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Routes shown and parking mentioned on this website are those used by the author. Readers heading for the summits are responsible for their own choices.
Playing the Game - Stones #31 - #38
Monday 20 September 2021
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Exploring the far East
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#31 Since I began this odyssey to list and climb the 400m summits in the Ochils, I have been keen to explore the new ground for me of Kinross-shire, and a particular stand-out hill has been Slungie Hill [SlH#31] (GR 058076), not least because of its intriguing name and the fact that it is the most easterly of the agos400 targets.
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On a misty autumn morning, we followed signs for Stronachie from the A9 just west of Milnathort.
After about 5 kms of narrow roads, we found a large lay-by with a stile and an orange gate at the start of the walk (GR 070078) with room for 4 or 5 cars, although care has to be taken if you are to obey all the signage!
Over the stile, we chose to follow the smaller path to the right rather than the track straight ahead, and we were soon at the tiny reservoir which used to supply the now defunct Stronachie Distillery. From here, we followed the obvious path uphill for around a kilometre until we came to a direction post, where we decided to ignore the arrow and carry on looking for a route to the summit of the hill. After a few hundred metres, though, second thoughts prompted us to return to the post and follow the arrow.
Welcome to Blackhill and Touchie!!
We were now back on the waymarked course, but very soon it became obvious that it was not about to take us to the top of the hill, so it was back to the map, and more discussion, leading us to agree that the only way was going to be to follow a very overgrown forest ride, which was a step too far for Lindsey with her newly healed knee.
A great view over to Perth and Dundee from the waymarker at GR 060078
I figured that it was worth having a look at just what was possible, though, and I gingerly set off zig zagging uphill avoiding ancient fallen trunks and newer trees and bushes which had self seeded over the years. Eventually, I reckoned I must have gone as high as was possible, and I was pleased when my my grid reference app told me I was spot on. At this point, I remembered that one of the aims of this game is to enjoy the experience, and so I decided that I would not leave the stones here, but rather at the much more accessible point where I had left Lindsey. For the purists, though - it IS possible to get to the top.
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Both stones are positioned beside a moss covered stump just off the footpath and at the bottom of the ride leading to the top of the hill; there's a marker cane there also to help.
Grid reference is 06040768
The top - lots of trees, moss and fungus
This was exactly what the doctor ordered, and it was great to get going - yet again. We chose to retrace our steps on this occasion, but there is an obvious circuit following the footpath south east to the forestry track and back to the gate, while the reverse journey should also be pleasant.
Today: 1 hr 30 mins, 4.2 km and 150m. (Running totals: 84 hrs 25 mins, 279.6 km and over 9,093m)
Thursday 21 October 2021
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The full set of Marilyns
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#32 With a favourable looking weather forecast, I decided that the time was ripe to up the ante and go for a longer walk than had been the case recently, and bag our remaining Ochils Marilyn (see Some notes for further information), Innerdouny Hill [IdH#32] (GR 030073), which was the highest hill in the County of Kinrossshire, before the advent of "Perth and Kinross".
The walk to the top is pretty straightforward, with only two direction decisions to be made. After just over a kilometre of climbing, there is a Y junction, with an arrow pointing rather confusingly to the left; the correct direction is to the right. From here, the track meanders and undulates a bit until a fence at the side of a clearing with an obvious footpath alongside seems to point in the direction of the summit - and we agreed with Jasper that this was the way to go.
The car park and start of the walk
We were joined today by Sandra and Iain, with Jasper, who have previously placed some Stones for the Game of Stones, and we made our way to the start at Littlerig by following the B934 road from Yetts O' Muckhart for about five kilometres.
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It was, indeed a lovely, if chilly, day, and we set off into the first snow of the season, dumped the night before, but this soon melted in the sunshine.
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From the track, we followed the fence up a gentle incline, until having negotiated a pretty marshy bit of terrain and then passed through a gap in a dyke, we could see the trig point a couple of hundred metres away. With the Stones ceremoniously placed at the base of the trig pillar, we took a few breezy minutes to grab a cup of coffee and appreciate another Ochils hill which rewards the effort with super vistas in all directions.
