Atholl - Déjà vu

Did you ever finish reading a book and enjoy it so much that you straight away started reading it all over again? I certainly did that at least once. I was reminded of it because I did exactly the same thing in relation to a recent outdoor trip. I had a such an enjoyable walk and wild camp out of Blair Atholl that two weeks later, I did the whole thing again with a friend! This wasn't a trip through dramatic scenery or remote landscapes. It was simply a very enjoyable walk with a nice wild camp and lots of interesting things to see along the way.

The walk headed north and west out of Blair Atholl, skirting behind Blair Castle and picking up a pleasant track which contoured round the hillside to Bruar. It afforded good views down to the castle and to Schiehallion which poked its head above the lower hills to the west. Here there was a grand avenue of redwoods that soared into a blue sky and a pretty duck pond tucked into the trees that provided a nice spot to sit for an early lunch.  

As the track passed above Bruar, an easy ten minute diversion joined the path to the Falls of Bruar. It was strange to pop out from the quiet hill track to the busy footpath at the falls and squeeze by people on the narrow path. But the view of the gorge and the falls themselves is always worth the effort.

From the Falls of Bruar, the track turned steeply north through Glen Banvie Wood. Although mostly plantation pine, the forest had some other tree species including an area of Scots pines which thinned to the open hillside beyond. This was the night's campsite and being at the edge of the trees, it was a perfect mix of woodland and open moor. This was advantageous later as it allowed us to have an open view of the night sky which was superb in the cold, crisp, winter air. Most prominent were the planets of Venus and Jupiter which were in alignment in the early part of the year. But the stars were beautiful as well with Orion and the Plough overhead.

A cold, frosty morning followed a chilly night with the temperature below zero. But this was another advantage of the camp spot at the edge of the woods in that the trees had maintained a slightly higher temperature than out on the moor. After packing up camp, we set out following the track down Glen Banvie through pleasant stands of pine. When I did the walk on my own, I climbed the low ridge of Sron Dubh to the north as I wanted to investigate a small cairn and shieling marked on the map. This was a rugged walk and the rivers that crossed the route cut surprisingly deep gorges into the hillside. However, the old, lichen-covered cairn was a good vantage point. I dropped down from here to the shieling and was amazed at how extensive the ruins were. This was obviously a small village in the past.

When doing the walk with my friend, we stayed on the track down through Glen Banvie which meant we could see the shieling from the other side of the glen and this view reinforced the impression of a settlement of significant size. A little bit of googling later, revealed that the settlement was known as Riechapel or Chapelton and included dwellings with outbuildings, stock enclosures and possibly a kiln. It was inhabited during the 18th century and it's thought that a limestone-rich bedrock provided favourable conditions for agriculture. My friend created this image with the two parts of the old settlement superimposed on the modern OS map. 

We enjoyed our walk down Glen Banvie, marvelling at the patterns of ice in the frozen puddles and feeling on our skin the weak, late winter sun. The track here is an ancient route known as Comyn's Road. The road linked Comyn's Tower which pre-dated Blair Castle, with Ruthven Barracks to the north. You can somehow always tell when you are walking on an old route. There is something about its general construction that makes it sympathetic to foot travellers and perhaps there is an aura of the past as well that lingers today.

The track brought us down to Old Blair where we made a short detour to the Whim folly. It sits high on the hillside and affords a stunning view of the valley below which is dominated by Ben Vrackie, the pointed hill above Pitlochry. The woods here are also quite beautiful, set around a deep gorge and featuring many different species. 

Just after Old Blair we made another detour along a lovely woodland path that connects to Glen Tilt via two interesting finds in the woods. The first of these is Tom na Croiche, the Hangman's Knoll. The pillar here was built in 1755 to mark the spot of the last public hanging in Atholl in 1630. 

The second interesting find was a bird hide built in the shape of a yurt but out of wood. It had an open view to the adjacent fields where greylag geese grazed and beyond to woods and mountains. There were lots of different bird feeders hanging in the trees and the hide was an excellent spot to feed ourselves with a picnic lunch before catching the train home. 

