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Playing the Game - Stones #51 - #60
Thursday 16 June 2022
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Lendrick Hill revisited
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Fresh from our sponsored walk in aid of Prostate cancer research in a flat park in Glasgow on Sunday, Scott and I set off to check on the yellow-band Stone which Lindsey and I placed on the Marilyn Lendrick Hill [LeH#21] (GR 019037) in October 2020 (see #21), as well as to place a white-dot Stone on the summit.
The small car park was empty when we arrived, and we were soon on our way in warm, overcast conditions. The conversation was obviously engrossing, as we wandered past the direction arrow previously followed, and it wasn’t
until I realised that we were beginning to go back downhill slightly that a quick reference to the map (always a good idea!) indicated that we ought to head directly up the forest ride beside which we had stopped. This did not look familiar to me, but it was going in the right direction, and so we set off up the fairly steep hillside for about 100m before reaching a fence. From here it was a matter of another 30m until we were standing beside the trig point admiring the views out over Fife and as far as the Bass Rock and North Berwick Law.
In the opposite direction, though, the view was of an unexpected rain squall approaching from the west, so we hot-footed it across to the cairn which marks the highest point of the hill – and lo and behold, there was the (very badly weathered but still legible) yellow band Stone, still surviving after 20 months. By now, it was becoming uncomfortably breezy, and rain seemed to be on its way, so it was time for some quick photos and then a fast pace downhill on the well-established path, which we might have expected to follow on our ascent.
Having escaped the drizzle by being back in the trees, we quickly rejoined the forest track, noting the direction post which we missed on the way up, and we were soon back at the car, and planning our next trip.
Ominous clouds to the west!
The old Stone with white-dot Stone in foreground
Wednesday 06 July 2022
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Back to the far East
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Having had to slow right down to allow a red squirrel to cross the road, Scott and I were soon parking at the entrance to the Blackhill and Touchie estate about 800 metres south of Stronachie. We set off at a good pace up the path past the little reservoir, becoming quickly aware of the flies which were to be a recurring feature of our walk today. We soon reached the waymarker which I knew to be very close to where Lindsey and I had previously left the Stones for Slungie Hill (#31), the most easterly of the summits on the List, so we made the short detour to check them out, and there they were, just as we had left them.
#51 From here, it was back to the track which I hoped would lead us to today’s first target, Heads Hill [HeH#51] (GR051079), and after a brief directional readjustment en route, we were able to use the remains of an old fence as a handrail as far as the forest ride wherein lies the summit we were seeking. We were not tempted to hang around too long here as the swarms of flies were making life a bit uncomfortable, and it was at this point I remembered the midge nets which are always in my rucksack – they work equally well for flies.
#52 The 1:25,000 map was indicating that the ride we were in should lead us to a clearing and thence towards our second summit for today, North Hill [NoH#52] (GR 050086), not to be confused with the other Ochils North Hill [#38] on the List, which is about 4 km west on the other side of the B934. There was a fair bit of forest debris to be avoided as we headed northwards up the ride – we even had to crawl under one fallen tree – but we made good time to our destination, although it would have been a bit more difficult without the OS app regularly reassuring me of our location, there being virtually no sign of any kind of tracks, far less paths on our route.
Since we did not have to revisit Heads Hill, we were relieved to be able to make our way straight back towards Slungie Hill, but that relief was tempered by our straying into a patch of very rough ground, where
Placing the cane and Stones on North Hill
the going was very slow indeed, not helped for Scott when one of his walking poles let him down rather badly!
Fortunately, it was pretty straightforward walking on the well-defined path as we retraced our steps back to the car, where we were able to shut out the flies and have our lunch in some comfort.
Heads Hill Stones, midge net against the flies and two trusty poles
One trusty pole!
Today: 3 hr 12 mins, 7.72 km and 233m. (Running totals: 132 hrs 24 mins, 400.99 km and over 14,513m)
Sunday 17 July 2022
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The Carlownie Hill circuit (almost)
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Using the opportunity to have two vehicles available, I proposed that Gavin, Scott, Murray and I should go for a group of hills which I’d been looking at for some time, and so we dropped off one of the cars at the end of the Green Knowes Windfarm road and continued up to the layby opposite the Frandy road. This three-kilometre stretch of road is not one anybody would enjoy walking, so this was a wise move.