None of us being in any sort of mood to experiment with exploring other options for descent, especially since there has been, and continues to be, a great deal of felling in the area, we simply retraced our steps back to the car and basked in the satisfaction of another lovely hill bagged.
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Postscript: I found some more muscles overnight which I had forgotten about - no gain without pain? Indeed.
Jasper looks for his reward for leading the expedition to the summit
Today: 2 hrs 40 mins, 9.4 km and 270m. (Running totals: 87 hrs 05 mins, 289 km and over 9,363m)
Wednesday 03 November 2021
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On yir bike!
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#33 With a favourable weather forecast, today looked like an opportunity to get a Stone out, but I was still not ready for a long hike. A likely candidate I have been considering is the variously named Ben Buck North East Top, aka Burnfoot Hill which lies to the south of the Upper Glendevon Reservoir. An obvious access option is from the A823 and the 5 km trek along to Backhills Farm before following the windfarm road up amongst the turbines to the top of the hill. A 10 kilometre slog both ways along a tarmac road, though, was really not an attractive thought, until the light bulb moment - why not use our folding bikes for that bit?
And it worked a treat. Having cycled in for about 25 minutes at a leisurely pace, we dumped the bikes out of sight of the road and set off on foot towards Backhills Farm and beyond. Could we have kept on cycling? Well, it's certainly possible to get bikes all the way up the windfarm access road, but we were very happy to go hybrid - in fact, I doubt if we could have cycled a whole lot further than we did; walking was actually pretty pleasant after the ride in.
It's fair to say that the drag up from Backhills could be very tedious in poor visibility, but today it was good to be able to look around and take in some familiar hills in the area, with Andrew Gannel, Grodwell and Ben Cleuch off to the left, and a short coffee break sheltering from the sharp north easterly breeze as forecast allowing us to look north over the reservoirs to some hills on the list which have still to be bagged, such as Wether
Hill and the two Craigentaggert summits. If it's solitude you're looking for in the hills, then this is possibly not the place to be. In the relatively short period we were in the area, there were a variety of vehicles which passed us as the work of maintaining the track and the windfarm went on. We had plenty of time to be aware of the dominating turbines - twenty one in total - and to appreciate the views of those who find them a blot on the landscape as well as those who find them to be rather majestic. As usual, I'm somewhere in between, as I would prefer that we didn't need as many as we have, but am always impressed to see them at work. And of course, there is the issue of just how effective they are in the fight to protect the planet, which is always going to generate heated arguments if not heated houses.
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As can be seen from the attached map, we did a loop on the track before we reached the summit; I wanted to check out the marked buildings, which turn out to be a sub station for Rhodders and Burnfoot East windfarms. This was the point where it became quite obvious to me from the sign that this summit to which we were headed has to be Burnfoot Hill East [BfH#33] (GR 905025) and not just Burnfoot Hill, which is marked on the map as the lower top to the north - and certainly not Ben Buck NE Top - which is just confusing!
Looking north over the upper reservoir
Having left the track, we headed towards the highest point in view over familiar Ochils tussocky grass, lush moss and some scattered rocks until after a couple of hundred metres we came to a very flat cairn, to which we added both the yellow band and the white dot Stones. The views in all directions were very clear, and we really did feel as if we were in the middle of the hills, with the Trossachs and Auchterarder shining in the distance.
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We started our return journey by heading East towards Turbine #11, which would be a sensible point at which to leave the track for anyone wanting to reach the summit. The journey back was uneventful, with the underfoot track making it easy for us to look about and enjoy the lovely autumnal sunshine and the views in all directions. Having retrieved our bikes, it was great to appreciate the inspiration which had allowed us to avoid the long 4 km walk back to the car. Note: we parked in a layby just inside a set of gates with a notice which indicates a private road to Frandy; this doesn't seem to be a problem.
