Ochils: East to West
Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2018 12:58 am
I'd had my hopes up for a bright sunny day but the forecast let me down the day before I had planned the trip - patchy cloud seemed fine but it was much less patchy than expected! Nevertheless, it was my first time in the Ochils so I can't complain. Train, train, bus, hillwalk, bus, train, train is becoming a bit of habit these days but it should be over soon.
Got off at Yetts o' Muckhart and began the pleasant roadside embankment walk into Burnfoot. Much more nature on the way there than expected - a woodpecker, three deer and some interesting flora to name some. Eventually joined the farm road after 30 minutes.
First view of Innerdownie:
Passed through the farmyard and on to the steep public right of way. Came across a very distinct butterfly but it wouldn't stop moving so couldn't get a photo. ID says likely a Gatekeeper, Small Copper or Skipper but flight patterns suggest otherwise - truly stumped. First of 10 people I spotted that day saw me going around in circles looking at it thinking I was a bit mental.
Ridge of Innerdownie:
By this point the sun had gone behind the clouds but there were indeed sunny patches to the N and S. Was surprised at the bumpiness of some of the hills to the east from here. It was also around here that my heels began to hurt; evidently the beginnings of a blister after barely setting off! I'm trying to come up with a solution at present as blistered heels are essentially a marring staple of most of my hillwalks now. Passed a group of three and then a man with his dogs, proclaiming it was 'a braw day furrit' but I was still to be convinced.
Innerdownie sign:
Wasn't long to reach the top - the prominence that can be seen from the road is just below the true top:
Barely 30 seconds at the cairn as it was pretty chilly - paths all the way so no need to check maps that often. I sat down at the dry stane dyke trying to think of an appropriate heel solution - decided to use my sandwich kitchen foil as a patch. Didn't make it better but stopped it from feeling that much worse (although a very odd sensation!)
Whitewisp Hill up ahead:
Was a quite easy climb over a big stile to the top where I met a couple of men who also remarked on the unexpected weather conditions.
Whitewisp cairn:
Left to Right - Andrew Gannel, Ben Cleuch and Tarmangie:
Trundle over to Tarmangie was an easy one as mainly downhill with a short but steep climb for the narrow summit ridge. Had assumed it was a Donald Top as it was so easy!
True and false Tarmangie summits:
I was truly impressed by King's Seat Hill - absolutely herculean in mass and prominent from all sides. The spurs and landslips reminded me of Green Lowther in D&G.
King's Seat Hill outline:
I found someone's phone at the banks of the Burn of Sorrow so pocketed it. Seems to be charging at the house but the screen is a bit water-damaged - hopefully the owner can be traced. I was surprised at the remote feeling of this little area. The climb up wasn't as bad on the heels as I'd envisioned but it was blowing a gale at the top - was finally time to put on the jacket.
Had another cup of tea in the shelter cairn and spent 10 minutes searching for the true summit feature but to no real definitive success - such is the nature of Donalds!
Andrew Gannel Hill looked a bit daunting but was more shapely than the map makes it look:
Down to the boggy col, the gradient was shallower but the ascent was longer than King's Seat. Passed a fell runner and his dog on the way down. The summit was difficult to stand up in but the outcrop was a great little bonus!
Outcrop of Andrew Gannel looking over to The Law - actual summit a bit further N but still very obvious:
It got much boggier here and I came across my first snow patch of the day. Found a well-defined sheep path that took me on a shortcut to The Law - probably only just harder than Tarmangie, the easiest of the day. I once again met a man at the summit as I was having lunch.
The Law summit:
I caught back up to him as we were half way up Ben Cleuch. He was doing a reccy for a walk he was leading tomorrow and was also going to Ben Ever after Ben Cleuch, so he joined me in the ascent and taught me some history of the area and Castle Campbell. The clag had been down since Andrew Gannel but the visibility had gone to 30m or so as we went higher - fortunately the Ochils are layered with paths in every direction so getting lost was just about impossible.
Ben Cleuch summit:
We had some lunch at the highest point of the day - I got to try real Kendal Mint Cake for the first time (had always wanted to see what it's like) and it was delicious (although a bit toothpastey!) Following the fenceposts, we took a slightly longer route than necessary but were eventually on the steep slopes down to the Ben Ever col. The man had said that most of the walkers likely wont be up for Ben Ever afterwards so took the bypass path on the left. I joined him on it for a bit before saying my goodbyes and clambering up the steep E face - only 2/3 mins to the top.
