Largs,Hill of Stake,Lochwinnoch.

[dunrig]

I've been down to the hills above Largs twice in recent weeks, hoping to climb the Hill of Stake. First time my ribs & knees were not up to it, the second I became distracted & lost in a fog of memory. Now, against my better judgement, it was time for some desperate bagging, ach sometimes you just have to do it, even if it is a crime.

Finished nightshift, caught train to Largs, went as directly as possible over Hill of Stake & down to Lochwinnoch, pathless till Misty Law where you catch a track - higher up still a fine frosty crust to the bogs, gloriously sunny early on, the last miles were a struggle but had a great sleep once home - the sleep of a justified sinner.
Station to station I would guess over 12 miles and over 700m of ascent.

starting out

arran

sunny but still frozen

hill of stake

follow the fence to misty law

looking back

misty law

the black sheep

lochwinnoch - barr loch

[soulminer]

Been up these local hills on many occasions There are some boggy areas you could get sucked into up there at times, depending on the weather I used them to hone my navigation skills, only did them sometimes in the clag,so as to bounce from hillock to hillock on a bearing. A fine idea for a walk Cheers.