Today: 3 hrs 05 mins, 15.1 km and 570m. (Running totals: 90 hrs 10 mins, 304 km and over 9,933m)
Wednesday 17 November 2021
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New horizons
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#34 We've been working our way up the B934 towards Dunning, and today it was the turn of the Tonguey Faulds parking area to host us as we set out on an overcast and breezy morning to bag another two of the 400ers. The first of these was interesting as a yellow band Stone had already been placed out five months previously by Hugh, and we were intrigued to see if it we could find it. So off we set up the track opposite the car park and headed west into the stiff breeze through Corb Glen, which quite surprisingly was new territory for both of us. About two kilometres up the track, we came to a gate, which was our cue to head uphill towards the summit of John's Hill [JoH#34] (GR 001081). For the rest of our walk today, there were no obvious paths to follow that we
were able to find - despite the Harveys map indicating that there should be some. However, this was not a problem, as there were quite a few sheeptracks and quad bike dual carriageways heading in the right direction, and these helped to make the steep ascent a bit easier. With quite a few stops to
look back and appreciate the views as we gained height we at last made it to the top - which was conveniently marked by a cane placed by Hugh. At first. it did look as if the stone had disappeared, but no, there it was nestled cosily in the grass next to the cane.
As is so often the case, the breeze was making it a bit uncomfortable to hang around at the summit, so we quickly positioned the white dot Stone which we had brought, along with a second cane, and set off in the direction of our next hill - eventually, as we were keeping our eyes open, unsuccessfully,for any tracks that might be going in our direction. Once we were in the lee of the hill, the temperature improved enough for us to have a seat and a sandwich, and take in the views over to Innerdouny and the quaintly named Fanny Hill which, although over 400m asl, unfortunately does not have the prominence to be included in the List; it actually looks as if it might be so tree covered as to be a very difficult ascent.
#35 Snack over, we continued downhill, being very careful where we were placing our feet as we were once again walking on tussocky grass; it would have been very easy to twist an ankle, which would have been very inconvenient. Soon, it was time to start gaining height again as we made for the top of today's second summit, Lamb Hill [LaH#35]
(GR 009076) which, as expected, was another featureless top, but the OS app on the phone allowed us to pinpoint the spot height, and it was here that we planted our cane and positioned both the yellow band and white dot Stones. And then it was time to head back to the car, and in the absence of any sort of tracks, we decided to head for the road, again taking great care in placing our feet, until we reached the road with its inevitable barbed wire fence and a quick 800 metre return to the car.
The two Stones on Lamb Hill with John's Hill and Sim's Hill in the distance
Today: 2 hrs 45 mins, 5 km and 305m. (Running totals: 92 hrs 55 mins, 309 km and over 10,238m)
Wednesday 08 December 2021
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A quick bag - not.
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#36 With a very crowded calendar, today looked like a rare possibility to bag a quick summit before the end of the year. So, it was back up the B934 heading towards Dunning, but I had failed to take the effects of yesterday's Storm Barra into account, and as I approached my destination I became increasingly aware that the road conditions were deteriorating. Just when I was beginning to have second thoughts, though, I arrived at my planned parking area, and slithered to a halt. After a walk of about 400 metres along the road, I arrived at Blaeberry Toll, and it was time to head off up the forestry road into the mist, which I was hoping would clear sometime soon.
However, the mist was not my main concern, as the underfoot conditions were treacherously slippy, so yet another decision time had arrived - to go a bit further and hope for an improvement, or call the whole thing off. Fortunately, around the next bend, the ice miraculously disappeared, and the painfully slow pace improved to just slow.
There has been a great deal of felling activity on the left (north) side of the road, Blaeberry Hill,
and this is ongoing, with warning signs in abundance. The right side (south) of the road has recently been planted with a new crop. I was looking out for a fence on my left to lead me to the summit of my goal for today, Cock Law [CoL#36] (GR 032102) and it would have been easy to miss it, as it is now pretty ramshackle. I did detect it, though, and was pleased to find a handy path running alongside it all the way to the top of my hill, which was soon reached.
The start of the forestry road at Blaeberry Toll - no parking.
The top of the hill
The cane and the two Stones
I say reached, but as is so often the case, it was difficult to decide just where the top is, and the bad news here is that it is off the beaten track and in a young stand of closely spaced conifers, and not an attractive home for a Stone. I decided, therefore, to retrace my steps back to a mystery item of agricultural architecture which has obviously been abandoned and was serving no appreciable current purpose - until now. At GR 031101, this is now the marker, along with our cane, for the site of both the yellow-band and white-dot Stones on Cock Law.
