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I wasn't working today and with the weather looking good, I decided to head out for a wee leg stretcher. I had a new Arc'teryx gilet which I wanted to put through its paces. It is replacing my old faithful Paramo one which has basically seen more action and taken more abuse in 3 years than any item of clothing deserves. It still does a good job but as I wear it for a lot more than just hill days (dog walking, generally just nipping out to the shops e.t.c.), it is beginning to come apart around the neck. I also didn't want to be heading up to the Glencoe meet in a fortnight with my last hill walking having been back on 17th October on Beinn Eunaich and Beinn a'Chochuill, so this was also a bit of a fitness booster before the big weekend at the end of the month. I didn't have that much time though by the time I'd done a few things that needed doing first thing in the morning, so I was looking for something light and easy. My eyes were drawn to Glen Isla and the group of Sub2K Marilyns scattered around that neck of the woods and over towards Backwater Reservoir.
I quickly threw a daypack together and hit the road, pulling in at the end of the track coming down off the flanks of Meall Mor just to the east of Drumore Loch.
Start of the track
Nether Craig
I recalled reading some reports on this little hill in the past and remembered that the most direct line of ascent (and the one that avoids plantation issues) leaves the track almost immediately and heads up the drystane dyke hugging the side of the trees.
Starting the ascent
There was a rough strip of tussocky ground about 3 or 4 metres wide between the dyke and a deer fence which I used for the ascent until reaching a wooden fence entirely blocking the way. I could have got over it but Lucy had no options so we backtracked a little to find a gap in the wall and nipped across.
Lucy on the Strip
Across to Drumore Loch
Nether Craig and Over Craig
Gradient easing slightly
Northwest towards Beinn a'Ghlo
We were soon up onto the summit ridge at the meeting of a trio of drystane dykes and the summit cairn was clearly visible a short distance to the west.
Mount Blair
Badandun Hill
Drumore Loch
Lucy wall hopping 1
Lucy wall hopping 2
Mount Blair and Glen Isla
I was at the summit in little over 30 minutes, and that with a fair amount of stoppage time for snapping photos and stopping to put names to the jumble of hills of various heights and shapes all around me.
Mount Blair from the summit of Meall Mor
Summit self-timed shot
Distant Mayar and Driesh
Zoomed in on the Lomond Hills in Fife
Crock (with the firebreak ascent route clearly visible)
A quick mug of hot juice at the cairn and we headed off. I decided to drop down more directly towards the eastern end of Drumore Loch to see if I could pick up the track that the OS sheet showed heading into and ending in the trees below the summit. After a while I picked up a clear animal track that eventually headed into a rough break in the trees.
Into the trees
The going was difficult but we battled on and emerged onto the track a couple of hundred metres up from the car.
Rough descent
Back onto the track
My original thinking had been to then continue east to Freuchies to tackle the wonderfully named Crock, but Lucy had begun to limp rather badly - the deep heather on the steep ascent and the rough terrain in the fire break on the descent seemed to have played havoc with her gammy leg - so I headed for home, fitness nicely boosted and new gilet broken in and not found wanting.
I stopped off en route at Drumore Loch and nipped down to the loch side to investigate the old boat house - quite creepy in a sinister, abandoned sort of way.
Drumore Loch Boathouse from the east
Closer up
From the west