However, it would be perfectly feasible to make a circuit using just one vehicle parked up at Frandy, with a return hike over The (Wee) Law from Green Knowes. This would be a true circuit, but was not what I needed this time.
#53 From our layby, we set off uphill by the side of the small wood towards the summit marked as The Seat, which doesn’t have the prominence to be on the List. This was the part of the day which included most of the climbing, and like the rest of the day had no obvious tracks to follow. From here, we continued northwards for a further 500 metres before bearing left towards the summit of East Craigs [ECr#53] (GR 9470700) 600 metres northwest. There are two cairned summits and the more northerly one is the higher by 1m, so it was here that the Stones were deposited.
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#54 To avoid losing height, we left the summit in a north-northeast direction for about 500 metres, then headed northwest towards the summit of Eastbow Hill [EbH#54] (GR 9470800) with its trig point. The terrain here becomes a bit rougher over tussocks, and care has to be taken to avoid twisted ankles, or worse. Here I have to confess that I don’t remember exactly where I placed the white-dot Stone! The yellow band one is beside the trig point, but I maybe placed the other one in the nearby dyke.
East Craigs north cairn
#55 The obvious route from here to Steele’s Knowe is almost due east following the wall / fence for over 2 km with easier terrain, although up here it is obvious, even in this protracted dry spell that we are experiencing, that it can be quite soggy in places. However, today we had to head off at an angle to the left to take in a List summit, Carlownie Hill [ClH#55] (GR 961083), where we had a break for a piece and a drink.
#56 The last summit for today was Steele’s Knowe [StK#56] (GR 969080), and we were soon checking out the trig point looking for the yellow band Stone which was placed almost exactly a year ago. It wasn’t where it was placed, but lo and behold – there it was lying hidden in the grass. It has now been placed with the white-dot Stone marked by a cane about 15 metres to the northwest of the trig point.
By now, we were all getting a bit weary, and the descent back to the car by the windfarm road was longer than it looks on the map. It was a happy band who didn’t have to slog back along that busy road to the starting point.
Where's the white-dot Stone on Eastbow Hill?
Murray placing the Stones on Carlownie Hill
Three generations near the trig point on Steele's Knowe - a mossy bed for the Stones with cane
Today: 4 hr 55 mins, 10.54 km and 330m. (Running totals: 137 hrs 19 mins, 411.53 km and over 14,843m)
Friday 22 July 2022
At last – the top of Hillfoot Hill
#11- continued. Back in October 2020, Lindsey and I set out to get to the top of Hillfoot Hill [HfH#11] (GR 969006), but had to admit defeat, as the tree covering was just too thick to allow us access; on that occasion we left the yellow-band Stone as close as we could get, just off the forestry road at GR 96910086. I’m pleased to report that, having parked at the same place today and retraced our steps in the opposite direction, after a brief search we found the original Stone much weathered, but still there; we left it there.
The question now was whether, as a result of the recent felling which has totally transformed the top of the hill, could we get to the summit with the white-dot Stone? And the happy answer is – yes.
We quickly identified a track which had been made by the heavy forestry machinery during the felling process, and followed it all the way to the top.
This is likely to be a soggy trip in wet conditions, but today was just a gentle climb up through a scene resembling a First World War battlefield (although without the barbed wire!)
People had obviously already enjoyed getting to the top of this hill after so many years, and a couple of rock / tree stump stacks have been started – it will be interesting to see if these set a trend. I decided to place the white-dot Stone in the smaller one of these, which I reckon to be right at the highest point of the hill.
From here, we set off towards the South on a well maintained biking trail, which appears to be called the Dollar Jubilee Trail (click for further information), but we found it very steep and hard going in some places – possibly easier on a bike than walking – we took our time descending back to join the forestry road. A short lunch break on the welcome bench, with great views out over the Shire and Fife and the Lothians, and we were on our way back to the car, having had another great sortie into these lovely hills
Yellow-band Stone: still there
A gentle climb toward the summit
Today: 2 hr 47 mins, 5.78 km and 320m. (Running totals: 140 hrs 06 mins, 417.31 km and over 15,163m)
A stone stack - spot the white-dot
Tuesday 26 July 2022
A hill is born!
