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Playing the Game - Stones #39 - #50
Sunday 16 January 2022
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A New Year, and over halfway
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#39 With the weather seemingly set fair for a couple of days, we thought that now was a good time to try to visit the three summits which we decided against on our previous sortie to North Hill back in December. So yet again, it was up the B934 (the surface of which seems to have deteriorated pretty badly in places, despite some recent resurfacing) to the Tonguey Faulds parking area. As we set out towards Corb Glen, I wondered if I had miscalculated on the clothing front, as there was a bit of a cold breeze coming in from the west, but the climb uphill from the bijou ford near Corb farm soon
sorted that out! From here until our return to the same spot there were few obvious tracks to follow, but the going was pretty straightforward, and we were able to slowly follow a couple of fences to the summit of Corb Law [CbL#39]. this summit was featureless, but very close by is a deer fence, and it was beside this that we placed the Stones, marked by a cane in the fence. A wee significant milestone here is that I have now climbed more than half the summits on my List since I started about two years (!) ago.
The cane attached to the deer fence and marking the Stones on Corb Law. The most northerly agos400, Craig Rossie is in the distance
Checking the map beside the deer fence on Corb Law North Top, with the cane marker attached. Not a cloud in the sky, and great views.
#40 At this point, the maps all seemed to be indicating a path from here to the next top, but if it exists, it's inside the deer fence. However, the visibility was excellent and it was obvious that the fence actually would lead us to the previously unnamed Corb Law North Top [CLN#40]. Although there is no path, we soon reached the point outside the fence which is approximately 30 - 40 metres from the featureless summit, and once more we made use of the deer fence to place and mark the Stones.
#41 As can be seen from the photos, the vegetation in this area is tussocky grass with some moss, and care must be taken when walking on it. We now set off for our final target of the day Chapel Hill [ChH#41], which was soon reached, and once again we discovered that there is no obvious feature at the summit, and so the trusty cane had to be utilised.
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And so it was an easy descent downhill following two fences back to the uninhabited Corb farm and a pleasant picnic lunch in the January sunshine beside the 'ford' before retracing our steps back to the car - mission accomplished.
Today: 2 hrs 30 mins, 6.65 km and 265m.
(Running totals: 100 hrs 00 mins, 327.75 km and over 10,928m)
Looking north west from Chapel Hill -
Corb Law in the distance
Saturday 22 January 2022
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Gambling with the Wether
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#42 With the rugby being postponed due to the Covid situation, Gavin became available as a companion for today's expedition, and we decided to head for Glendevon to see if we could bag Wether Hill as well as Common Hill and West Craigs. Parking just inside the gates on the Frandy road, we noticed the clouds over to the west, but Common Hill [Cmm#42] was looking quite mist free, so we set off along the road for about five hundred metres, looking out for a track leading off uphill to the right. This we soon found, and it wasn't long before we had reached the height we were aiming for. Back in May, Scott had put
Looking southwards from the easterly top of Common Hill, with the cane marking both Stones nestled beside a rock.
The main fence post near the summit of Wether Hill with marker cane and white-dot Stone.
out a yellow band Stone, but had remarked that there was no obvious feature to place it beside. We now found that there is a further complication, in that there are actually two tops of the same height; we never did find the original Stone, so it may well still be out there waiting to be discovered. Today, though, we headed for the more easterly top, which is craggy and inviting Stones, which we just happened to have.
#43 It was now decision time - were we going to make the trek out to Wether Hill, which both of us remember with no affection whatsoever from having to visit checkpoints there on the Menstrie Scouts Ochils Challenge Hike, of blessed memory. The mist was now definitely rolling in from the west, but although we couldn't actually see the top of the hill, we were pleasantly surprised to find that the quad track that we had followed up Common Hill seemed to be heading towards Wether Hill [Weh#43], and were delighted when it did actually lead us right to the summit. Just as well really, as it would have been no pleasure at all to have to negotiate the soggy terrain without the aid of the track, but we were soon at the summit, and once again it must be reported that there was no sign of the Stone placed by Scott last Spring. This time, I had not brought a replacement yellow band Stone, but did have a white-dot one and a cane. Through the mist, from the highest point, we could see the nearby fence, and I decided that we we would use this landmark as the obvious feature to help mark the Stone, and the picture shows the relatively new fence beside the dyke, with a marker cane and the Stone lying at its base. There being no encouragement from the conditions to hang about, we retraced our steps for just short of a kilometre.
