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A quick leg-stretch after the long drive north from Norfolk. There was a fine, mild end to the afternoon and early evening around Moffat, which lasted for much of the walk. Some breeze developed and the sky clouded over, though it became no worse than that.
I parked in the wide area at the start of a gated track near to the Annandale Way footpath. There was one other car when I arrived, though I didn't meet anyone else out on the hill.
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- Annandale Way
Birds were singing and it felt great to be out of the car after driving for most of the day, especially with bright sunlight slanting in from the west. I visited a trig point on the first top, then followed a wall / fence line and path for most of the route with slight diversions to tops such as Great Hill.
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- Fenceline
Hart Fell looked good, but would have been a substantial further distance and climb, especially needing to get sorted for the night. I'm saving this, intending to walk it as part of the horseshoe of ridges from Moffatdale to the south. There is a stile, or its remains, from the path/track to the topmost lumps and cairn. But the wooden steps of the stile are cut through, as is the stock-netting wire fence beside.
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- Whitehope Heights Stile
I was ambushed by midges on my return to the car, so quickly jumped in to change from boots to shoes and stow my pack.
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- Evening cloud
Then I drove a modest distance further around past the Talla reservoir to Gameshope burn, in order to walk into the bothy (where I arrived at about 10 pm and discovered that I had the place to myself).
