A fine February afternoon on Birnam Hill

[Inmyowntime]

Having failed to complete the swampy Newtyle HIll, just across the river, the previous day we set off in determined mood to Birnam Hill. Learning the lessons from yesterday, we decided to start from the carpark and miss out the path from Birnam as this can be very muddy in wet spells. We also returned from the summit the way we went up, again missing the potential mudfest on the circular return. Changing the walk in this way didn't detract from a very enjoyable afternoon out with good views.

Birnam Hill, taken from Newtyle the day before

The path was obvious and way marked. There are some steep sections and the final stretch to the cairn needed some care due to small boggy sections and ice on rocks.

Climbing up, the views quickly open out

On previous walks up here I've come across red deer, which surprised me at the time, but at the summit it's obvious that Birnam is right next to a very large expanse of rough, wild land.

At the large summit cairn

After a cup of tea, we headed back the way we came. We stopped to enjoy the surroundings and take some pictures along the way.

Rainbow on the descent

Even fungus can be beautiful

Wee waterfall