Talla and Fruid - Erie Hill and Garelet Dod

[nigheandonn]

It was definitely a quieter night in the bothy this time round - no wild wind and rain, just occasional wild barking as Luna the dog heard imaginary intruders. All the same it was bitterly cold, and I didn't sleep much, finally emerging early in the morning to be told that it was warmer outside the bothy than in!

I was trying for an early start, but it was so nice sitting on the stone bench outside the bothy reading and eating breakfast, and so obviously going to be a lovely morning as soon as the sun crept over the steep hills on the other side of the valley, that I couldn't resist waiting and trying to dry off my wet shoes and socks and trouser legs a bit - or at least warm them.

I finally set off about 9, back along the track to the reservoir - I really didn't think I could face the slope behind the bothy - and as well as preferring the easier slope at the corner, I wanted to visit the New Donald of Laird's Cleuch Rig, besides just having a notion to walk the whole ridge.

Gameshope bothy

The corner might have been easier, but it was still relentlessly steep, and inevitably a long way further up than it looked from the bottom of the slope.

Talla and the way up

I toiled upwards, and stopped for a rest and watched the people arriving to plant trees, and toiled upwards again, to the top of a little gully that dropped towards the water. As I climbed I started to see over the pass to the hills around Megget, but although the sky was clearing again after clouding over for a while, the views were still quite hazy.

Looking down

The slope eased for a bit and steepened again, and I followed a tiny thread of path diagonally upwards with no idea when it would end, until eventually I could see the fence on the skyline, and left the path to head straight up towards the trig point on Garelet Hill.

Garelet Hill summit

Towards Megget

At least once I was up I was up, with the summit of Laird's Cleuch Rig only a gentle walk away.

Lairds Cleuch Rig summit

Erie Hill was a bit more of a slog, over moss and dry patches of the broad grass like old fashioned printer cables, but it wasn't hard - just the frustrating kind of slope that constantly curves away from you.

The summit was more dramatic, though, perched on the edge of a steep drop to the south, and marked with a cairn.

Erie Hill summit

The combination of new fence and old wall led on in a zigzag towards the next summit - down the slope to the left to join the main fenceline, then skirting the top of Fern Hope, which led down to my first sight of Fruid.

Zigzag fence

First glimpse of Fruid

This was a much longer gap between summits and the slow climb to Spier Gairs seemed a very long way, but from there to the summit it suddenly got easier again - not that the landscape changed, I just started to feel like I was getting somewhere.

From Spier Gairs to Garelet Dod

Garelet Dod summit

Looking back the way I'd come from, it was clearly daft to try to divide these into Manor Hills and Moffat Hills and say they were different, when they were just stripy Talla hills, all the same.

Stripy hills

I was on careful counting of time, since I had a definite deadline of the last bus from Moffat at 18:25, and a long way still to go. It seemed daft to turn and leave Din Law behind, but although it was roughly in the right direction there was no easy way off, and I didn't dare risk it. So instead I carried on to the long slope down over Strawberry Hill to Fruid.

Descending to Fruid

This again was one of those slopes that was even longer than it looked - simple enough, but one of those featureless places where it seems to take a long time to get anywhere.

Down by the waterside I sat down for lunch and a proper - if short - rest. I'd now basically finished one walk, over the hills, and was setting off on a completely different one, following part of the old route from Tweedsmuir down to Moffat - which had presumably run down the Fruid valley before the reservoir was there.

I wasn't sure how much of a path there would be - the pink map showed one and the orange map didn't - but the first part was along a track down the far side of the reservoir, before I crossed a little inlet and turned away, along the side of Macrule Hill. There was a faint trace of path here, although it faded out as I came up towards Ballaman Hill, and tried to find the driest route up to where I would meet a fenceline.

Past Ballaman Hill

Somewhere along here there was supposed to be a stone in the shape of a rough chair, called the Resting Stone - I thought at first it would be in the side of the hill, but the map showed it just beside the fence. This was the best candidate I passed, but I didn't have time to go and try it out.

Resting Stone?

The walking was unpleasant here, rough and wet - there was an obvious line, following the fence, but no path, and it took a long time to pass Ballaman Hill. The day was getting warmer, too, and I was running out of water - I hadn't filled up at the Fruid Water because I'd thought I would find a smaller stream later on, and I was regretting it now.

Finding myself faced with a high hill in front of me when I thought I should be coming to the high point of the crossing, I realised that I had followed the fence too far, instead of turning to the right over Barncorse Knowe. So I made my way over, and contoured round above the Powskein Burn, a bit higher up than the marked line of the path, which I didn't really think was there anyway.

Coming round the corner of the hill, where there was a nice little valley, I could finally see the way out ahead - a gap in the hills on the other side of a broad flat place. Although I'd found a path again I didn't really believe it was heading the right way, and headed straight across - I think the path was really just sticking to easier ground than the rough way I took, but at least I found a fast-running burn where I could have a drink, to my great relief.

The watershed

Coming to the cairn that marks the corner of the Annandale way was another relief - I knew I was on good paths from now on. It was about quarter past four, which could have been better but could have been worse - I had a bit over 2 hours left for not quite 6 miles into the town, and I could speed up on the road if necessary - although I knew I'd suffer afterwards if I did!

Annan Way cairn

The good path didn't always make for easier walking - there were quite a few slippery muddy places, and I slid and fell in one of them - but at least I was sure of where I was going. There was more spring around too, after the bare hills - the first primroses since Drumelzier, and the first of the young trees I'd seen that actually had leaves on them.

New tree

Further down I came out through sheep fields and past older plantations of trees to the track running up to the farm at the foot of the Devil's Beeftub - which I only saw from above a year ago.

Devil's Beeftub

Young River Annan

The road seemed unnecessarily long, but I came out into the town with about 10 minutes to spare before the bus, to arrive back in Glasgow with a very sunburnt face, and find some dinner before heading home.

I've been trying to work out the most efficient way to get round the rest of the hills in this area, and failing, but I will be back - they're hard work, but I do enjoy them, and I still need my good view!

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[PeteR]

I love the Donalds in this area........but some of them are steep, steep hills to get yourself on to aren't they Great once you have reached the ridges though.

I have a summer trip planned for sometime this year to pick off a round of about 10 or 11 Donalds and Donald tops in this group (I only have Molls Cleuch Dodd as a Donald to do in the area, but have it in my head I want to do all the tops as well before I compleat and there are a few I've missed from previous visits).

[nigheandonn]

Steep to get off too - not the way I went here so much, but Talla Cleuch Head the night before.

That sounds nice - my problem is trying to fit in all the New Donalds. Dividing up the old Donalds wasn't too bad!