free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Bishop Hill is the forgotten third of the Lomond Hills' three main summits. Like the others it's rather flat on top, but the interest lies on the steep slopes to the west. For this reason we decided to tackle the Bishop from behind - from Scotlandwell, rather than the much higher, alternative start point to the east. We used the "Portmoak Paths Leaflet" online to help plan the walk, but it turns out the the Walkhighlands route is almost identical.
Despite a forecast of sunshine all afternoon, it rained on the approach to Scotlandwell. Dry but with leaden skies above as we laced up our boots in the car park of the village church - the car park is available for walkers except on Sunday mornings. Luckily it was Sunday afternoon.
A short walk along the pavement, then steeply uphill into Kilmagad Wood. Very soon there were really impressive views across Loch Leven (where it was raining heavily) and the fields to the south.
The path climbs out of the woodland and onto the open hill above, becoming less steep from this point. Evidently a windy spot - look at the tree!
Still raining across the loch, but blue sky heading our way from the north:
Up on the plateau, the path weaved to and fro across a few minor summits. It seems like it's been a wet autumn but it was dry underfoot.
After getting a tiny bit lost among all the different summits of Munduff Hill, we got to a spot where Bishop Hill was visible in the distance (middle of the photo below, in the sun), looking suspiciously far away...
Looking back to Munduff Hill(s):
Featureless ground from here to the summit, meeting a track at one point with the only wet part of the route next to a gate here. The trees marked on the OS map are long gone - there aren't even any stumps visible. Approaching the summit:
Sheep at the top:
East Lomond:
Ah, sunshine! This is more like it.
Summit cairn. A bit blowy up here.
Navigation is mostly straightforward on the way down, but there's one path that's easily missed - more about that later. Start by descending gently to the south-west:
The path then joins a track which comes up from the right / west. Continue south on the track briefly, but turn right on a path back to the edge of the escarpment before the track bends left. The path swings left to follow the edge of the plateau. Looking back along this stretch from further on:
And forward, where the path traverses the side of the steep slope on the right hand side:
It was cold in full exposure to the strong wind here, but views across the loch and north into the Highlands were excellent. What a great viewpoint!
After the traverse of the steep slope, continue for a few hundred metres and look out for a grassy path on the right, descending a small hollow. The WH description here is correct but I suspect the path is a bit further on than the displayed on the route map: probably closer to the "W" of "White Crags". Looking down the path just after turning off:
The path abruptly reaches the top of a crag; follow it left to soon descend a gap in the crags. Kinnesswood below:
Looking back up:
Steep grass and a good workout for the knees on the next bit - could be really unpleasant if the grass was wet. We were relieved to reach the bottom!
All that remains is to follow the (newish?) Michael Bruce Way left for a long-feeling mile or so, finally re-joining the outward route in Kilmagad Wood.
An excellent little hill this, with loads of character, and a good afternoon's workout
