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Corserine and Pals

Corserine and Pals


Postby Gordie12 » Sun Sep 11, 2016 3:06 pm

Route description: Corserine and the Rhinns of Kells, Forrest Lodge

Corbetts included on this walk: Corserine

Donalds included on this walk: Carlin's Cairn, Corserine, Meikle Millyea, Milldown

Date walked: 10/09/2016

Time taken: 5.8 hours

Distance: 22.9 km

Ascent: 1298m

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Since completing the small group of Corbetts to the East of the M74 the four to the West have been drawing my eye every time I look at my Corbett map.

Yesterday seemed like the perfect day with the weather expected to be better in the South so with a three and a half hour car journey ahead of me I was on the road just after 5:30am.

After a couple of wrong turns and a brief stop I was parked up by around 9:30am. A large car park and only another couple of cars parked up and nobody around.

1.jpg
Car Park at Forrest Lodge


The first thing you notice on getting out of the car is that there are tracks leading off in every direction so an early opportunity to make my first mistake of the day. I had my WH notes with me, my paper map and Garmin but stupidity got the upper hand and I wandered over to Forrest Lodge.

2.jpg


3.jpg


Took the above photos and continued uphill round the side of Forrest Lodge and in to the woods before realising that things weren't going to plan so retraced my steps back to within about 50 yards of the car when I saw the sign I had been looking for.

4.jpg
Blue sign for Fore Bush


5.jpg
Take the Birger Natvig Road


So after about 20 minutes I now realised that I should have left the car park, walked 50 yards towards Forrest Lodge (continuing on the road I had driven to the car park on) then turned left on to the Birger Natvig Road just before a bridge short of Forrest Lodge. It's also obvious now who owns the land I'm walking on!

Finally I can get the walk started and it's a good track that climbs gradually through a de-forested area of ground up to and beyond the white cottage (Fore Bush). Once in to the forest the track splits and I continued on the main route (signed Loch Harrow in light blue and in metres).

After Loch Harrow the gradient started to steepen but on the good track it was straight forward.

6.jpg
Beyond Loch Harrow


Time for what I assume was mistake number two. I was looking for a large boulder beside the track and at that point I knew there would be a stone bridge over the burn and it was then a short walk to a stile that would take me over the deer fence and on to the open hill. Instead, I reached a point where the track took a right turn and there was another light blue sign directing hill walkers to take the track on the left to a stile over the deer fence, assuming this would be the same stile I followed the track. This track was fairly squidgy as I followed it uphill to a burn that was in full flow after the previous night's rain. I found some stepping stones that were wet but relied on them to get me safely over to the far side. From here up to the deer fence was wet with fairly long grass. The stile was four poles resting against the barb wire fence but the fence was only about 3-4 feet high so I was able to clamber over it fairly easily.

7.jpg
View from the "stile"


With my first clear view of the hill I could see that I need to cross the burn again and head for the higher ground over to my right. The walk over to the burn and the climb away from it was tough going. Long grass, unseen holes and very wet (the re-crossing of the burn was easier as it was narrower at this point) it was strength sapping but eventually it was behind me and I was surprised to reach a narrow path which presumably was the one I should have been on had I not gone wrong back in the woods.

Now the walking was easier, it was still a fair climb but so much easier underfoot.

9.jpg
View of the higher part of the climb


10.jpg
Looking back down


The path follows the edge of the corrie before reaching the wide top ridge and after a short walk the summit is reached.

11.jpg
Corserine Summit


12.jpg
Looking over towards Carlin's Cairn


Getting in my car and driving south to climb hills is an alien concept to me but standing on top of Corserine and taking in the views I have to say it's a pretty impressive sight and has whetted the appetite to get back again soon. The night before I had read a couple of reports on these hills including Secret Squirrels route that included Carlin's Cairn. It was never my intention to include this hill but it looked so close and appealing I just couldn't resist the temptation so headed off in the opposition direction from the one I had intended. The walk over and back was as straight forward as it looked and didn't take very long. I must have enjoyed the views as I forgot to get the camera out :(

Back on Corserine the route ahead is obvious and after about 100 yards I picked up a grassy track that I would follow over Millfire and then Milldown.