Fact File
More photos on Flickr
Start/finish: Blair Atholl
Public transport: Inverness-Edinburgh/Glasgow train to Blair Atholl
Route: Used the Tilt riverside footpath to the Glen Tilt car park then walked the dead end back road to Old Blair. At the crossroads, turned left down Minigaig Street and followed the road round to the right. At the next T junction, turned right onto dirt track. After approx 3km, a junction of tracks is reached. Turned right uphill then left at the next junction. After another approx. 3km the diversion to the Falls of Bruar is signed. Original track turned north through Glen Banvie Wood then after approx 3km it turns southeast down Glen Banvie and back to Old Blair. The path to Tom na Croiche goes up a flight a stairs at a gap on the wall on the road between Old Blair and the Glen Tilt car park. The path eventually links to Glen Tilt and where it does, turned right to the Glen Tilt car park to then rejoin the outward along the riverside path to Blair Atholl.

Obney Hills - An exciting find

Back in December we had a good cold spell and I was hopeful for a decent winter. But sadly that hasn't materialised so I was happy I got a camping trip fitted in when the weather was more wintry. Those cold temperatures at the end of the year also created a phenomenon that I was very excited to find - hair ice. It's quite rare as the conditions for it to develop are very specific - it only forms on dead wood in broadleaf woodlands when the air is moist, the temperature is just below zero and a particular fungus is present. It is also confined to latitudes between 45 and 55 degrees north. So it really was a special find.

I was out in the Obney Hills, west of Dunkeld. It's always a walk I enjoy in winter time. Snow was lying from about halfway up Birnam Hill and was glistening in the low sun of a mid winter afternoon as I pulled myself up the hill. On the top, the snow was dry and powdery so that it squeaked under each footstep. 

Dropping off the other side took me to a small, hidden valley where I knew a good spot for the tent. A cold night followed but the air was crisp and clear, affording good views of the stars.

A blue sky day followed for my walk up and over Craig Obney. A rough pull up through deep heather gave way to a pleasant high level amble to the top of the hill. The view was superb to Ben Chonzie above Crieff which presided over a snow-dusted landscape of woods and undulating hillscapes. 

But it was perhaps the walk on from Craig Obney that I enjoyed the most. An ancient track passes through Glen Garr, a natural route slicing through these small but steep hills. There are straggly birch woods and pasture which is divided up by old stone walls. There is an overwhelming sense of quiet, of peace and of the past. Perhaps this is because I'm always here in mid winter when there are few people around and when the light covering of snow quietens the world around me.

I ambled slowly north through Glen Garr, enjoying the open views and trying to make its special atmosphere stretch out for as long as possible. But eventually the old path came to an end as it joined the farm road to Balhomish. There was a choice here to walk back to Dunkeld via the Hermitage or to follow the Inchewan Burn back. I chose the burn route so that I could marvel again at the fascinating hair ice.

Fact File

Start/finish: Dunkeld and Birnam train station

Public transport: Edinburgh/Glasgow to Inverness train

My route: At the bottom of the station steps, turned left uphill to pick up the path up Birnam Hill. Descended a little way of the far side of Birnam Hill then turned west at an open bealach to the head of the valley that runs southeast from the farm at Balhomish. Next day up and over Craig Obney and decsended into Glen Garr. Walked north, turning off the farm road onto the forest track at Tomgarrow which eventually joins the Inchewan Burn to return to the station.

Gear Review - Exped Ultra pillow and Kovea Spider stove

A couple of new camping items that are small but perfectly formed! 

Exped Ultra Pillow

For all of my camping life so far, I have made a pillow out of my fleece tops and jackets folded into a stuff sack. Why on earth would I need anything else, I always wondered. However, I have been struggling to make a pillow deep enough with this method to be comfortable with a new air mattress which is a short length but quite thick. So I bought this pillow just for that purpose but decided to test it out on a winter camping trip with my usual, full length mattress. Oh my, what comfort. Never again will I make a pillow out of fleece tops!

