Hill of Wirren - Graham therapy to soften the blow

[Graeme D]

I had always thought that I'd leave Hill of Wirren for a winter ascent. It looked an ideal walk for a short day, assuming the minor roads from Brechin up towards Glen Lethnot could be negotiated.

However, a brief window of opportunity had presented itself this particular Wednesday afternoon and after quickly assessing the options, I settled on this little Angus Graham. So, 4 weeks on from Mount Battock, the most easterly Corbett, I was on the most easterly Graham.

The school summer holidays had come to an abrupt and shuddering halt on Monday and although I was feeling altogether happier and more relaxed about the year ahead than I had felt 12 months previously, I still thought a little ice breaker might be in order early doors. I'm not timetabled on a Wednesday afternoon this year and being on minimum non contact time, that time is sacrosanct. I know fine well that I am going to have to use that time carefully and not squander it on smash and grab raids to local hills, even if there are still several weeks left yet where the daylight would last long enough to permit it. And besides, my wife doesn't work Wednesdays and since I wrote the banger off a couple of years ago and we have remained a one car family, it means that she normally has the car on a Wednesday to do various bits and pieces with Ailsa, so I'm kind of stuck anyway. However, this week she had swapped her Wednesday for the Friday, so I had the car and the opportunity.

I managed to navigate my way through the buzzing metropolis that is Brechin and along the country roads deep into the glens using nothing but a sixth sense and a memorised image in my head of the map. By 3pm I was parked at the little roadside parking area that I had seen in a number of previous reports and shortly afterwards I was striding up the road towards the farm at Auchowrie.

The start

Auchowrie

I didn't spare the horses at all and ploughed a pretty straight line up, soon picking up the rocky track which I followed until it ended as abruptly and unforgivingly as the summer holidays had done a few days before.

Back down across Auchowrie to the car and the West Water

Track through the purple heather

A rather sudden and abrupt termination of the track

Off the track and into the heather, there was little let up in my pace. I soon hit the sea of peat hags (really just more like one massive peat hag itself) and skipped across the firm surface to the summit trig point.

Mount Keen in the distance

Massive expanse of peat hag

I was there so quickly and so suddenly that I momentarily doubted that this was the summit, but it most obviously was.

Summit reached

Mount Battock and Clachnaben from the summit trig point

Towards the North Sea coast

Lochnagar and Mount Keen

A few quick shots and I was on my way back down, on a different line slightly to the south east of my ascent line which took me through an area of interesting looking shooting butts before I eventually picked up the track back down to Auchowrie.

One of the shooting butts high above the West Water

The road to Brechin

Back at the car in just under an hour and a half and away back down the road to Perth.

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[Gordie12]

Hi Graeme

Still to do this one.

I'm always a bit wary of going through farmyards - I feel like I shouldn't really be there!

With your second photo at Auchowrie where did you pick up the track up the hill? Did you head through the open gate to what looks like a track (before the barn) or did you head uphill between the barn and the cottage??

No Angus farmer about?

[ChrisW]

Lovely stuff Graeme and right up my street, I loved these rolling beauties when I lived over there, your photos really twanged the heartstrings, that last one of 'the road to Brechin' makes me want to step right into it

[The Rodmiester]

That looks fine hillwalking weather you had there, nice wee hill, and deffinately the right time to cross over the peat hags, imagine going after similar weather we had on Skye at the weekend Nice bit of colour from the heather there!

[The Rodmiester]

Hi Graeme

Still to do this one.

I'm always a bit wary of going through farmyards - I feel like I shouldn't really be there!

With your second photo at Auchowrie where did you pick up the track up the hill? Did you head through the open gate to what looks like a track (before the barn) or did you head uphill between the barn and the cottage??

No Angus farmer about?

On Graeme's second photo, I went over the open aluminium gate before the farm buildings as like you don't fancy going though the yard if possible. Go into that field and cross diagonally beyond the wee mast and there is another gate within the fence heading off up the field, go through that and cross a wee burn and you can see the track not far away and just head for that, a fine walk for an evening for you

[Gordie12]

Thanks Rod.

[trekker53]

Graeme,
You have to take the opportunity when you can and of course keeping her indoors happy is part of it.
Thought this would be a warm up for the Skye meet, unfortunately we all know how it went.
Good meeting you again, maybe we'll have better luck next time.