Walkhighlands

I was wanting to get my 2019 off to a good start, so managed to wangle a New Year's day walk out of MrsR I thought it would be advisable to be home at a reasonable time to enjoy the roast MrsR was cooking, so opted for something relatively close to home.

I must admit though that Fell of Fleet had never been a hill that had filled me with much enthusiasm. I'd always had it in my head it was going to be something of a slog.......involving trees Thankfully though the tree fellers have been felling and with good access tracks to the foot of the hill gaining the summit did not involve quite as much huff n puff as I'd feared.

P1050767 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
Parked up at NX546751, where there is plenty of room for a few cars to park without blocking the track

P1050769 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
Nice pleasant walk to the foot of the hill - only met a couple of couples out walking their dogs

P1050780 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
the OS map shows a track heading off the main track at NX552714, although if you blink you'll missit, given it is overgrown.........I blinked and missed it

P1050783 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
Once you're on it ther track actually provides an excellent and quite gentle ascent up the side of the hill. Got me up to about 370 metres

P1050787 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
Nice views opening up as I gained height

P1050788 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
The track continued, making easy work of the initial climb

P1050790 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
All changed as I hit the high point of the track. Now was time to gird loins and head off on to the open hillside. This was tough going, with much tussocky terrain, with plenty of potential to break ankles....or worse.

P1050792 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
Somewhere in there I was following a vague track of sorts. Could have been animal or human, but if it helped make it easier I was using it.

P1050797 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
Once I'd hit the plateau I was faced with this Reminded me of Fleet's neighbour Cairnsmore, the Black Craig of Dee - something of a b'st*rd of a hill that had taken two attempts to overcome previously. There were though plenty of tracks on Fleet (I assume animal) that made progress a little less painful and soon I was making the final, very short climb to the summit cairn

P1050804 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
First summit of the year

P1050805 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr

P1050808 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr

P1050811 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
A selection of summit views

P1050814 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
The Black Craig of Dee.......looks so benign, but don't be fooled

It was a tad chilly on the summit, so I wasn't for hanging around. For my descent I chose to make a circuit by heading off down the north eastern spur toward Shaw Hill(ish). Pathless, heathery stuff, but pretty uneventful. That was until the final steep descent was reached

P1050825 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
Looking back to Fell of Fleet as I dropped off the hill

P1050828 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
The photo makes it look not too bad, but truat me it was a bit of a pig, even if it only lasted a short distance

P1050831 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
Looking back the way I had been descending

Unfortunately I had conspired to not head quite where I'd wanted. Had I hugged the edge of the forestry I'd have been in a wide fire break........but I didn't and so somehow ended up confronted by some very nice trees and horrendous underfoot conditions - the detritus from previous fellings, which were all very slippery and often rotten, as I discovered when I trod on it

P1050837 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
Oops

P1050839 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
Eventually sourced another firebreak, although to be honest it was still pretty rough going until I was finally deposited on to the main track

P1050843 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
My descent off the Fell of Fleet. Certainly slowed me up somewhat

P1050844 by Pete Riedel, on Flickr
Easy going from now on en route back to the car


All in all a really good walk and a pleasing way to kick off my 2019 walking. My second walk of the year was something very different, but that's another story.......

That stuff you walked down is horrific to walk on! Ankle breaking territory for sure. I always think when I am in that stuff how embarrassing it would be to have to call out mountain rescue or the likes on such a tiny hill, that thought always makes me take it a little slower and more carefully

Ooft well i'll definitely not be taking the other half to the Fell of Fleet considering it looks like you had to deal with a temporate jungle with no tracks or paths at all, thanks for the heads up, i'll take a machete when I do this one alone!

Alfachick wrote:That stuff you walked down is horrific to walk on! Ankle breaking territory for sure. I always think when I am in that stuff how embarrassing it would be to have to call out mountain rescue or the likes on such a tiny hill, that thought always makes me take it a little slower and more carefully

I've done my fair share of conifer basing over the years and descending off pretty awful slopes. It's almost something I take for granted now.......albeit I take it for granted quite slowly Certainly some of these so called "lesser" hills can present quite a challenge in getting up them and then back down.

Chris Mac wrote:Ooft well i'll definitely not be taking the other half to the Fell of Fleet considering it looks like you had to deal with a temporate jungle with no tracks or paths at all, thanks for the heads up, i'll take a machete when I do this one alone!

MrsR wouldn't have been impressed if I'd dragged her along to this one either. The access tracks are superb and once on the hill there are animal trods that can be followed (but with a note of caution that they might not be heading where you want to go). It was only that steep descent that really slowed me down on the day. That aside it really is a good little hill to visit.....much better than I had been expecting for sure.

Looks like a good walk Pete, having not visited the Fell I had to have a look and see where it is.
It is kind of in the middle of nowhere, I plotted out a route with a view to tackling her this year on my way home and hey ho, it would be the same as yours.
I take it the Southern Upland Way is a good track Pete? I may even utilise my two wheeled friend!!

Fife Flyer wrote:Looks like a good walk Pete, having not visited the Fell I had to have a look and see where it is.
It is kind of in the middle of nowhere, I plotted out a route with a view to tackling her this year on my way home and hey ho, it would be the same as yours.
I take it the Southern Upland Way is a good track Pete? I may even utilise my two wheeled friend!!

Martin, the SUW is an excellent track, as is the one that climbs the side of the hill......if you can find that one.

Not sure about the mountain bike. It wasn't a big circuit, so walking the tracks was easy. Not sure you would necessarily save a lot of time to be honest, especially if you were looking to make it a circuit. But then again I'm a purist and don't know what a mountain bike us