#44 We now had to head north east towards our third and final summit for today, West Craigs [WeC#44], and the luxury of following a track now became a thing of the past; the 800 metres or so slog to the summit was not easy going, and I was wondering about those song writers of yore who claimed that striding through the heather was something wonderful - I wasn't thinking so at this point! However, the top was soon reached, and we decided not to bother going the extra bit to visit the cairn which can be clearly seen from the road below, reasoning that if you've seem one cairn ...... With the Stones placed, our look aboot persuaded us that the best way home was probably to go down the front to the drove road which runs parallel to the busy A823, and this was surprisingly easy to achieve. With a brief stop for soup and a sandwich, we had just over a kilometre of easy daundering to make it back to the car.
Looking south east from West Craigs, with the Stones and cane placed at the summit.
East Craigs from West Craigs, a summit for another day.
West Craigs behind - a well earned piece.
Today: 3 hrs 35 mins, 8.65 km and 392m. (Running totals: 103 hrs 35 mins, 336.40 km and over 11,320m)
Tuesday 01 March 2022
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Spring in the air, if not quite the step!
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#45 Having totally missed out on February, and with the promise of a nice day due to usher in March, I was inspired to make for a hill which I had been aware of for decades but had never actually climbed, Ben Shee [BSh#45]. On a sunny, frosty morning, having parked at the Forestry Commission Glensherup car park near Glendevon, GR 971051, I sallied forth along the path next to the information board that takes you into the forest to join the main forest track. After almost 1km, having reached a signpost for the Glendevon Reservoir Trail, I went off the main track, down the hillside to the Glensherup Reservoir dam, which I crossed to join a water authority road. Bearing left onto this road and ignoring the unwelcoming "private" notice on the gate, I very quickly reached and crossed the fishery car park.
Looking west from the Glensherup Reservoir dam, with Ben Shee behind the Fishery buildings.
Apart from having to negotiate a large gate / stile and some big bits of bog, I found the grass path from the fishery provided a very pleasant waymarked walk above the reservoir through an area managed by the Woodland Trust where a tree regeneration project is in place. Once past the reservoir, I was beginning to think I might have gone too far, but I followed the markers and soon the path started to rise uphill and I was in my shirtsleeves before reaching a bealach to the west of the summit of Ben Shee. Here, I turned right when the path joined a track which I followed past a sign for the summit of Ben Shee. From here it was a straightforward slog to the summit, which rather surprisingly has no cairn, but is marked by a boulder, which someone had recently felt the need to move!
I did have to put my fleece back on while I was on the summit, but I was so pleased to be out on this, the Fairy Hill, with superb views in all directions of the neighbouring Ochils, as well as the Lomond Hills in Fife to the south east, and north to the well-defined mountains of Schiehallion, Ben Vorlich and Ben More. This was a day for appreciating the pleasant weather and the invigorating environment, and I was in no great hurry to retrace my steps, which allowed me to get a different view of the countryside, although there is an option of continuing over the top of the summit to the north east and rejoining the track back to the car park.
Summit of Ben Shee
Distance 0.5km ascent 100m
Yellow band Stone beside the boulder, white dot Stone beside cane. West Craigs at top right, with Wether Hill above the Lower Glendevon Reservoir
White dot Stone with its cane. Cairnmorris and Tarmangie Hills in the distance
Today: 3 hrs 55 mins, 8.84 km and 390m. (Running totals: 107 hrs 30 mins, 345.24 km and over 11,710m)
Monday 07 March 2022
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First mountain of the year.
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#46 It seemed like a good idea to go for the Donalds "outlier" on this lovely Spring day, and so we parked up at the car park opposite the Tormaukin Inn at Glendevon, and carefully made our way to the signposted entrance to our route, towards Dollar. Our goal was not Dollar, however, but the smallest and most easterly of the Ochils Donalds, and the only one not in Clackmannanshire, Innerdownie [IdM#46] (it's in Perthshire). Routefinding today was pretty easy, as this a very popular destination, with a steady climb up through Woodland Trust trees until a sign indicates that the summit which you can see ahead isn't really as far as it looks!
Summit of Innerdownie
Distance 1.5km ascent 170m
Just past this point, the path is joined from the right by another, which leads up from last week's car park at The Whittens; I've never done that, but it is a popular alternative to our route. Sometimes, being able to see the top can be a bit discouraging, but we have both climbed this hill so many times that we were fully prepared for the couple of false summits en route, and we soon were experiencing the bracing south easterly breeze on the summit. We had a good look for the yellow-band Stone which Hugh had placed in the cairn last year, but to no avail, although we did find a painted stone in memory of the placer's dad - hopefully it will survive. I had brought a replacement Stone just in case, and this was duly deposited in
the cairn, while I decided to place the white dot Stone, marked by its cane, in the dilapidated dyke a few metres from it. The views were extensive in all directions, and it was a great opportunity to pick out summits which have already been visited, as well as some yet to be bagged. Of particular interest was Hillfoot Hill, off to the south, which has now lost its tonsure of forestry, and we look forward to revisiting it and hopefully actually managing to reach the summit this time.
