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The Crawford area is steeped in history with the remains of several ancient settlements and forts scattered along the Clyde Valley but my target for the day was the well preserved Iron Age hill fort on Arbory Hill above the village of Abington. In order to make the walk longer and more interesting i decided to take in the neighbouring hills of Tewsgill and Castle which are easily accessible from the unclassified road that runs parallel with the West Coast Mainline railway between Abington and Crawford.
Tewsgill Hill, very noticeable from the M74
The walk begins at the well made access track to the Castle Hill telecommunications mast and from there follows a quad bike track near to the small cairn on the summit. From there another more faint track leads over the heather and tussock grass on Raggengill Hill then drops steeply down to the base of Tewsgill Hill.
Beginning the walk
Approaching Castle Hill
Tinto from Castle Hill summit
Ascending Tewsgill Hill
The final ascent of Tewsgill Hill is quite steep and demanding despite its lowly height and follows yet another faint quad bike track up through the same kind of terrain experienced on Raggengill Hill. Tewsgill is topped with a trig pillar and some fantastic views of the Clyde Valley and the Southern Uplands as well as the eyesore that is the Clyde Wind Farm. From Tewsgill the walk to Arbory Hill is very straight foward as it remains in sight all the way there though the route is pathless.
Summit of Tewsgill Hill
Arbory Hill Fort
Arbory Hill Fort consists of several earthen ramparts as well as an inner stone enclosure and has a commanding view of the Clyde Valley.
Tinto from Arbory Hill Fort
After a steep descent down the western face of Arbory Hill the unclassified road next to the railway is reached again and makes for a pleasant walk back to the start.
