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We were hoping for it to be sunny like the day before (and day after) but it was overcast for the most part. Fortunately the wind barely picked up all day except from at the top of BFH.
[My full gallery from the day can be found at:
http://ianparkphotography.blogspot.co.uk/2017/03/killyleoch-hill-and-bishop-forest-hill.html].
KILLYLEOCH:
Parked in a lay-by and walked up through Newtonairds Lodge to join the farm road. Brief walk through trees before onto the main field and then to a walk beside Smithy Wood. The path here is enormous, but there is a lot of gate-crossing involved. Quickly taken through some wonderful woodland and passed a brick building. After the corner, there is a sign for 'Killyleoch Hill' but you can go right here and visit Loweberry Loch while still returning to the same track.
Loweberry Loch had Greylag and Barnacle Geese as well as some Shelducks.
We walked up beside an electric fence and through wooden gates (after Jack being tazed 3 separate times), passing a newly-built and charming holiday house (or so we thought; it was tiny - perhaps a bird hide?).
I had planned for us to follow the fire break up to the left but it was completely hidden by felled trees so we continued up the path and turned left. Followed the forestry path down to one of the most picturesque ponds I've ever seen - it was enshrouded by trees but I can imagine that it looks even better in summer
Returned to the now visible (phew) fire break and followed the dry stone dyke on the right hand side up to the end of the forestry.
Traversed a couple of fences after Jack's dog spotted a hare and then went right, up to the craggy summit. We returned the same way many people go up - following the forestry border around and then going through the field back down to Brides Burn.
View from near the top:
Summit area:
Summit cairn:
The many dry stone dyke traversals:
A pondering Highland cow:
BISHOP FOREST:
Once again parked in a lay-by and walked up to the Captainton road. Followed it up until just before light blue house and took the gate on the left up onto the moorland.
Dumfries view after just leaving the road behind the wall:
As Bishop Forest Hill on the east side has a bealach going straight through it, we continued up on the ridge we were on before going back down a few metres, crossing at a T-junction in the dry stone dykes.
Misty view on way up, surrounded by endless crows, ravens, red kites and buzzards:
Following the flattest path up the contour lines, we came across a smaller cairn that looked down the valley. From there we re-orientated ourselves along the ravines on the summit plateau and over a newly-built stile to the summit.
Getting there:
Summit trig:
I messed up our route on the way down, following the last dry stone dyke, with both of us suggesting the other direction, so we settled for somewhere in the middle
I had a quick check on my phone to reassert ourselves and we ended up back at the cairn, with slightly better views this time around:
Entrance to Durisdeer:
Other nearby marilyns (See Morris Hill, Hightown Hill) could just be made out, as well as Killyleoch Hill from earlier in the day - I completely forgot there was a quarry eating away at it:
We walked down to the conifer plantation west of Captainton and crossed an enormous dyke into a sheep field. From there it was boggy ground (nothing new on this trip) back to the road.
Road on the descent:
A great little trip despite the clag - got much more from it than we had expected!