It was now time to descend, and the map indicated that there is a track going down towards Glen Quey, which, indeed there is, although I was beginning to wonder if it was maybe going too far towards Whitewisp Hill; but no - all was well, and we were soon on the Dollar track and heading back to Glendevon after another cracking day out in the hills.
White dot Stone just out of shot, but marked by its cane! Ben Shee in the middle distance.
The new yellow-band Stone nestled in the cairn, with Tarmangie in the distance
Today: 4 hrs 05 mins, 8.56 km and 480m.
(Running totals: 111 hrs 35 mins, 353.8 km and over 12,190m)
Circuit completed - almost back to the car.
Saturday 19 March 2022
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A controversial summit.
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#47 With the weather set fair for a few days, I decided to give my sore ankle a work out and pick off a hill that I had seen from afar, but never actually been to the top of, namely Tambeth [Tab#47]. Having set off from home in bright sunlight, I was surprised to find, on arrival at the other side of the range, that I was in mist, and couldn't even see the top of my target. Nevertheless, confident that this was a temporary state of affairs, I parked the car at the entrance to Carim Lodge on the Sheriffmuir to Blackford road and set off up the track. Sure enough, I was soon perspiring in the sunshine despite a cool easterly breeze, and having passed the uninhabited Carim Lodge, I soon ran out of the last vestige of track I was to see on my trip until my return. I followed the deer fence up the flank of Little Corum, until it was time to set out due east in the direction of my goal. The underfoot conditions were heather and moss, and it was an uneventful slog to the top to what I have decided is the summit of Tambeth. I say "I have decided" since the maps, and any reference I have found online, have Tambeth marked almost a kilometre to the north of my 412m summit, but, at 391m, it would not qualify for my List, whereas this one does. I've rather compromised, and referred to the present summit as Tambeth South for the sake of argument, but it certainly is a 400+m top in its own right.
Controversial its name might be, but there is no doubt that this summit is not particularly memorable, being a flat, featureless expanse of heather and moss, and I found it difficult to find a suitable resting place for the two Stones, marked by a cane - they all looked very lonely. I was enjoying the fact that my ankle was holding up, despite the rough terrain, and the pleasant weather was ensuring that the views in all directions were impressive, with the snow capped peaks off to the north shining in the sunshine, and some neighbouring Ochils waiting to be climbed in the future. Since there was no obvious track off the top, I headed back to the car by a slightly more direct route, unfortunately no easier underfoot than before.
Looking from "my" summit north to the lower north top of Tambeth
The Stones nestled beside the cane on the featureless summit
Heading due East towards Core Hill - one for another day
Today: 2 hrs 32 mins, 4.43 km and 170m. (Running totals: 114 hrs 07 mins, 358.23 km and over 12,360m)
Wednesday 27 April 2022
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A Ben Cleuch circuit
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Encouraged by a pleasant, if slightly taxing, walk in the Costa Brava Sierra Bernia last week, I decided that, given the good weather forecast, I would revisit some of the summits which already had Stones and deposit some white-dot ones. Having parked at Rodders farm in Alva (GR887974), I set off on the path across the front of The Nebit to join the Silver Glen track, which I slowly ascended for the 3.5km to its end; from here it was a simple stroll to the cairn with its distinctive post on the summit of Craighorn [CrH#12] (GR885003), where I met two women who were taking a
The weather was now very pleasant, and with Ben Cleuch [BCl#23] (GR903006) less than a kilometre away, I decided that it made sense to make an unscheduled visit to check out the Stone situation there. I was very surprised to find myself unusually alone on the roof of Clackmannanshire for a few minutes, during which time I confirmed my suspicion that the yellow band Stone which Lindsey and I placed 18 months ago was no longer there, and was able to use my waterproof pens to cobble together a white-dot Stone, which I once again placed at the foot of a metal post in the fence a few paces from the shelter which contains the trig point at the summit.
photograph of the yellow band Stone which Scott and I had placed there over 18 months ago. I was even more pleased to find, nestling beside it, the white-dot Stone which Iain and Sandra put there in August last year.
After I had retraced my steps back to the track, I crossed it and set off uphill to my second target, Ben Buck [BeB#22] (GR896014), where I confirmed reports that the yellow band Stone was missing from the cairn, and decided to leave the white-dot Stone at the foot of a metal post in the nearby fence instead.
The yellow band and white-dot Stones nestled in the cairn on the top of Craighorn. Blairdenon in the distance.
