A Topping Day around the Donalds

[McMole]

I recently learnt from Dave Hewitt, compiler of the Donald Completers list, where to find it. From it I found that I was, in fact, an incomplete compleatist since I hadn't done all 140 summits listed in the current version of the list which comprises 89 main summits and 51 subsidiary summits or tops. Dave does list those who have 'only' ascended the 89 main summits, but adds brackets round their final summit to indicate they haven't done all 140. He anticipates that they will return later with a new final summit and compleation date.

I had always intended to add the remaining tops to my tally. Prompted by the imminent brackets in my Donald entry I set to work, studied the full list, and compared it with my records. I was surprised how many tops I had managed to miss by not very many hundred metres. Completing the 140 became a higher priority for me and I started earlier this week.

The forecast for Monday was for the first widespread frost of the winter and so it proved. Ice needed to scraped off car windows before I left home at 7am for the forty-four mile drive to Glenkirk at the foot of Chapelgill Hill. All the roads were free of ice and I started walking at eight thirty. Plan B was to collect the Top of Cardon Hill, continue over Culter Fell and circle east over Coomb Hill for a second Top and then down to the car. If I was going well I'd instead continue on Plan A which was to head to the southwest over Gathersnow and Hillshaw Head to the Top of Coomb Dod then retrace my route before collecting Coomb Hill. I'd calculated Naismith would take about six and a half hours and I had slightly more than eight hours to sunset at 4:40pm. The last 2.5km was also along a track giving an additional safety margin if needed.

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The day proceeded as planned with Chapelgill summit reached in under one hour and Cardon Hill about twenty-five minutes later.

Cardon Hill from Birnies Bowrock

ChapelGill and Culter Fell from Cardon Hill with Gathersnow and Hillshaw Head in the far distance

On the ridge there was a cool wind but also some sunshine. There was a red Honda quad bike parked there, but of the shepherd no sign.

A lone Honda quad bike on King Bank Head

I was up and over Culter Fell and had started up Gathersnow Hill when I stopped for a snack after three hours and decided that Plan A was go.

View from Gathersnow of Hillshaw Head and Coomb Dod

From there a steady plod with an occasional jog downhill took me to the 8m wide wind farm road from Hillshaw Head to Coomb Dod.

Hillshaw Head summit

Adding a top coat to the road

A scraper was applying a top dressing to it and a truck drove past as I reached it. The trig point on Coomb Dod was well eroded and I diverted to look at wind turbine number 220 before starting on the return journey with four hours still to go to sunset.

Coomb Dod's eroding trig point

One hour late I stopped for a snack in the shelter of the Coomb Hill summit cairn before heading NNW and downhill.

Culter Fell and Chapelgill Hill from Coomb Hill

Part way down I found an ATV track which led me easily to the valley bottom. I soon picked up the track to pass Holms Waterhead after splashing quickly through a shallow ford to cross the Holms Burn and managed to keep my feet dry. The car was reached at quarter to three so for once I had managed to stay ahead of Naismith.

It had been a fine day with good views and a tremendous improvement on my last three Donald collecting walks, They had been in the clouds, though I suppose the 50m visibility did spare me the sight of wind turbines and give my camera a rest.