Scoot and I made our way up the A9 to Blackford and eventually managed to park in the layby on the southbound carriageway opposite the distillery. From here it was a very straightforward stroll up the access road heading towards Kinpauch Hill, which, although over 400m high, does not have sufficient prominence to qualify for the List. As we approached, we were aware of an obvious track leading to its summit, and this is definitely an option for approaching our first target for today; on this occasion, however, we continued past the turnoff and followed the road through the Glen of Kinpauch until we reached a fence and headed uphill on a spur until we again reached the fence, which we now crossed.
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#57 From here, there was a faint track heading through the grass in the direction of our first summit, Graigentaggert Hill [CtH#57] (GR906057). After an easy gentle ascent, we were soon standing beside the small cairn on the top, appreciating the clear views in all directions covering a great swathe of Central Scotland, and the Stones were duly placed in the cairn.
#58 Our next goal was to reach a rounded summit lying less than a kilometre to the east, which because of a 20 to 30m gully intervening has the prominence to make the List, but which seems to be nameless – certainly on OS and Harveys maps – although I’m sure it is likely to have been called something over the centuries by people in the area. However, since I’m not privy to that information at the moment, the hill now appears on my List with the, admittedly unimaginative,
name of Graigentaggert Hill East [CHE#58] (GR913055). Since there is no obvious feature to mark the summit of this rounded hill, the Stones have been placed beside a cane, carried there for the purpose.
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At this point it was time to head for home, and we decided that, rather than retrace out steps, which is usually an option, we would head downhill and hit the path alongside the north bank of the Upper Glendevon reservoir, which has so little water in it at the moment that many features long floooded, including the old farmhouse, are absolutely high and dry and visible. The descent required care, as the ground is very rough, and we eventually were able to reach the obviously little-used path and head for home through Glen Bee.
The cairn on Craigentaggert with Burnfoot Hill and Ben Buck in the distance
A cane and Stones on the newly-named hill with Crieff in the distance
Today: 4 hr 46 mins, 12.35 km and 450m. (Running totals: 144 hrs 52 mins, 429.66 km and over 15,713m)
Wednesday 10 August 2022
A veritable cairn on Elistoun Hill!
Continuing the theme of getting the white-dot Stones out to previously visited summits, the beautiful weather today was just too much of a temptation, and I made for en fete Tillicoultry and parked at the Woolpack pub, before setting off up the hill before it got too hot.
#26. The mission today was to return to the summit of Elistoun Hill [EtH#26] (GR 926991), previously visited in November 2020 with Norrie on a day when we had to get above the clouds to find the sun. That was also the day when I became aware that I had what turned out to be a hernia, which required surgery to be carried out almost exactly one year ago. I was delighted to find that there was no trace of that problem today, although I had the impression that I wasn’t travelling very much faster on this occasion! Stopping for a rest to check out the Hillfoots Rugby Club plaque in memory of former stalwart Dave Kenyon, I made sure I was protected against the sun’s rays and continued uphill for what seemed a long two kilometres.
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There is a very obvious track all the way to the cairn which is marked on the maps, and from there it’s pretty much due east slightly uphill and over some
rougher ground, which might be a bit soggy in wetter weather conditions, but no problem today. This is one of those classic tops where it’s difficult to decide just where the highest point is – and according to the OS 1:25000 map the Stones are a few metres away from the spot height. No matter, they are where they are, and they now have a cane to help anyone looking for them. Fearing that the original Stone would not have survived (it has - only not well), I took a replacement to go with the white-dot Stone, So where there was originally a single rock at the top, there are now three additional agos400 Stones – hence today’s title. Unlike the last time I was there, the views were great in all directions, with quite a few of the higher summits shining in the sunshine. It was tempting to lie down and enjoy the peace and quiet, but there was all the way back down still to do, so after a drink and a chocolate kick it was steps retraced, much faster than before, and back downhill to the car.
A veritable cairn on Elistoun Hill - The Law and Ben Cleuch in the distance. The chocolate is no longer there.