Ben Buck - white-dot Stone at foot of metal post in fence near the cairn
Ben Cleuch - white-dot Stone at foot of metal post north of trig point
It was now time to get back on track, and I was soon on the top of Ben Ever [Bev#13] (GR894001), sadly to find that the previously much reported yellow band Stone is no longer there. There is a smaller cairn about 40 metres west of the main one on the summit, and it is in this that I decided to leave the white-dot Stone. This was where I planned to head for home, but I was really enjoying the delightful weather, and feeling pretty good, so I succumbed to the temptation to head south towards Millar Hill [MiH#14] (GR901988) which I could see clearly in the distance. After a straightforward stroll along the ridge to the little cairn at the summit, yet again I was disappointed to find that the yellow band Stone which Scott and I had previously deposited had gone. So, it was out with the pens once more, and a white-dot Stone was soon in place in the cairn.
Ben Ever - white-dot Stone in smaller cairn. Ben Cleuch and The Law in the distance
Millar Hill - a white-dot Stone in the small cairn
I really did have to head for home now, as I had been out much longer than planned – but what route to take? No matter which direction I chose, I knew there was going to be a steep descent, and so I girded my loins and headed for the cairn on the top of Wood Hill (GR900985), which necessitated negotiating the gully en route. Happily, this was soon achieved, and I was on the summit. OK, here’s the task for anyone who has read this far, and is up for a challenge: I have deliberated long and hard about whether the Wood Hill summit has the necessary 15m of prominence to be on my List – the maps all suggest that it does not. However, as I stood on the summit, I just had the impression that the maps may be wrong – are they?
And so, back home. There are some pretty steep bits on the descent from Wood Hill which have to be treated carefully, and I was relieved to get down on to the Woodland Park track, from where it was a simple slog westwards, with very hot feet, back across the front of The Nebit and the welcome shelter in the car after a super day in our lovely hills.
Today: 5 hrs 57 mins, 14.44 km and 865m. (Running totals: 120 hrs 04 mins, 372.67 km and over 13,225m)
Monday 06 June 2022
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The Far North
Having decided it was time to bag the most northerly summit on my list, and since it meant going round to the other side of the range, it seemed to make sense to try and make a circuit of the three hills which lie close together in the area. The information I had gleaned suggested that parking might be an issue, and this a fair assessment, although we had no bother today, managing to tuck the car out of the way on the track leading up to Tarnavie Cottage, just to the east of Pairney Farm on the B8062 Auchterarder to Dunning road.
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#48. On a much brighter day than was forecast, we set out on a 4km long, fairly easy pull on a forestry track up to Simpleside Hill
[SsH#--] (995108). The maps were indicating that we would be
walking through a forest, but on the lower slopes the trees have long since been harvested, to be replaced with relatively new saplings, which are already well established, with the occasional token patch of broadleaved trees included.
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On our arrival at what seemed to be the highest point on the track, we saw a very obvious lone mossy rock off to our left, although the GPS was indicating that the summit is actually a similar distance off to our right. It made much sense to leave the Stones at the obvious landmark, with its nice views to the west over rural Perthshire, rather than the technical summit, with its views of even more trees.
Looking over Strathearn from the rock on Simpleside Hill
#49. After a couple of minutes retracing our steps downhill, I realised that I had forgotten to complete the identifying code on the white-dot Stone, hence the lack of a number in the code above! Very soon we had arrived back at the lochan (small reservoir?) from which I had planned to make the ascent of our next hill, Beld Hill [BeH#49] (988115), but as we had noticed on the way up, the way was blocked by very thick forest. However, the weather was fine, we were feeling good and so we decided to attack the ascent. It was steep but not too thickly wooded, and we soon found the trees thinning out enough to take us out to an area which had been felled. Careful negotiation of the piles of brash soon led us to the fence we were aiming for, and the first use of our polystyrene anti-barbed wire tube took us neatly to the south top of Beld Hill. There’s no very obvious height difference between this and the north top, which I had chosen as the site for the Stones, which, again have not been left on the actual highest point, but are marked by a cane in the fence.
Easy does it on the barbed wire!
The Stones at home on Beld Hill
The most northerly Stone, at home on Craig Rossie
#50. Taking in the views all round, it was pleasant to relax and have a piece and a cup of soup before setting off northwards towards the beckoning Craig Rossie [CRo#50] (984121). We picked up a track which led us all the way to the trig point, and it was close to this that the final Stones for today, and the most northerly in the list, were placed – the rucksack was now significantly lighter. This is the hill which stands out obviously when you are driving up the A9 past Auchterarder, and like the similarly sized Dumyat at the far south of the range, we supposed it is a magnet for walkers, although, as previously mentioned, some thought might need to be given to parking. The descent was pretty steep in places, and it might be a thought, if someone wanted to take in all three of these summits in one go, to do the route in reverse.
Today: 5 hrs 07 mins, 10.32 km and 515m. (Running totals: 127 hrs 25 mins, 387.95 km and over 13,980m)