The Exped Ultra pillow is supremely comfortable but barely noticeable in the pack as it folds up into a tiny package measuring approx 12cm by 7cm by 3cm. It weighs only 55g (on my scales including the stuff sack). It has a soft outer fabric that is very pleasant on the cheek and inflates quickly with just a few breaths. It deflates easily and packs back into the stuff sack without a struggle. It stays firm all night and I found that this medium size fits nicely inside the hood of my sleeping bag so there is no risk of it sliding off the mat during the night. It cost £27 from Tiso. 

Kovea Spider Stove

On cold winter camps when the temperature slips below zero, it can be painfully slow to get my usual canister mounted, three season gas stove to work. For years, I have put up with gradually coaxing it into life in the mornings by warming the canister repeatedly inside my sleeping bag whilst worrying that I may never get my porridge that day. So finally I bought this four season, remote canister stove.

On the first test in a temperature of minus seven celsius, it worked very well and I was never in any doubt that it would deliver hot coffee and cook the porridge. The stove has a pre-heat tube which helps it to keep working in colder temperatures. A lot of remote canister gas stoves are quite heavy and bulky but not this one. It's really very compact for what it is. With the legs folded away and placed inside its stuff sack, it weighs 185g and measures 13cm by 9cm by 3cm. It's very easy to unfold for use and to then pack away again. 

It boils water as fast as any stove that I have used and I'm really happy with it. I did notice that being so lightweight, the legs are a touch unstable as you unfold the stove but they are perfectly firm on the ground once there is a pot on top. Also, it did struggle to use the dregs of an almost empty canister but that's easily solved by always taking fuller canisters when using this stove. It cost £46 from Mercator Gear.

Here is a photo of the pillow and the stove with a spork in shot for size comparison.

Cairngorms - Pathfinding

I am a lover of maps and can spend hours of an afternoon gazing at my Ordnance Survey collection spread out over the floor. To me they are a work of art but incredibly practical as well. They hold wonderful secrets in the landscape features that they represent as I try to imagine what the places are like in real life that are set out in miniature on the sheets before me. Often something in particular on the map catches my eye such as a footpath that I have never walked. So it was back in autumn, when spotting a couple of paths new to me, led to an October backpacking trip to Glen Tromie in the Cairngorms. 

The first path I wanted to find headed across the hills south from Ruthven Barracks just outside Kingussie. Footpaths on maps are tenuous things as the dashed line on the map may no longer be visible on the ground if it's a route that's not well used in modern times. This path is part of an old military route connecting Blair Atholl and Calvine to the south with Ruthven Barracks. Luckily it started right opposite the barracks as a good farm track, initially crossing a field of cows and passing a ruined house before ascending heathery slopes. As we gained the top of the rise, the other reason for coming here came into view - the beautiful golden colours of the Glen Tromie birchwoods. 

A narrower path left our track and descended sharply into the glen. We marvelled at the colours as we dropped steeply through the trees and enjoyed the atmosphere of this path which felt secretive and little visited. At the bottom we joined the main track in Glen Tromie. Croidh-la, a small but dramatic hill, rose above us here and was our objective for the next day. First I wanted to find another new path that climbed its north shoulder from the glen. The start of the path was a wee bit tricky to find but once located, it was another good path that climbed gently up through regenerating woods. Here the trees were barely taller than us but the display of colour was no less beautiful. 

The path eventually gained the low saddle in the ridge. I was familiar with the the rest of its course as this was the point where I had joined it from Gleann Chomhraig to the east to climb Croidh-la last year. But the hill would have to wait for the next day as at the end of October, the light in Scotland is already fading by late afternoon. Instead we pitched the tents at the river, watched the sun sink and listened to the incoming sounds of evening.

Next morning, we rejoined the path up Croidh-la and enjoyed the walk to the top. This little hill has become a favourite of mine. The path along its shoulder is so pleasant to walk, especially where it passes through the young trees. And the top affords uninterrupted views of the bigger hills all around. As we descended, the sun made an appearance for the first time of the trip and showed the best of the autumn colours all around us. 