Looking back up Ben Cleuch from Ben Ever slopes:
It was now a case of going off-path for ages as I made my way over to the massive outlier of Blairdenon Hill. Fortunately the clag was finally getting burnt off by the sun, as predicted, so navigation was no issue.
The Nebit poking through between Ben Ever and Craighorn ridges:
Distant Blairdenon:
Progress wasn't very quick due to the peat hags but that was far from the worst of it. If sheep could laugh they'd have been on the ground rolling about! The views did open up quite nicely here too.
Conspicuous Bengengie ridge:
The moorland was simply uneventful until I reached the proper bog. Only on 3 or 4 occasions would it have been deeper than a pair of boots but it was impressive nonetheless.
Were mid-80s seminal grunge band 'Green River' influenced by the Ochils?:
After three of these 'rivers', it was a case of navigating the peaty bumps until the squelchy farmland resumed. What was a bit soul-crushing was that the outline of Blairdenon was at least 10 mins before the actual top. Eventually I pulled myself up and climbed over the fence to the cairn.
Ben Cleuch and Ben Ever from Blairdenon summit:
Couldn't pass up a short visit to the A. L. J. Cuthbertson Tiger Moth memorial:
After looking at the cross for a while I curved my way down to the Menstrie Moss area. I descended (as usual) a bit too soon and ended up on some pretty steep ground following the West Cameron Burn sometimes at its bank and sometimes 50m above. It started getting quite precarious when a huge riparian-cliff area showed up so I kept well back. What a burn though!
Plunge pool not quite deep enough for a dive:
After some awkward manoeuvres I made it to the end of the farmer's track and back on a gravel path for the first time since Innerdownie. It was then a case of shuffling my tired legs back down to Alva along the significant inclines and declines. I couldn't be bothered to go around the full loop so cut through the deep glen. Didn't end up in my favour as my foot fell through a hole and both my hands propped me up on baby nettles! Stingy but didn't last too long...
Track back with the sun out:
I took a few short breaks until I met up with the track at The Nebit and serpentined my way down the zig-zagged track through to Alva, where the bus stop awaited. By chance, I managed to time the rest of the transport back to Glasgow perfectly, an oddity in my book!
Alva views - finally some sun!:
Got off at Yetts o' Muckhart and began the pleasant roadside embankment walk into Burnfoot. Much more nature on the way there than expected - a woodpecker, three deer and some interesting flora to name some. Eventually joined the farm road after 30 minutes.
First view of Innerdownie:
Passed through the farmyard and on to the steep public right of way. Came across a very distinct butterfly but it wouldn't stop moving so couldn't get a photo. ID says likely a Gatekeeper, Small Copper or Skipper but flight patterns suggest otherwise - truly stumped. First of 10 people I spotted that day saw me going around in circles looking at it thinking I was a bit mental.
Ridge of Innerdownie:
By this point the sun had gone behind the clouds but there were indeed sunny patches to the N and S. Was surprised at the bumpiness of some of the hills to the east from here. It was also around here that my heels began to hurt; evidently the beginnings of a blister after barely setting off! I'm trying to come up with a solution at present as blistered heels are essentially a marring staple of most of my hillwalks now. Passed a group of three and then a man with his dogs, proclaiming it was 'a braw day furrit' but I was still to be convinced.
Innerdownie sign:
Wasn't long to reach the top - the prominence that can be seen from the road is just below the true top:
Barely 30 seconds at the cairn as it was pretty chilly - paths all the way so no need to check maps that often. I sat down at the dry stane dyke trying to think of an appropriate heel solution - decided to use my sandwich kitchen foil as a patch. Didn't make it better but stopped it from feeling that much worse (although a very odd sensation!)
Whitewisp Hill up ahead:
Was a quite easy climb over a big stile to the top where I met a couple of men who also remarked on the unexpected weather conditions.
Whitewisp cairn:
Left to Right - Andrew Gannel, Ben Cleuch and Tarmangie:
Trundle over to Tarmangie was an easy one as mainly downhill with a short but steep climb for the narrow summit ridge. Had assumed it was a Donald Top as it was so easy!
True and false Tarmangie summits:
I was truly impressed by King's Seat Hill - absolutely herculean in mass and prominent from all sides. The spurs and landslips reminded me of Green Lowther in D&G.
