free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Had been planning for nearly 2 weeks to visit the Ochils but (as usual) completely forgot how useless public transport is on Sundays. Instead decided to get a late 11:05am bus to Strathblane to tick off a few Campsie hills as I had never before visited.
Got off in Strathblane and took the upper Blanefield road to begin the ascent of the impressive escarpment. It kept its formidability right until I was half way up! There was a man seemingly following my route a few minutes behind but he mysteriously vanished.
How the heck am I getting up that?:
This way, of course:
Over to the Kilpatrick Hills:
It was properly tough going, using my hands quite a bit and taking a ton of breaks. I had to put the fleece and camera in the bag just to cool myself down from all the sweating! There was a bird of prey nest on the cliff but my call knowledge is embarrassingly poor - if I were to guess I'd say Kestrel. Some seagull calls from the cliff face too.
Along the escarpment:
Who needs The Chancellor?:
Summit Slackdhu:
Scotland's weather summed up in one photo; clag left, sunshine right:
Dumgoyne & Loch Lomond:
I followed the ATV paths for 5 or so minutes but decided that the bog was going to be equally as bad wherever I went so aimed straight for the fenceposts up to Earl's Seat. Potentially the worst bog I've come across - thank goodness there was snow about. The worst part however was the deep spongy heather just before the main ascent - just that type of the terrain that makes you want to blast out a war cry that could be heard from Stirling!
Trump Tussocks:
Earl's Seat Trig:
I met a nice guy at the summit, whom I chatted to for 5 minutes before he set off - we decided to do an experiment: he'll go the long way round over the cairns but on a good path, I (with my new Salomons) will go straight along the moorland, where there's a prominent snowy path. Even after waiting about for a few minutes before heading off, I still won by a minute or two (as he had predicted!) My way was definitely boggier - if this wasn't a test for my new boots I don't know what was.
Final bit of uphill for a while:
Vast airy views:
Dumgoyne from above:
After saying cheerio to the man, I made my way down to the base of Dumgoyne. It is much bigger in real life than any photo I'd come across - I'd assumed it was just a simple little bump but I was gravely mistaken!
From below:
Although steeper, the route up only took 10 minutes and the views opened up spectacularly. I took a seat and finished the last of my tea, taking it all in - the crepuscular evening rays, snowy Luss Grahams and Trossach Munros as well as sunlit Glasgow and Kilpatrick hills.
Looking back along the escarpment:
From whence I came:
I eventually decided to start heading back down, although the W side footpath is so eroded that is it as the point where the slippery mud is impossible to walk on. My feet were in agony by the time I made it down to the fields, after nearly falling quite badly a few times. There was still enough light left to have a shot at the wooded bump, Dumgoyach, so followed the road on for a bit and turned to join the WHW. I picked a moment where the path was close to the woodland to jump the deer fence, while no walkers were watching! The terrain was hellish and I pulled a tendon in the back of my leg after slipping numerous times on the wet muddy foliage. The summit was much more lacklustre than I'd envisioned - just a brown brackeny mess with no views or distinct features.
Summit of Dumgoyach:
I hadn't really planned a way back down so looked on the OS Maps app and went down the more gradual side, if you can call it that. There was a muddy track that went nowhere according to the app, but another below it that took me back the main road, eventually. The second path was very odd - it looked as if there had been plans for a railway track about a hundred years ago as there was a ridge of raised ground with a path, but also a lower, wider and boggier straight which followed it parallel. Maybe the estate had some plans that never came to fruition? (After some research, it is indeed a dismantled railway.) I eventually crossed over a bridge (the water of which you should not drink from - I have now been ill for a week
) and past the ponds to join the main road once again.
I was greeted to a great strip of sunlight beaming over the escarpment:
After that it was a 45 minute walk back to Strathblane. I pondered with the idea of going for a pint as I was an hour early for the bus but the inn looked packed - opted for some Co-op mini eggs instead. Waited about at the bus stop for half an hour before the bus driver pulled up and gave a funny grin they always give when they can tell you've been out hillwalking all day!