We took a different path back to Kingussie, using the newly laid section of the Speyside Way from Tromie Bridge. It reminded me how the footpaths on our maps are always changing and there will always be new paths to find.

Fact File

Start/finish: Kingussie
Public transport: Edinburgh/Glasgow to Inverness train
My route: Walked the B970 to Ruthven Barracks. Just before the car parking spaces the track heads south into the hills where the start of the new path for the Speyside Way is signed. The track crosses green fields initially to a ruin then continues on heathery slopes. Just before the top of the rise, a single width, firm path leaves the track to the left and this descends to Glen Tromie. A good way down, it branches and we took the fainter left branch to avoid the lodge and exit the woods at the bridge over the river. Walked down the main track and after about 1.5km after the river turns away from the track, the path up Croidh-la begins. There is a very small cairn to mark it though we didn't walk quite far enough to spot it on the way in. For the return leg, we walked back over to Glen Tromie then down to Tromie Bridge to pick up the Speyside Way path back to Ruthven Barracks.   

Loch Lomond - Long live the weeds

What would the world be once bereft
Of wet and of wildness? Let them be left,
Oh let them be left, wildness and wet
Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet.

Inversnaid, Gerard Manley Hopkins

I'm living in the past. Or at least my blog is. Scotland is currently gripped in winter with freezing temperatures and a blanket of snow but my blog is still enjoying the mild temperatures, gentle drizzles and rich colours of autumn with this multi day walk in early October. I guess it will eventually catch up.

Talking of the past, all the years that I have been going to the hills I have traveled up the west shore of Loch Lomond on the bus or the train and gazed across at the east shore where the West Highland Way path is the only means of travel. I knew it must be gorgeous walking there through the woods in autumn and finally got round to doing just that.

The lunchtime train let me out at Crianlarich where I picked up the linking path to join the West Highland Way. Bucking the trend for walking the Way in a northerly direction, I turned south through Glen Falloch. The glen is quite lovely with a white water river, waterfalls, regenerating woods and a wall of Munros to the east. On this grey, wet day swathes of rain passed across the hillsides and the only bright spot was a friendly robin on a waymarker post.

Towards the end of the afternoon, the waters of Loch Lomond finally came into sight and what a stunning sight they were. Drizzly, misty weather created the perfect atmosphere for the view down the wooded shores, the ends of which were too far away to see. Everything was moist and the musty smell of the feral goats grazing between the trees hung in the air.

It was time to camp and I loved the quaintness of the landing for the passenger ferry to Ardlui. There is no ticket office or dock. Here you just have to raise a bright orange buoy if you want the ferry to come over. There were some nice spots for pitching the tent amongst the trees here too and the gentle lapping of waves on a pebble shore.

Next day my walk continued south through the early autumn woods, still more green than gold but still beautiful. I was surprised by how rugged the route was with lots of scrambling up and over boulders, and ascents and descents as the path undulated with the shoreline. There was something primal about the woods here which were lush and dripping in the day's drizzle. Ferns filled in the understorey and here and there old walls covered with lichens emerged from the rampant undergrowth. There was a wildness as well to the sandy, driftwood strewn beaches that formed the boundary between trees and water. I loved it and wanted the walk to go on forever.

I passed Inversnaid where a road comes over the hills to meet the loch shore and enjoyed the waterfalls but didn't linger, eager as I was to re-immerse myself in the wilderness of the woods.

A little way south of Inversnaid I left the shores of Loch Lomond to climb up through the hills. The showers of the day cleared to reveal a panorama of the loch and the mountains at its back. As I climbed higher the dipping sun created subtle evening colours on the north, little seen side of Ben Lomond. This was me in Gleann Gaoithe now for another night out in the tent before the long walk through the glen to Aberfoyle. 

Gleann Gaoithe is open in its upper reaches with some straggly woods but lower down the trees take over, a mix of commercial and native woods. It is a place of richness dominated by the rocky outline of Ben Lomond. It is another place of wildness and wet. 

