trickle o' yet more pink & white shellsuit clad bonnie wee lassies, idly wondering what Mr Boyle would hae made o' this remarkable phenomenon. I paused tae zoom in on the Erskine Bridge & scattered wee tower blocks stretching awa into the distance, towards MC Central. A final halt beside Drums farm, complete with Highland coo, then I reached the end o' the lane & followed an underpass beneath the A82, soon leading to a walkway leading tae Old Kilpatrick station.

A few minutes later the choo-choo arrived & I was on ma way back tae Queen St., where I finally bumped intae ma lang lost blonde-bombshell idle Snr. Safety Officer. She seemed less than impressed with the state of ma bedraggled mount & after chewing the cud for a wee whiley, she urged moi tae get mesen through the barriers toute suite, lest I missed ma train...

Das ist alles mein volk!

PostPosted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 1:42 pm
by Norman_Grieve
That's all folks! :wink:

Bawbee?

PostPosted: Sat Apr 20, 2013 4:54 pm
by Norman_Grieve
The Lorelei is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, Germany, which soars some 120 metres above the waterline. It marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea, and is the most famous feature of the Rhine Gorge, a 65 km section of the river between Koblenz and Bingen that was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in June 2002. A very strong current and rocks below the waterline have caused many boat accidents there.

Lorelei is also the name of a feminine water spirit, similar to mermaids or Rhine maidens, associated with this rock in popular folklore and in works of music, art and literature. :D

Re: Lorelei ?

PostPosted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:23 pm
by Norman_Grieve
RTC wrote:
Norman_Grieve wrote:Lorelei is also the name of a feminine water spirit, similar to mermaids or Rhine maidens, associated with this rock in popular folklore and in works of music, art and literature. :D


I can only assume that this information is meant as a put-down to my friendly but perhaps not very successful attempt at humour


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bawbee

A bawbee was a Scottish halfpenny. The word means, properly, a debased copper coin, valued at six pence Scots (equal at the time to an English half-penny), issued from the reign of James V of Scotland to the reign of William II of Scotland. They were hammered until 1677, when they were produced upon screw presses.


RTC, thanks for your most thought provoking & amusing piece

Assume makes an ass of U & me... :wink: