Oh My Legs!!!

[Fife Flyer]

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The regular readers of walk reports amongst you will be wondering where I have gone, well I am back after not having set foot on a hill for over 4 weeks - and it certainly felt like it too
On my Donald adventure before this outing I had 11 left and as there still isn't that much daylight I opted for the nearest group of 3. It sounds easy when I say it, but with the majority of Donalds it involves either negotiating Edinburgh or Glasgow and as all motorists know driving round or through these conurbations is a mare even when the roads are quiet. On this outing Glasgow would be the usual nightmare adding well over half an hour each way onto the day I left Fife at 6.30am to try and be ahead of the game but even that plan failed miserably, the satnav forecast a 2 hour drive but I didn't start walking until just after 9am.
I opted to head out on the Friday as that looked to be a better day than Saturday and as I was wandering along I really did begin to think if this is the better day tomorrow will be a complete mare

Not alot of parking space

Doesn't look too clever weather wise

Once I left the road there is a faint path of sorts, but as WH describes it is rather damp and squidgy, it would have been nice to see the way ahead but that option wasn't on the table, so it was just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other and trying to avoid the deeper damp bits

The path, which was better than nothing - only just

A few cairns en route to Shalloch on Minnoch



Much bigger than some summit cairns

Summit trig on Shalloch

Shelter next to the trig

Large summit plateau, nae view though

Navigating in these conditions certainly demands concentration especially on large summit plateau's where the only features are large rocks. When I reached the first cairn on the summit I knew I still had to locate the trig which after a few more steps appeared out of the murk
The descent off Shalloch needed great care as the tussocky grass was wet and determined to catch me out, but I managed to remain on my feet all day

River of snow that was melting slowly

I would imagine if you could see the way ahead this walk would be easy peasy. The route I had planned in theory kept the ascent & descent to a minimum. The problem with that is that there is no path to assist, there are rough paths all over the place between these hills and as I couldn't see where they were going I decided to stick to my route

Summit cairn on Tarfessock, still nae view

Random cairn, not sure why it is there?

Still very grey & dreary

The descent off Tarfessock was just a matter of taking care, nothing difficult, then a plod across a flattish area before the real struggle - ascending up Kirriereoch Hill, I wasn't expecting it to be so steep. Whilst struggling uphill I was trying to avoid the stony areas as my wet boots and wet stones was a recipe I didn't want to think about. I was also thinking about how fatigued I was feeling, so I stopped to eat my lunch hoping that would give me an energy boost. What really worried me was that I still had to ascend the previous 2 hills again

Small summit cairn on Kirriereoch Hill, another large plateau

Useful tip time - I left one of my poles pointing the direction for the descent, very useful on pathless large plateau's

The descent off Kirriereoch was by far and away the hardest part of the walk and I deliberately took my time, especially as no other dafties would be anywhere near if anything untoward were to happen
The trudge back up Tarfessock starting to cause my thighs to cramp up, not at the same time thankfully, it was just a matter of suffering and walking it off

A real problem river crossing, had to pick my spot carefully

Large rock precareously perched

I did have a navigational hiccup on the plateau of Shalloch on Minnoch, I basically went too far in the wrong direction which resulted in a bit of backtracking and getting back on track. It is amazing how lack of visual reference points can confuse your brain and your sense of direction

The best view I could muster all day and that on the final descent from Shalloch on Minnoch - Cornish Loch in the distance

The way down and back to the car

I apologise for the lack decent views but that was outwith my control, a good report if you are a fan of cairns
This walk won't go down as one of my favourites, but in different conditions I can imagine the views are amazing, I was particularly looking forward to seeing Ailsa Craig - but that will have to wait for another day
Looking at photo's on Facebook it definitely looks like I should have headed north as I do rather like an inversion
I don't need to inform you what is next on the horizon - the end of the Donald quest is in sight, only 8 left

[Robertgee]

Enjoyed your report. The Galloway Hills are brilliant, but really tough walking in places. Pity you didn't get the weather for it...makes all the difference. Don't wish to rub it in, but you should have waited till Saturday, it was gorgeous. I was in same area, climbing Cairnsgarroch (a couple of ridges to the east from your route). I could see Kirriereoch Hill, Ailsa Craig & Arran from there. You'd have loved the view. I can sympathise about your legs...mine were pretty knackered too...& I only did the one hill. My last 3 hours walking back to the car was a bit slow, even for me. I've done a walk report too, so have a look for it if you wish. Titled Cairnsgarroch (Rhinns of Kells) by a seldom walked route.

[rockhopper]

Pity it was so grey still, good to get out - can remember it was also grey for me despite a good forecast
Another option is to do a loop and add on the Merrick and the new Donald, Benyellary, but I see you've already covered Merrick - cheers

[Jaywizz]

Favourite hill quote 'Any one as long as the weather is half decent'!!
Well done on this trip but hope weather and views much better for you, especially for your last Donald.