Fact File

Start: Crianlarich by train from Glasgow
Finish: Aberfoyle for a bus to Stirling then a train home
Route: At the bottom of the platform steps at Crianlarich turn left and round the corner steps acsend to the road above. Immediately opposite is the link path to the West Highland Way. Followed the Way south to the abandoned cottage at Cailness and the track that climbs behind the cottage passes up into Gleann Gaoithe and ultimately all the way through to Milton near Aberfoyle. There is apparently a gap in the fence just before the cottage but I missed it and just squeezed through the gates. 

Greenock - A cut above

My friend was a bit surprised when I said we were going for an outdoors weekend to Greenock! And I'm not sure what I expected myself but we were to enjoy one of the best wee walks in Scotland on the Greenock Cut.

The Cut is a 19th century aqueduct that brought water down into Greenock from reservoirs in the hills above. At the time it was built, Greenock was expanding and industries were developing along the Clyde. Today, it's beautifully preserved and makes a stunning walk as it contours high around the side of Dunrod Hill to Cornalees Bridge and Compensation Reservoir. It's fascinating to see the old cattle bridges and the remains of stone-built bothies that provided shelter for the workers. There are several sluices dotted along the Cut as well which were known as "wasters" because they controlled the level of the water. Given the gradual gradient, it's also quite an easy walk. However, the feature that catapults the Cut into the outdoors hall of fame, is the view. For very little effort, you can enjoy a panorama that sweeps over the Southern Highlands including Ben Lomond, the Clyde Estuary, the Cowal Peninsula, Bute and Arran. It's spectacular on a clear day and we were lucky enough to get just that.

We'd jumped off the train at Drumfrochar and from here the start of the Cut was about 15 minutes walk away. A good path follows the Cut as it meanders round the hill and we wandered dreamily along in the sunshine, soaking up the ever changing view. 

Eventually the Cut arrives at Cornalees Bridge where there is a small visitor centre telling its story. I especially liked the huge, long poles with metal blades on the end that were used to break ice in the Cut in winter. The Cut ends at Cornalees Bridge but our walk continued on another 19th century aqueduct, the Kelly Cut. 

The Kelly Cut is not as well preserved as the Greenock Cut but can still be followed through the hills with a reasonable track running beside it. The track eventually comes out at Wemyss Bay, where we would catch a train home. Although the full walk could be easily done in a day, we had started late with the intention of making a camp in the hills above. So as the afternoon stretched into evening, we bashed our way up through heather and bog to find the only spot for miles that would accommodate our tents. The view from the camp spot stretched over to Cowal and as darkness moved in, we could see the streetlights of Dunoon twinkling below across the water.

Next morning, we followed the Kelly Cut to its end then picked up a beautiful path that descended a wooded gorge to pop out in Wemyss Bay. Who doesn't love to catch a train or a ferry there to enjoy the grandeur of the station. The station and ferry terminal were designed in curves to ease the passage of people and the curves are replicated in the circular ticket office and the glass ceiling. 

You could say that those curves were replicated in the Greenock Cut as well as it contoured gently round the hills, easing the passage of water to the towns below.

Fact File
More photos on Flickr

Start: Drumfrochar train station
Finish: Wemyss Bay train station 
Public transport: Glasgow to Wemyss Bay trains stop at Drumfrochar
Route: Headed uphill from the train station up Peat Road then Papermill Road. The Cut starts at the road end. Where the Greenock Cut ends at Cornalees Bridge, the Kelly Cut is signed onwards on the other side of the bridge. The Kelly Cut eventually meets a gravel track below Kelly Reservoir and this track descends to Wemyss Bay. A nice path leaves it to the left before the caravan park for a nicer walk into the town. It comes out opposite the train station.

Fife - Fastpacking the Lomond Hills

If you've been reading recent blogs, you might think that I haven't been very far afield, since here is another blog from Fife! To be honest, I haven't been far over summer but I can assure you that blogs will be coming soon from other locations!  However, the Lomond Hills were a good choice for my first ever fastpacking trip as they have good, run-able trails and are not too remote given that I was carrying very lightweight kit. Fastpacking is like backpacking but faster and lighter. It's about moving fast through the hills with minimal camping kit. It can be walking fast or running and on my trip I was aiming to run as much of the route as possible.

