Walkhighlands • past my sell by date • Blog

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}

My route
From Carlops car park I set off up the track to Fairliehope and the Reservoir

Looking back across the fields to E of S

Paties hill across the N Esk valley

Green Law and Spittal hill further back

Fairliehope where the track makes a sharp S bend

First view of the Reservoir with Cock Rig behind

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

I took the track thru this gate into a field

Back to the reservoir

I headed straight towards the entrance the Deer Hope, but still had to drop a bit to cross the stream

Looking R to a wood beside the track to the Borestane ; Cock Rig behind again

Going thru the gate a grassy path leads up beside the stream which was almost completely dry

Heading up the narrow valley

Looking back

On up again

Two more views looking back

And two more on up

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

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

The route up the Mount keeps L of the fence, but WH recommend you avoid the bog in the immediate foreground on the R

Looking back to the route up Wether Law

The top of the Mount (538m) is not marked in any way - A view to the main Pentland chain

And on to Grain Heads and Mount Maw

Looking down the path to the ROW signpost

From Grain Heads back to the Mount. In this dry weather these hills provide a lovely ridge walk

and I met a number of people. After heavy rain - Well maybe not :lol:

And on to Mount Maw

Gate at the far end of Grain Heads

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

Looking back - East Cairn Hill on the L

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

E to Scald Law etc.

And N again - back the way I had come

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

A final look East

Looking back up

The terrain changes

And you descend to a gate and walk down thru a field

Looking back up the field and (below) down the lane back to Carlops
A thoroughly enjoyable walk

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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; Date walked: Select Date; to; Select Date; Time taken:; to; Distance:; to; Trips: 2; Distance: 20 km; Ascent: 600m; Trips: 3; Distance: 29.8 km; Ascent: 1155m; Trips: 2; Distance: 7.5 km; Trips: 9; Distance: 82.6 km; Ascent: 3843m; Corbetts: 2; Sub2000s: 5; Trips: 5; Distance: 50.8 km; Ascent: 3305m; Munros: 1; Corbetts: 1; Sub2000s: 2; Trips: 9; Distance: 80.2 km; Ascent: 3536m; Munros: 1; Fionas: 2; Trips: 10; Distance: 91.8 km; Ascent: 7166m; Munros: 2; Corbetts: 4; Trips: 11; Distance: 39.3 km; Ascent: 2088m; Munros: 1; Corbetts: 2; Fionas: 1; Trips: 13; Distance: 39.75 km; Ascent: 3366m; Munros: 1; Corbetts: 2; Trips: 15; Distance: 210.95 km; Ascent: 11849m; Munros: 3; Corbetts: 8; Fionas: 5; Trips: 22; Distance: 147.4 km; Ascent: 10690m; Munros: 1; Corbetts: 7; Fionas: 8; Donalds: 1; Trips: 6; Distance: 80.6 km; Ascent: 5180m; Munros: 2; Corbetts: 6; Fionas: 1; Trips: 5; Distance: 42.9 km; Ascent: 3887m; Munros: 3; Corbetts: 2; Fionas: 2; Trips: 1; Trips: 4; Distance: 32 km; Ascent: 2397m; Corbetts: 1; Trips: 12; Trips: 6; Trips: 5; Trips: 2; Trips: 9; Distance: 120 km; Ascent: 6734m; Trips: 3; Trips: 3; Trips: 13; Distance: 107 km; Ascent: 2586m; Trips: 11; Trips: 8; Trips: 8; Trips: 4; Distance: 35.7 km; Ascent: 1768m; Munros: 2; Trips: 1; Distance: 36 km; Ascent: 1760m; Munros: 4; Trips: 2; Distance: 41.35 km; Ascent: 3622m; Munros: 7; Trips: 1; Distance: 70 km; Ascent: 3700m; Munros: 8; Trips: 2; Distance: 29 km; Ascent: 2548m; Munros: 3; Trips: 3; Distance: 43.1 km; Ascent: 3739m; Munros: 7; Trips: 2; Distance: 47.5 km; Ascent: 3050m; Munros: 4; Trips: 1; Munros: 2; Trips: 2; Distance: 16.5 km; Ascent: 1108m; Munros: 4; Trips: 4; Distance: 48.5 km; Ascent: 3780m; Munros: 9; Trips: 1; Munros: 2; Trips: 1; Distance: 29 km; Ascent: 1230m; Munros: 1; Trips: 1; Distance: 7.3 km; Ascent: 962m; Corbetts: 1; Trips: 1; Trips: 1; Trips: 2; Munros: 3; Joined: Apr 24, 2013; Last visited: Jun 17, 2025; Total posts: 1134 | Search posts

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Date walked: 17/05/2025

Time taken: 4 hours

Distance: 10km

Ascent: 330m

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