Morning walk on Benarty Hill, afternoon bake on Bishop Hill

[rob munbett]

I was wanting to visit an area I hadn't been for some time so I booked into the Well Inn in Scotlandwell for an overnight stay and headed through from Glasgow on Sunday morning to have a walk on Benarty Hill and then go round to leave the car at the inn and walk up Bishop Hill. I kept things simple and followed the routes from the WH site and very good they were, too. I arrived early enough at the start of the track up Benarty to have the place to myself. I headed up the wooden steps, thankfully, even this early, in the shade and turned left on to a good track just after the bench. This contoued round the hillside, eventually becoming a beaten earth track which went back on itself alongside an old dyke to reach the open heather moorland. Still on a clear track through the heather I went up until I reached a large stone which was a good place to sit to look over to the summit trig in the distance.

The path up through the heather

The view over to the summit trig

A good path lead easily over the undulating ground to the summit, from where I had a good view of the afternoon hill, Bishop Hill.

Looking over from Benarty Hill to Bishop Hill

Later, by now in stifling heat, having left the car in the Well Inn car park, I walked up the road to the signed path up Bishop Hill. I started up the wooden steps and then followed the good path up beside the fence. Already there were good views over Loch Leven and back over to Benarty Hill. The excellent track wound its way up the hillside at a steady angle, the ground hot and dusty beneath my boots.

A view back down the dry grass track over to Benarty Hill

I was glad of a bench or two and the shade of a few trees on the way up for a break from the baking heat.

Approaching White Craigs

Up and over White Craigs and on to the more open plateau, I started to have views of the summit and East and West Lomond. Now it was just a case of a gentle saunter over, still on a good track, through a metal gate and over a fence to the summit cairn.

Looking across to the summit and West Lomond

The summit and West Lomond

I lay on the short cropped grass and enjoyed a rest before heading back down to Scotlandwell where a cool shower, a good meal and cold drink awaited.