My trip started at Markinch and used some of the Fife Pilgrim Way to pick up a trail into the hills at Pitcairn. The trail was a long, climbing path up to and over East Lomond so I had to walk much of this, especially the steep flanks of the hill itself. But it was a pretty approach through woods, fields and heather moors. 

The descent down the other side was an enjoyable run and took me to the old lime kilns. This is a beautiful spot for a breather with wildflowers, a pond and the old kilns. The Lomond Hills are volcanic and were formed 380 million years ago. However, the limestone in the area was formed from shells on the sea floor and protected over time by the harder volcanic rock on top. The limestone was quarried in more recent history for use in construction and agriculture but had to be burned in the kilns to create lime. 

After my short break here, I set out running again, using a lovely track that heads west. It was actually built by the limestone quarriers to transport the lime out of the hills. It's very pleasing on the eye as it cuts a line through this high place and is dominated by the cone-shaped top of West Lomond up ahead. 

I wasn't running up West Lomond but instead picked up the farm track to Little Ballo and then onto Harperleas Reservoir. I love the path from here that climbs up through the trees to West Feal. Although it's a plantation wood, there is a mix of trees in places and some nice open rides where the sun filters through. It was another long climb so I was again mostly walking and that continued beyond West Feal also as I climbed up onto the ridge of Bishop Hill.

It was a beautiful run along the ridge in evening sunshine with steep slopes sweeping down to Loch Leven below and some surprising rock features to inspect. However more often than not on this ridge, there is a fierce wind fueled by the thermals that rise up the slopes. So I dropped down a little and found a calmer spot for the bivvy in a larch wood. I'd packed the bivvy rather than the tent to save on weight and bulk. With this being the tail end of summer, I was also able to use my tiniest sleeping bag as well and a minuscule alcohol stove that heated water in my mug for a simple meal. 

A beautiful sunrise kicked off the next day as I set out running down through Glen Vale. It's a magical spot with limestone rock features and a lush, wooded gorge. The path was soft and sandy and perfect for running. A thin drizzle of rain soon came on and cooled the morning. It provided an excuse, as if needed, to pull into Loch Leven's Larder for coffee and cake. A connecting trail from here took me to the main path along the shore of the loch.

Being mid week and wet, it was quiet and I enjoyed the peace and solitude as I finished my trip by running into Kinross for a bus home. It had been harder than I imagined to run with camping equipment, even along the flat, and I wished I had done more training runs carrying weight. However, I was happy with what I had managed to run overall and I'd really enjoyed the trip. It was nice to experience a place well known to me in a completely different way through running it.

Fact File
Start: Markinch (Edinburgh - Dundee trains stop here)
Finish: Kinross (buses to Edinburgh from the Park & Ride)
Route: From Markinch to Pitcairn Centre on the Fife Pilgrim Way and then picked my way through a few streets to the centre. Path from the centre up East Lomond then down the other side and along the track to Craigmead. A short distance south on the hill road then track signed for Little Ballo. To end of this track then crossed the retaining wall for Harperleas Reservoir and turned right on the track at the far end. Path to West Feal is signed from this track a little further west. From West Feal up the track to Monduff Hill and along the ridge north to Bishop Hill. A vague path drops northeast from Bishop Hill eventually running beside a wall at a larch wood. This path eventually joins the main path that heads down through Glen Vale. Turned left where Glen Vale path met the road to Glenalmond and then right when it meets the A road. Just after here is Loch Leven's Larder and a path from here joins the Loch Leven Heritage Trail into Kinross.
Kit: Ultimate Direction Fastpackher 20 running pack; Outdoor Research Alpine bivvy; Sea to Summit spark sleeping bag; Thermarest Neoair sleeping pad; Speedster mini alcohol stove with titanium mug.