A Penultimate Donald Day

[McMole]

A two and a half hour drive from near Edinburgh to Loch Troon via Girvan started in sunshine, and, as predicted by the Met Office, deteriorated as I neared my destination. Earlier in the week the forecast for Saturday had been good, but the weather fronts hadn't been paying attention and a wet, windy and low cloud day was now on offer. At the Bruce's Stone car park the cloud level appeared to be about 400m and I briefly contemplated my plan B of touring a few local Marilyns instead.

Looking southwards at Mulldonoch from the road

With only drizzle and medium strength winds in the forecast I decided to tackle my fourth, third and second last Donalds. I would be sheltered from the worst of the south easterly wind during my ascent to Larg and Lamachan, and if it did prove too strong to safely continue to Curleywee I could always retreat and return another day.

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I started along the track to Loch Dee noting that the initial downhill section would provide a sting in the tail at the end of my walk. The slight drizzle intensified and as the road climbed after crossing the Glenhead Burn I stopped, pulled on overtrousers, and exchanged my jacket for my well-used kagool, or which more later. Nearing the Sheil Burn I snapped a photo of it foaming down the hillside before heading up through a small outcrop of tree protectors on its east bank.

The Sheil Burn

The start of my route up beside the Sheil Burn

I was following Jaywizz's route of a week or two earlier. Here there was a path of sorts climbing steeply up for about 100m then flattening off.

After the slope lessened I met and crossed a fence at about 320m altitude, then followed it across the burn. A faint path ran beside it up to Nick of the Lochans. A rising traverse from there took me around Cambrick Hill up to about 640m with sheep(?) tracks making progress easier. One led me through a gap in the wall that headed east up towards Lamachan's summit. I continued south to join the path to Larg Hill. At Nick of the Brushy a dry stone dyke appeared out of the mist and gave some shelter from the wind and rain as I followed it to the summit of Larg Hill.

The small cairn on top of Larg Hill

There is a small cairn 60m SSW of the main cairn that is said to be the true summit - and my Garmin's measurements did seem to agree. I retreated to the shelter of the wall while I had a snack and texted a progress report.

After my stop I retraced my steps to Nick of the Brushy and continued following the path up Lamachan Hill to its summit. I'd read that this wasn't the cairn or the wall but a boulder at NX 43536 76995. Thereabouts were two large flat boulders lying six metres apart on either side of the path. Either could be the summit so I visited both and decided the more easterly might just be the higher.

The summit boulder(s) of Lamachan Hill

I now had to decide whether to continue to Curlywee or retreat. I reasoned that the wind alone would not have stopped me continuing, so a little added rain didn't make much difference, and the poor visibility just gave an opportunity for exercising my navigational skills.
So I set off to Bennanbrack finding the line of metal fence posts reassuring. They became somewhat intermittent from there to Nick of Curleywee, but the occasional sighting provided welcome confirmation that I was on track. The ridge down from Bennanbrack is no doubt straightforward in good visibility, but it is not a simple linear structure. It appeared through the cloud as a succession of hillocks and I was grateful for my Garmin and its 1:50,000 OS map as well as my wrist compass and those few fence posts. At the col below Curleywee I stopped in the shelter of the wall that crosses the col for a snack and to text another progress report. From there it was a simple climb up to the summit cairn.

Curleywee's cairn

The wind was still strong but not enough to pose any danger of blowing me over. From the summit cairn I descended to the north and headed over White Hill losing the path I'd been using as I did so. As the ground steepened I turned west and managed in the thinning cloud an early descent route to the road.

Descending to the road with Loch Dee coming into view

It ran steeply down beside the small burn marked on the OS map. Some care was needed, but it wasn't a problem and I told myelf it was shorter and quicker than the alternative of a gentler descent route that would require battling the tussocks for longer.

As I passed the Sheil Burn on my way back to the car I took another photo. Comparing it with the earlier snap shows how much higher the flow had become during my walk. I think the rain was heavier than the drizzle of the forecast.

The Sheil Burn now noticeably higher

What five and a half hours of 'drizzle' did to the Sheil Burn

As I neared the car I could 'enjoy' the final 80m of ascent, then a complete change into the dry clothes that were waiting there. I needed them. I believe my Goretex kagool is beginning to suffer from terminal porosity as its waterproofing breaks down. Time to retire it and switch to a more recent purchase.

This walk completed my scaling of all the Galloway Donalds and leaves just one - Cauldcleuch Head - to complete the set. There have quite a few in Galloway like those in this report that have been done in less than ideal conditions and I must return in better weather to discover just what I have missed.