13.jpg
Millfire ahead


14.jpg
Looking down to Loch Dungeon


15.jpg
Merrick has to be next


16.jpg
Typical wet bit


The walk over to Millfire was straight forward, a bit undulating and some wet patches that needed to be avoided.

17.jpg
Millfire summit looking towards Milldown


18.jpg
Down to Loch Dungeon


It didn't take long to cover the ground between Millfire and Milldown, similar to the track between Corserine and Millfire, grassy and wet in short sections but straight forward. There was now a wall to my left that I needed to cross to get to the summit cairn.

19.jpg
Summit of Milldown over to Meikle Millyea


20.jpg
Back to Corserine


Between Milldown and Meikle Millyea I left the grassy path and followed the narrow path running parallel to the wall. The descent is straight forward with the low point between the two hills having a few lochans for a bit of added interest.

21.jpg


22.jpg
Final climb of the day up to the summit of Meikle Millyea


Following my WH notes I knew I needed to just follow the wall up to the cairn but the high point of this hill seemed to be over to my right. On reaching the cairn the other top still looked higher so no choice, I needed to go and check it out. The walk over is straight forward and there and back only took a few minutes.

23.jpg
Cairn on Meikle Millyea looking back over to Corserine


After a short stop back at the cairn it's time to head off the hill, headed NE to the rocky outcrop where I then followed the wall all the way down to the forest. There are more wet sections on the way down but it's still fairly easy walking. Close to the forest there is a short steeper bit and on a steep wet grassy descent the inevitable happened and my feet went from under me resulting in a soft but muddy landing. A bit frustrating as it was the last difficult part of the descent and I was completely soaked.

Following the line of the wall I could see a stile about 300 yards away then to my left about 100 yards away I could see a gate so chose the shorter route. The going was hard again, long grass, very wet and hard going so I was glad to get to the gate where there was also a stile followed by a short walk through the trees on to a wide forest track.

Chose to turn right on to the track and follow it downhill through the woods. The sun was now out and on the lower ground in the shelter of the trees it was quite warm.

24.jpg
Hopefully the correct track back to the car park


25.jpg
Looking back


After about half a mile I noticed that I was on the Prof Hans Heiberg Road which I knew was the correct one for the walk back to the car park. The track continued downhill past a white house on my left before running paralled with a river and reaching the car park

26.jpg
According to Wikipedia, a Norwegian journalist/novelist/playwright/critic


When I got back, the car park was empty which was a bit of a surprise. Made me wonder how busy this place would be if it was in say Perthshire?

This was a really enjoyable route with some great viewpoints, probably my best day out in the hills for a couple of months.
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Gordie12
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Re: Corserine and Pals

Postby teaandpies » Sun Sep 11, 2016 3:20 pm

Looks like a fairly decent wee walk there :D
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Re: Corserine and Pals

Postby simon-b » Sun Sep 11, 2016 5:53 pm

It's good to see a report from this part of the country again, Gordie. Although the quietness of these hills has its appeal, the area deserves to be discovered by more walkers.
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Re: Corserine and Pals

Postby Gordie12 » Mon Sep 12, 2016 11:06 am

teaandpies wrote:Looks like a fairly decent wee walk there :D


And only an hour down the road for you - would give you a break from Loch Lomondside and all that traffic.
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Re: Corserine and Pals

Postby Gordie12 » Mon Sep 12, 2016 11:14 am

simon-b wrote:It's good to see a report from this part of the country again, Gordie. Although the quietness of these hills has its appeal, the area deserves to be discovered by more walkers.


Shoosh Simon - the peace and quiet was wonderful, didn't see anyone on any of the hills and that was on a Saturday. Up my way, on these tracks, I would expect mountain bikers to easily out number walkers.
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Re: Corserine and Pals

Postby litljortindan » Wed Sep 14, 2016 7:41 pm

Would like to get down there one day. Stayed at Dukieston when I was a wee boy and probably went along one of those roads in a pushchair. In fact I know I did, on a walk to one of the lochs.
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Re: Corserine and Pals

Postby Huff_n_Puff » Wed Sep 14, 2016 7:47 pm

Some lovely photos - thanks for the introduction to a new area :D
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Re: Corserine and Pals

Postby teaandpies » Thu Sep 15, 2016 12:40 am

Gordie12 wrote:
teaandpies wrote:Looks like a fairly decent wee walk there :D


And only an hour down the road for you - would give you a break from Loch Lomondside and all that traffic.


