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West Ord, Beans Hill, Anguston Hill, Newmill Hill, Drum Hill
WEST ORD
- Parkup for W Ord
Parked at the end of a passing place just beyond the entrance to the huse on the N side of Wester Ord Plantation..
Just beyond the house, the way along the track was a bit overgrown in front of the field gate. We bypassed the gate over a dyke on the right to gain access to the field and the track beyond. At the end of the wood a track went up on the inside of a failry recent deer fence surrounding the "quarry" to the west. The contractor had conveniently omitted to fix the wire to the posts installed, so easy passage was gained At the back of the quarry, the "Top" was on the other side of the fence, so we left Harvey and climbed the fence one at a time and walked over the stubble to the rounded area deemed "the top".
In fact a bund that had been raised around the "quarry" used for storing earthworks equipment was higher than the natural top of the hill.
Returned the same way. The forecast heavey rain had still not arrived !
- GordonC returns from the top of W Ord
BEANS HILL
- Parkup by the dustbins for Beans Hill
Just doon the road a wee bit on the Contlaw road we turned up to Contlaw Mains, parking just beyond the farm where the bins were assembled. Headed up the track until a gate with a fine pedestrian bypass was reached. We went through the gate and walked on for a few metres before realising that we'd walked into a broadleaf tree plantation. We returned to the other side of the gate and followed a track up to a rollie bale storage area. Crossed the grassy field and hopped over a fence under the pine trees into another Birk plantation. Across the other side was overgrown with gorse, but we spotted the trig nicely canouflaged on the other side of the fence.
Returned the same way.
- Track through the new Birks on Beans Hill
- GordonC & H by the trig of Beans Hill
- The overgrown Trig on Beans Hill
ANGUSTON HILL
Decide to do this one first as the heavy rain still hadn't arrived.
Parked at the end of the road to Upper Anguston as the layby was now occupied by zillions of wheelie bins.
Walked up the road past the houses converted from farm buildings on to the track beyond, ignoring a "no tresspassers" notice. Past the grain store a track took us to the water reservoir which marked the top of the hill.. A convenient gap in the dyke and a style afforded easy access to the concrete edifice.
Slipped while taking our "summit" pics and bled over everything from cuts on my hand.
- H wondering what I'm doing bleeding over the top of Anguston Hill
- GordonC by the water tank at the top of Anguston Hill
Returned the same way.
NEWMILL HILL
Back at the main road ( A93) there's a very convenient muddy layby right opposite the Angusfield turnoff.
A path leads into the wood and zig zags up through the wood, roughly following the firebreaks marked on the map.
- The path up Newmill Hill
At the top we struck off to the top across a mossy summit area to the cairn.
- GordonC & H at the cairn of Newmill Hill
After the obligatory pics, we carried on to pick up the path skirting the summit area and followed it back to the layby, making the return marginally easier underfoot. Near the road just inside the wood an auld yin was tending to a wee shrine, which he said was in memory of his grand-daughter. He used to take her for walks in this wood, but she had died. Quite sad..........
He told us about a tower on the top of the hill ( which we didn't see, but surmised it was on the other top of this hill )
LUNCH
Seemed a shame to pass such a fine cafe, so we joined our fellow wrinklies in the Drum Garden Centre - initially for a bacon buttie, but as they'd switched to the lunch menu - it was soup 'n coffee. Hope we didn't lower the tone in our hill gear.........
DRUM HILL
We elected to attack this from the castle side, as parking looked difficult on GE, to the west.
Stopped at the end of the road to the Home farm and found a convenient parking neuk.
Walked up the road to the farm and round the back, then up a track to a mini "quarry" which had an abandomed CAT vehicle rotting away and a no-walled sheddie, which we thought was maybe a roof over a water supply.
- A rusting CAT on the way up Drum Hill
. Picked an animal track out the back of the "quarry" and thrutched over some overgrown fallen trees before getting to clearer ground and finding the trig further along.
- Moose -stepping over the fallen trees up Drum Hill
- The trig of Drum Hill
We returned by some better tracks to the north, but the original tracks had been blocked by fallen trees. Anyway a little moose-stepping got us back to the "quarry" behind the Home farm.
We arrived back at the car as the threatened heavy rain started to arrive - good timing, we'd escaped the worst of it.
A nice wee trip around these local TUmps and not too strenuous to bag these tiddlers !