Retracing my steps was a pretty straightforward exercise, although a fair amount of caution still had to be exercised on the slippy parts of the road. Because of the mist, it was impossible to get any sort of a view, and I suspect that the main reason for climbing this hill is probably to get to the top.
Today: 1 hrs 30 mins, 3.77 km and 110m. (Running totals: 94 hrs 25 mins, 312.77 km and over 10,348m)
Monday 13 December 2021
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The lowest 400m summit.
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#37 Today the ducks all lined up, and the urge to bag another summit was just too great to resist, so it was back up the B934 to the parking area beside the impressively named Tullyquhanatrie (Tully-whan- a- tree?) Knowe. The target for today was Craigbaikie Hill [CbH#37] (GR 026094), the smallest 400 metre summit on my list at 403m and the nearest southerly neighbour of last week's hill, Cock Law.
For anyone bagging hills on the list, it would be perfectly possible for this pair to be claimed on the one trip. Having set off through the gate onto the forest road, I became aware that I had not checked my map properly, as I was surprised to be heading downhill - but not for long, and the
direction was soon upward, with no navigation decisions to be made until the point on the track due west of the summit, where, having decided to set off up the edge of a clearing, I noticed, thirty metres ahead, a waymarker with an arrow pointing in what might well be the right direction, so I decided to follow the indistinct path leading from it.
The view from near the summit looking west to Corb Glen with John's Hill and Corb Law
Well, a look at the map above will quickly indicate that this was probably not the correct decision, as I eventually found myself heading away from my target summit. A quick reference to the map, though and the highest point was soon reached. And here I have to regretfully report that some gremlins affected either my phone camera or my brain, as the pictures I took of the Stones and cane neatly positioned beside a mossy tree stump have mysteriously disappeared from my gallery! Ah well, perhaps someone fancies a nice wee stroll up to check them out sometime?
Of course, it made no sense at all to retrace my steps from the top, so I set off down the edge of the forest which I had originally considered following on my ascent - this is the way to go!
Lookout post near the summit
Having regained the forest road, I enjoyed the pleasant walk back to the car, with good views in all directions, and the chance to recall recent ascents of the Marilyns Innerdouny and Lendrick Hills to the south and John's and Lamb Hills to the west, and to get a look at a few still to be climbed, such as Corb Law, North and Chapel Hills. With the latter three in mind, I took the opportunity to check out the access possibility through Greenhill Farm - which looks good - and to look back at where I had just been.
Tuesday 21 December 2021
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The shortest day.
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#38 With the BBC weather app suggesting that today might be a rare opportunity to get a dry day in the hills, we decided to take the opportunity to walk on the west side of the B934, and head back to Tullyquhanatrie Knowe parking area. Alas, although it was indeed dry, it was also very misty, and so, more in hope than expectation, we set off down the road and picked up the track through Greenhill Farm (click for info) which led us uphill towards our first target for the day. There are two North Hills on my List, and this top is the smaller by a mere four metres. This may well prove to be our shortest ascent, as after just about a kilometre and a 100m climb from the farmyard we realised we had actually passed the summit. Retracing our steps, we returned to an obvious layby from which we set off through the new plantation, very carefully, until we agreed we had reached the highest point.
As can be seen from the photographs, there was no obvious feature to indicate the top, so as is our
custom, we produced a cane with which to mark the summit and both the Stones on North Hill [NoT#38] (GR 014096). At this point, though, it became obvious that the weather was not going to improve, and so we decided to save the other hills in today's plans for another day when we will hopefully get the pleasure of the surrounding views. Returning to the layby, I left a cane to indicate the direction to the Stones - I am not optimistic about its chances of survival.
From here it was a quick descent by the same route, having enjoyed the shortest walk of the year on the shortest day of the year.
Marking the cane beside the Stones nestling in their tree stump.
The view from the summit looking west to Chapel Hill - the target for another day!
A cane in the layby (GR 013096), showing the direction to the summit and the Stones
Today: 1 hr 30 mins, 3.96 km and 125m. (Running totals: 97 hrs 30 mins, 321.10 km and over 10,663m)