Today: 3 hrs, 5.94 km and 455m. (Running totals: 147 hrs 52 mins, 435.60 km and over 16,168m)
Wednesday 7th September 2022
The (Wee) Law
#59 As if there was not enough confusion with the Ochils having The Law at Tillicoultry and Law Hill at Dollar, onto the scene comes a hill in Glendevon also called The Law. This is perhaps not such a surprise to those who are aware that “law” is a Scottish word for a hill, but the significance in this case is that The Wee Law is high enough, with enough prominence, to make it on to the List of agos400.
With the weather proving to be very changeable, we grabbed the opportunity of a promised pleasant morning to bag the one hill on the List in the Glendevon area which had not yet had its Stones placed. Parking in the layby on the A823 opposite the Frandy access road, we followed the edge of the small copse uphill and climbed the gate onto the hillside leading up to The Seat. However, on this occasion, we were heading in a more easterly direction towards the 371m spot height at the bealach where the Leas Burn joins the gully called The Goat on the OS 1:25000 map. The grassy hillside was fairly easy to negotiate, with some bracken and heather to contend with; there was
occasional evidence of ancient vehicle tracks, but these seemed to lead nowhere in particular and petered out just when they did seem to be useful!
Yet again, we had our conversation about the reasoning behind the seemingly unnecessary requirement for a strand of barbed wire to be added to many fences out in the middle of nowhere – but we were soon over the fence in question and on the more northerly summit of The (Wee) Law [TLH#59] (GR 956057) – there’s another top about 300 metres to the south, but this is lower than 400m. Although pretty featureless, this hilltop does offer a good panorama of the surrounding area, including a few summits on the List.
Time for a cup of coffee and taking pictures of the Stones being placed beside their cane, and it was time to more or less retrace our steps back to the road, after a short but rewarding ascent of yet another new, for us, top.
Placing the Stones in their heathery nest, with Green Knowes windfarm to the east
Today: 1 hr 50 mins, 2.29 km and 155m. (Running totals: 149 hrs 42 mins, 437.89 km and over 16,323m)
Sunday 02 October 2022
The King’s Seat and the Burn Of Sorrow
#60. Fresh home from some excellent coastal walking on the Isle of Menorca, the highest point of which is less than the 400m required to make this List, a quick glance at the weather forecast for the next few days prompted us to take today’s opportunity to bag a Donald mountain.
Having successfully risked missing out the car park on the approach to Castle Campbell and going for the small one nearer the castle, we saved ourselves about a kilometre of road trudging – so far, so good. Although we’ve both been on the top of King’s Seat [KSe#60] (GR 934000] quite a few times, neither of us had ever climbed it from Dollar Glen before, always previously having approached from the north. As is often the case, we found that “getting out the car park” was one of the problems, but we soon made our way to the path opposite the gate to the castle which leads upwards alongside the magnificent gorge and over the burn onto the open hillside.
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From there, the track to the top is quite obvious, with a few undulations en route, but there were no navigation issues to deal with, and a relatively steep
climb brought us to a memorial cairn about 100m from the top, marking the occasion when three RAF Spitfire aircraft crashed in 1943, killing two Canadian pilots – an Australian pilot survived with severe frostbite and double pneumonia.
After this point, the gradient becomes easier and we were soon sheltering from the brisk north westerly breeze in the rocky shelter at the “fake” summit, where we were unable to locate the yellow-band Stone left by Scoot eighteen months ago. A quick sandwich and cup of coffee and it was only a slight incline to the highest point, about 250 metres from the shelter, where a small cairn soon had an additional white-dot Stone and a cane marker.
The Spitfire memorial near the top
Today: 4 hrs 42 mins, 9.22 km and 555m. (Running totals: 154 hrs 24 mins, 447.11 km and over 16,878m)
It was decision time here, and since we were going well we opted to keep heading forward steeply downhill towards the Burn of Sorrow, which both of us had unpleasant memories of navigating in the past. However, with care, and a wee bit of scrambling in places, we successfully descended following a fairly obvious track, which only required us to cross the burn once, back to the top of the Dollar gorge and back to the car.
A cane with its white-dot Stone on the REAL summit