A Borders trio from Fruid

[Robertgee]

2018-05-23 @ 08-48-32.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

Another beautiful day was forecast, so this time I set out to do the last of my Donalds in the Borders. I opted to start from Fruid, rather than Talla...didn't really fancy the tough climb up Garelet Hill.

Fruid Reservoir and Hart Fell from starting point near Fruid Farm

I set off from the parking place near Fruid Farm, walking back along the road for a bit. I soon came to a gate, beyond which was a good atv track leading all the way to Capilus Hill.

Erie Hill...living up to it's name today

Garelet Dod from Capilus Hill

Then soon after the steep climb of Erie Hill. Erie Hill lived up to it's name, as lots of mist was coming & going all around it's summit. The more easterly hills from here were unseen from Erie Hill, due to them being covered in thick low cloud.

Fruid Reservoir and Capilus Hill from climb up Erie Hill

View to the distant Culter Hills

Over Speir Gairs to Great Hill from Erie Hill

This mist & cloud soon cleared away as I made my way to Common Law, then Garelet Dod. All brilliant nice easy walking on dry ground, following atv tracks & paths. A great change to some of the bogs & peat hags that I've been putting up with lately while climbing the Donalds.

Mist spilling over Molls Cleuch Dod into the Gameshope Valley

View back over Common Law to Erie Hill from Speir Gairs

Fruid Reservoir from Garelet Dod

Over Din Law looking toward Hart Fell, with a few remaining snow patches in May!

From Garelet Dod it was past Ellers Cleuch, over the minor top of Din Law & onward to Cape Law, my final summit of the day.

Ellers Cleuch

Fruid and the Culter Hills from Din Law

Next (& last hill of the day), Cape Law from Din Law

Despite Cape Law being a large flat summit, there were brilliant views all around, especially of the surrounding Moffat Hills & out toward the Clyde Valley.

Fruid and the Culter Hills from Cape Law

Garelet Dod from Cape Law

Under Saddle Yoke

Nether Coomb Craig's sheer cliffs

I decided to return to Fruid Farm by descending down Strawberry Hill...sounded like a nice place to go. This meant retracing my route back to Garelet Dod. To make things slightly easier I contoured around Din Law, & only climbed a little way up Garelet Dod, before contouring around this also to pick up another good atv track down to Strawberry Hill.

Great views of Fruid Reservoir from here

The atv track then took me straight back down to Fruid Farm & the car. A wonderful day in the Border Hills.

Back at Fruid

[thedonalds]

Some information for you about Strawberry Hill. The local castle-owning family in Fruid and Tweedsmuir were the Frasers of Oliver and I read some time ago that the naming of Strawberry Hill may have come from their family crest. The website http://www.ajbhope.net/frasers-of-oliver/ offers the following;

"The Frasers came from France and the name, like most others, had various spellings including Fresel, Fressell, Frisel, Frizel, etc. It is said that the name Fraser is in fact a corruption of the French fraise the word for strawberries. It is this that has led to the notion that the cinquefoils (in the family crest) represent the strawberry, in particular the wild strawberry flower"