East Cairn Hill from Carlops

[rob munbett]

I hadn't been through to the Pentlands for several years so it was time for a visit and a new hill. The clocks had gone forward so it was an early start to drive through from Glasgow to the Carlops car park, which is small and busy so I was glad to get there to nab the second last place. I had decided just to take the track up to the Bore Stane and then turn west towards the hill so the route was pretty straightforward - just follow the path and signposts! There was a bit of a detour to avoid going round the North Est Reservoir but that was probably the most muddy section and best avoided if you ask me. Once past the reservoir, the path narrowed to a grassy track and became a more interesting walk.

Distant East Cairn Hill from the Bore Stane path

Strangely, I came across quite a few dead sheep just next to the track. A strong, icy wind was blowing and I was glad to reach the high point of this path where there was a junction of dykes, where I sheltered for a while to enjoy hot tea and a snack.

East cairn Hill from the high point of the Bore Stane path

I went through the 'high-point' gate and went down a short distance to reach what looked like a new estate road coming up from the north. I followed this westwards for a few hundred metres to a metal gate and went through it to follow a rough, boggy track through the heather following the wall (on the north side) all the way to the summit.

Following the wall to the summit

It was too cold to linger so, after a couple of photos and a quick dash over to the NW top, I headed back down to the same 'wall-shelter' for lunch before heading back down the track to the car park, where several drivers were waiting for people to leave so they could grab a space. Busy place!

The view East over the Pentlands

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[Sgurr]

Don't think we took any photos of this. Husband had persuaded me that daughter NEVER went into Labour early, and the 5th birth was unlikely to be any different from the other 4 s we could do a "small hill". However, I felt nervous all the way up and all the way down. We were supposed to look after the other kids during a home birth. Previous attempts at this had included persuading a two year old away from his Fireman Sam's hose, used to fill the birthing pool, and taking him for a ride in my "fire-engine" instead ("Hello, I'm Elvis Cridlington!"). However this birth was very undramatic as it happened at 1 a.m. and none of us heard anything and no powers of persuasion, bribery or physical removal were called for....but I always wondered what East Cairn Hill really looked like.

[weedavie]

I went through the 'high-point' gate and went down a short distance to reach what looked like a new estate road coming up from the north.

It's not an estate road. It's a path that the land owner - according to a worker who was building it - got a profitable grant to put in place last year. It replaced the old path which had several disintegrating sections of corduroy. They were nasty / dangerous. The improved path has been much more bike and horse friendly. However by the end of last year it was looking severely weather-damaged and I'm not sure how the worst parts will have survived the winter.

There are quite a few of these improvements in the Pentlands, some of very doubtful value. The bit you used doesn't make much sense. The main drag is the path to Carlops but as you say it then takes an unaccountable swing up an estate path to nowhere in particular.