Strathfinella Hill by a different route and better way

[The Rodmiester]

There are only a few walk reports given for this hill and it was a hill I had been reluctantly avoiding as it was forested around the trig point and it looked pretty dense to say the least. As we were coming from the Edzell direction I wanted the challenge of maybe finding a route from the North side preferably where we could go up the open field on the West of the tree plantation. We found a passing place parking area as we were hoping not to be too long up the hill just to the East of Loch Saugh and returned a short way back along the minor road towards the bridge at the end of the loch.

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Just leaving the car at the parking area on the roadside opposite a gate to a field at grid ref 682794

The first gate you pass through not locked with another one beyond also not locked

Approaching the second gate

Looking back down the grassy hillside quite easy to walk on, the car can be seen to the right og the forestry

We are heading towards the trees in the distance

A bit tuffty the grass and underfoot conditions but all reasonably dry

Looking back you can see Clachnaben 589m in the distance

We were heading for the corner where we could see a gate hoping that there would be a track of some sort heading towards the track shown on the OS maps running through the forestry from Wet to East

After crossing the gate we find this boundary stone

Unfortunately the plan goes slightly array when we are faced with a crawling exercise below the lowest branches, this is not going to plan and certainly we will not be returning this way as there must be easier ways back down

Ah at last the track in the woods we were after this is looking East

The track again looking West this will be the return route once we find the trig point

Grandson finally emerging from the forest

We walked along the track for approx 800m until we found the high point where there is another small path heading North, we take this

Soon we find a small pile of stones marking the point where you enter the woods again on your left and there is the trig point up there in 50 mins even after all the crawling about.

We return to the main track and head West until we find this firebreak which goes straight to the initial field we entered. (So people reading this, this is the way to go when your climbing up the hill)

There even is a nice wee stile fore you, so now you know the easiest and probably the quickest way to do this hill. (Follow the Rodmiester)