King's Seat Hill outline:
I found someone's phone at the banks of the Burn of Sorrow so pocketed it. Seems to be charging at the house but the screen is a bit water-damaged - hopefully the owner can be traced. I was surprised at the remote feeling of this little area. The climb up wasn't as bad on the heels as I'd envisioned but it was blowing a gale at the top - was finally time to put on the jacket.
Had another cup of tea in the shelter cairn and spent 10 minutes searching for the true summit feature but to no real definitive success - such is the nature of Donalds!
Andrew Gannel Hill looked a bit daunting but was more shapely than the map makes it look:
Down to the boggy col, the gradient was shallower but the ascent was longer than King's Seat. Passed a fell runner and his dog on the way down. The summit was difficult to stand up in but the outcrop was a great little bonus!
Outcrop of Andrew Gannel looking over to The Law - actual summit a bit further N but still very obvious:
It got much boggier here and I came across my first snow patch of the day. Found a well-defined sheep path that took me on a shortcut to The Law - probably only just harder than Tarmangie, the easiest of the day. I once again met a man at the summit as I was having lunch.
The Law summit:
I caught back up to him as we were half way up Ben Cleuch. He was doing a reccy for a walk he was leading tomorrow and was also going to Ben Ever after Ben Cleuch, so he joined me in the ascent and taught me some history of the area and Castle Campbell. The clag had been down since Andrew Gannel but the visibility had gone to 30m or so as we went higher - fortunately the Ochils are layered with paths in every direction so getting lost was just about impossible.
Ben Cleuch summit:
We had some lunch at the highest point of the day - I got to try real Kendal Mint Cake for the first time (had always wanted to see what it's like) and it was delicious (although a bit toothpastey!) Following the fenceposts, we took a slightly longer route than necessary but were eventually on the steep slopes down to the Ben Ever col. The man had said that most of the walkers likely wont be up for Ben Ever afterwards so took the bypass path on the left. I joined him on it for a bit before saying my goodbyes and clambering up the steep E face - only 2/3 mins to the top.
Looking back up Ben Cleuch from Ben Ever slopes:
It was now a case of going off-path for ages as I made my way over to the massive outlier of Blairdenon Hill. Fortunately the clag was finally getting burnt off by the sun, as predicted, so navigation was no issue.
The Nebit poking through between Ben Ever and Craighorn ridges:
Distant Blairdenon:
Progress wasn't very quick due to the peat hags but that was far from the worst of it. If sheep could laugh they'd have been on the ground rolling about! The views did open up quite nicely here too.
Conspicuous Bengengie ridge:
The moorland was simply uneventful until I reached the proper bog. Only on 3 or 4 occasions would it have been deeper than a pair of boots but it was impressive nonetheless.
Were mid-80s seminal grunge band 'Green River' influenced by the Ochils?:
After three of these 'rivers', it was a case of navigating the peaty bumps until the squelchy farmland resumed. What was a bit soul-crushing was that the outline of Blairdenon was at least 10 mins before the actual top. Eventually I pulled myself up and climbed over the fence to the cairn.
Ben Cleuch and Ben Ever from Blairdenon summit:
Couldn't pass up a short visit to the A. L. J. Cuthbertson Tiger Moth memorial:
After looking at the cross for a while I curved my way down to the Menstrie Moss area. I descended (as usual) a bit too soon and ended up on some pretty steep ground following the West Cameron Burn sometimes at its bank and sometimes 50m above. It started getting quite precarious when a huge riparian-cliff area showed up so I kept well back. What a burn though!
Plunge pool not quite deep enough for a dive:
After some awkward manoeuvres I made it to the end of the farmer's track and back on a gravel path for the first time since Innerdownie. It was then a case of shuffling my tired legs back down to Alva along the significant inclines and declines. I couldn't be bothered to go around the full loop so cut through the deep glen. Didn't end up in my favour as my foot fell through a hole and both my hands propped me up on baby nettles! Stingy but didn't last too long...
Track back with the sun out:
I took a few short breaks until I met up with the track at The Nebit and serpentined my way down the zig-zagged track through to Alva, where the bus stop awaited. By chance, I managed to time the rest of the transport back to Glasgow perfectly, an oddity in my book!
Alva views - finally some sun!: