walkhighlands

Deer Hope

Date walked: 17/05/2025

Time taken: 4 hours

Distance: 10km

Ascent: 330m

Still looking for remote places in the Pentlands, I spotted Deer Hope up and to the L from North Esk reservoir, and decided to explore it, with a view to returning over the set of hills N of Carlops. {A hope is a remote enclosed place}
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My route
From Carlops car park I set off up the track to Fairliehope and the Reservoir
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Looking back across the fields to E of S
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Paties hill across the N Esk valley
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Green Law and Spittal hill further back
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Fairliehope where the track makes a sharp S bend
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First view of the Reservoir with Cock Rig behind
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You can turn off here on the Public ROW, but you have to descend again later. If you climb to the top of the fence (centre R) , a steep path leads directly up to The Mount slightly L of another fence
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I took the track thru this gate into a field
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Back to the reservoir
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I headed straight towards the entrance the Deer Hope, but still had to drop a bit to cross the stream
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Looking R to a wood beside the track to the Borestane ; Cock Rig behind again
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Going thru the gate a grassy path leads up beside the stream which was almost completely dry
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Heading up the narrow valley
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Looking back
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On up again
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Two more views looking back
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And two more on up
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The top which is only fractionally higher, is a little way beyond the gate but there isn't any path and this was far enough and remote enough for me :D :D
At this point you are actually on the official WH route to East Cairn Hill. https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/lothian/east-cairn-hill.shtml
On one occasion I headed R here up to Wether Law but became trapped behind a new barbed wire fence and had to follow it East for quite a way before I could descend :(
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The route up the Mount keeps L of the fence, but WH recommend you avoid the bog in the immediate foreground on the R
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Looking back to the route up Wether Law
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The top of the Mount (538m) is not marked in any way - A view to the main Pentland chain
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And on to Grain Heads and Mount Maw
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Looking down the path to the ROW signpost
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From Grain Heads back to the Mount. In this dry weather these hills provide a lovely ridge walk :D :D and I met a number of people. After heavy rain - Well maybe not :lol: :lol:
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And on to Mount Maw
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Gate at the far end of Grain Heads
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At this point I noticed that there was a much better track on the W side of the fence, so I crossed over: Approach to Mount Maw
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Looking back - East Cairn Hill on the L
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Trig point. 535m On my first visit, I went thru the gate in this picture, descended beside a wall and eventually returned thru Carlops hill farm. Not the best :(
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E to Scald Law etc.
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And N again - back the way I had come
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I returned to the little unnamed high point before Grain Heads, crossed back to the E side of the fence, and descended Carlops hill. A wonderful green vehicle track cuts through the ubiquitous Cotton grass :D :D :D
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A final look East
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Looking back up
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The terrain changes
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And you descend to a gate and walk down thru a field
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Looking back up the field and (below) down the lane back to Carlops
A thoroughly enjoyable walk :D :D

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past my sell by date


Activity: Mountaineer
Mountain: Weisshorn
Place: Torridon
Member: FRCC, John Muir Trust, Woodland Trust, Border Forest Trust
Camera: Lumix G6
Ideal day out: remote mountain where i'm unlikely to meet many people

Munros: 282
Tops: 132
Corbetts: 86
Fionas: 27
Donalds: 6
Wainwrights: 159
Hewitts: 146
Sub 2000: 8
Islands: 5



Filter reports


Statistics

2025

Trips: 2
Distance: 20 km
Ascent: 600m

2024

Trips: 3
Distance: 29.8 km
Ascent: 1155m

2023

Trips: 2
Distance: 7.5 km

2022

Trips: 9
Distance: 82.6 km
Ascent: 3843m
Corbetts: 2
Sub2000s: 5

2021

Trips: 5
Distance: 50.8 km
Ascent: 3305m
Munros: 1
Corbetts: 1
Sub2000s: 2

2020

Trips: 9
Distance: 80.2 km
Ascent: 3536m
Munros: 1
Fionas: 2

2019

Trips: 10
Distance: 91.8 km
Ascent: 7166m
Munros: 2
Corbetts: 4

2018

Trips: 11
Distance: 39.3 km
Ascent: 2088m
Munros: 1
Corbetts: 2
Fionas: 1

2017

Trips: 13
Distance: 39.75 km
Ascent: 3366m
Munros: 1
Corbetts: 2

2016

Trips: 15
Distance: 210.95 km
Ascent: 11849m
Munros: 3
Corbetts: 8
Fionas: 5

2015

Trips: 22
Distance: 147.4 km
Ascent: 10690m
Munros: 1
Corbetts: 7
Fionas: 8
Donalds: 1

2014

Trips: 6
Distance: 80.6 km
Ascent: 5180m
Munros: 2
Corbetts: 6
Fionas: 1

2013

Trips: 5
Distance: 42.9 km
Ascent: 3887m
Munros: 3
Corbetts: 2
Fionas: 2

2012

Trips: 1

2011

Trips: 4
Distance: 32 km
Ascent: 2397m
Corbetts: 1

2010

Trips: 12

2009

Trips: 6

2008

Trips: 5

2007

Trips: 2

2006

Trips: 9
Distance: 120 km
Ascent: 6734m

2005

Trips: 3

2004

Trips: 3

2003

Trips: 13
Distance: 107 km
Ascent: 2586m

2002

Trips: 11

2001

Trips: 8

2000

Trips: 8

1999

Trips: 4
Distance: 35.7 km
Ascent: 1768m
Munros: 2

1998

Trips: 1
Distance: 36 km
Ascent: 1760m
Munros: 4

1997

Trips: 2
Distance: 41.35 km
Ascent: 3622m
Munros: 7

1996

Trips: 1
Distance: 70 km
Ascent: 3700m
Munros: 8

1995

Trips: 2
Distance: 29 km
Ascent: 2548m
Munros: 3

1994

Trips: 3
Distance: 43.1 km
Ascent: 3739m
Munros: 7

1993

Trips: 2
Distance: 47.5 km
Ascent: 3050m
Munros: 4

1991

Trips: 1
Munros: 2

1990

Trips: 2
Distance: 16.5 km
Ascent: 1108m
Munros: 4

1989

Trips: 4
Distance: 48.5 km
Ascent: 3780m
Munros: 9

1986

Trips: 1
Munros: 2

1972

Trips: 1
Distance: 29 km
Ascent: 1230m
Munros: 1

1969

Trips: 1
Distance: 7.3 km
Ascent: 962m
Corbetts: 1

1967

Trips: 1

1966

Trips: 1

1960

Trips: 2
Munros: 3


Joined: Apr 24, 2013
Last visited: Jun 17, 2025
Total posts: 1134 | Search posts