Doesn't sound like a bad idea. Hoping the traffic will have eased at this time of year.

Been stuck at work as well as for-filling social obligations I've not gotten out for ages... sigh
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Re: Corserine and Pals

Postby Caberfeidh » Thu Sep 15, 2016 1:51 pm

Nice to see Galloway, me old stamping ground, again. Carlin's Cairn is so named for an old lady who was promised as much land as she could cover on foot whilst Robert Bruce was eating the food she had prepared for him and his men. She put the pot of porridge on the boil, put the spoons in the fire and legged it! She had covered such an immense distance by the time the knights and king-to-be had cooled off the utensils and finished the scalding hot food, that she and her family became wealthy from the grant of lands bestowed later by a grateful and no doubt chuckling-at-her-wiliness King Robert Bruce... :)
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Re: Corserine and Pals

Postby Gordie12 » Thu Sep 15, 2016 5:42 pm

litljortindan wrote:Would like to get down there one day. Stayed at Dukieston when I was a wee boy and probably went along one of those roads in a pushchair. In fact I know I did, on a walk to one of the lochs.


You need to get yourself down there again, use of a pushchair is cheating :lol:
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Re: Corserine and Pals

Postby Gordie12 » Thu Sep 15, 2016 5:44 pm

Huff_n_Puff wrote:Some lovely photos - thanks for the introduction to a new area :D


I hate it when people introduce me to a new area, usually means a high mileage on the car..........
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Re: Corserine and Pals

Postby Gordie12 » Thu Sep 15, 2016 5:45 pm

teaandpies wrote:
Gordie12 wrote:
teaandpies wrote:Looks like a fairly decent wee walk there :D


And only an hour down the road for you - would give you a break from Loch Lomondside and all that traffic.


Doesn't sound like a bad idea. Hoping the traffic will have eased at this time of year.

Been stuck at work as well as for-filling social obligations I've not gotten out for ages... sigh


Sadly, life does have a habit of getting in the way. Hopefully you'll get out soon.
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Gordie12
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Re: Corserine and Pals

Postby Gordie12 » Thu Sep 15, 2016 5:52 pm

Caberfeidh wrote:Nice to see Galloway, me old stamping ground, again. Carlin's Cairn is so named for an old lady who was promised as much land as she could cover on foot whilst Robert Bruce was eating the food she had prepared for him and his men. She put the pot of porridge on the boil, put the spoons in the fire and legged it! She had covered such an immense distance by the time the knights and king-to-be had cooled off the utensils and finished the scalding hot food, that she and her family became wealthy from the grant of lands bestowed later by a grateful and no doubt chuckling-at-her-wiliness King Robert Bruce... :)


Loved the story Caberfeidh but as it was you (no offence intended) I had to check a few websites to see if you were on the wind-up.......... turns out you weren't.

Prior to this walk, my knowledge of this area was limited to the M74 - it's a lot more remote and hilly than I expected.
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Re: Corserine and Pals

Postby teaandpies » Thu Sep 15, 2016 11:43 pm

teaandpies wrote:
Gordie12 wrote:
teaandpies wrote:Looks like a fairly decent wee walk there :D


And only an hour down the road for you - would give you a break from Loch Lomondside and all that traffic.


Doesn't sound like a bad idea. Hoping the traffic will have eased at this time of year.

Been stuck at work as well as for-filling social obligations I've not gotten out for ages... sigh


fulfilling? Ach, what's the right word??
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Re: Corserine and Pals

Postby Caberfeidh » Fri Sep 16, 2016 1:41 pm

Gordie12 wrote:Loved the story Caberfeidh but as it was you (no offence intended) I had to check a few websites to see if you were on the wind-up.......... turns out you weren't.


No offence? NO OFFENCE ??? Ooooh, none taken I'm sure... I'll have you know I'm as honest as the day is long. (The longer the daylight, the less I do wrong! ) :shock:
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