Pentlands and Monadhliath - Snow days

Decent cold weather eventually arrived here at New Year and blanketed my local hills, the Pentlands, with snow. My friend and I took the bus out there for a day walk and it was like flying to another country such was the contrast in conditions. There was no snow in Portobello or through the city but we stepped off into several inches of the stuff at Balerno.

The village and the woods en route to the open hills looked so pretty. We'd made a later start so by the time we were at Harlaw it was already lunch. We sat for ages at a picnic bench in the snow-covered wildlife garden watching the birds at the feeders before striking out up Bell's Hill. 

As we gained height, the Pentlands rose around us, their snowy ridges looking Alpine under a clear, blue sky. To the south the view stretched out over snow-covered fields parceled up into white squares by walls and hedgerows. The snow underfoot was perfect, dry powder and had been sculpted into wave-like patterns by the wind, although it was perfectly calm now. 

We made ourselves comfy on the top of the hill and wrapped ourselves up in our blankets to sit a while and watch the sun set. The light changed from dazzling white to soft peach then to a wonderful twilight blue as we descended. Eventually blackness crept in as we picked our way onwards through the dark woods and down Poet's Glen to jump on a bus home. 

The cold snap luckily lasted further into January and we headed off for a weekend of winter walking and camping near Kingussie. On the first day, we strapped on the snowshoes and had a fun walk stringing together the deeper sections of snow on the lower flanks of Carn an Fhreiceadain. 

A grey day turned the world around us monochrome, save for some brief late afternoon rays that pierced the cloud. As we searched for a camp spot in the woods the sun set with a golden flourish beyond the frozen waters of Loch Gynack. We pitched the tents in the trees close to the deer fence. It wasn't the prettiest camp spot but we had good views of the stars and planets as well as a hint of aurora further into the cold, dark night.

Next day, we left the snowshoes hiding under a bush and had a lovely walk up Creag Bheag on the east side of Gynack Burn. This was a modest little hill but without a path to the top and nobody else around, it felt wild, rugged and little-visited. The winter weather cast a bleak veil over the day as well which added to the hill's character. We'd followed a rough track up through the woods then out onto the open hillside before leaving it to climb up through the snow. We marveled at the snow-shoe shaped footprints left by the mountain hares. Clagged-in, grey weather stole wider views but a pleasant rocky ridge on top provided a nice focal point and an excellent back rest for our picnic lunch.

The weather has turned a little milder now, at least here in Portobello but hopefully there will be more snow days before winter is out.

Fact File
Pentlands. Lothian Buses number 44 goes from the city centre to Balerno. Walked out Harlaw Road and at the top of the hill, joined the woodland path that goes to the wildlife garden. Continued ahead skirting the east shore of Harlaw Reservoir then walked up the main path between Harbour Hill and Bell's Hill, heading off right to go up Bell's Hill. Descended to main path then continued down the track known as Ranges Road to link to Poet's Glen into Currie.
Kingussie. Edinburgh/Inverness train stops at Kingussie. Headed up the road then track up the east side of Gynack Burn. Track continues onto open hillside where there was deeper snow for snow-shoeing. For Creag Bheag, took a track uphill beside a bridge about 300m before Pitmain Lodge. It's really pretty as it climbs through the woods and gives good views to Loch Gynack. As it leaves the woods, it swings left onto the open hillside. Followed it a little way then struck out across the heather to the top of the hill. From the top we descended west to the top of the track at Pitmain to make a circular walk.

Speyside and Dava - One way ticket to Forres

In the last blog I cycled an old railway line north of Callander and for the second week of my October holidays I found myself on another old railway line but on foot this time. This was the old line from Grantown-on-Spey to Forres which is now re-purposed as the Dava Way. I chose the route because I'd wanted to soak up more autumn colour while it lasted and I wasn't disappointed.

I didn't start walking in Grantown though but started a few days earlier in Kingussie. Once off the train, I picked up the Speyside Way path beside Ruthven Barracks. I love this section of the route between here and Grantown because it passes through lots of birch and beech woods which are lovely at this time of year. Their russet tones were complemented by explosions of red from the rowan trees which have had an exceptional year of berry production! The path also meanders in a pleasant way between the little settlements that are scattered along the Spey Valley such that you see little snippets of the lives of the people who live here. My favourite spot however was on a new section of trail that dropped into Kincraig using an old path lined by mossy stone walls and beautiful beech trees whose gigantic limbs overhung the route. 

As the path left the woods, the view opened up to Loch Insh which was encircled by the golds, yellows and russets of the surrounding birch woods. The route is very close to the Inverness railway line here and at one point a fast train passed me close enough to send up a flurry of birch leaves into my path. The first camp spot of the trip was just beyond here, in sparse woods with a view across an open field to the railway line so I could enjoy watching the lights of the trains pass after dark.

After Aviemore the Speyside Way followed the steam railway line towards Boat of Garten where pines and birch dominated the woods. I had tantalising glimpses of the steam from the train as it passed by in a cutting but failed to get a view of the train itself. Forest tracks took me to Nethy Bridge. Then I joined a section of old railway line which provided a lovely camp spot on the banks of the Spey itself before transporting me the next day into Grantown.

Anagach Woods on the approach to Grantown were beautiful in their autumn garb with beech interspersed with pines and the occasional flash of golden birch. Beyond Grantown, I joined the Dava Way for its 24 miles to Forres. The Dava Way is a fabulous route. It travels through woods before striking out across the open expanse of Dava Moor, a fairly empty and desolate place. Then it drops back down into the woods again for its final descent. There is something about the atmosphere of the old line that I love. It feels like a wild place, where the elements dominate, and where an aura of the past lingers as you imagine the old steam trains chugging along the line. I have only ever travelled the Dava Way in late autumn when I have rarely seen another soul and so I think the solitude and peace of the route is also quite special. 

It was nice on this trip to camp high on the moor itself though my favourite spot is the Halfway Hut. It's about the size of a large wooden shed and was formerly a lineman's hut. There are tables and chairs inside and fairy lights to brighten the place up which are powered by a solar panel. On this occasion, the hut had also been decorated with cut out ghosts for Halloween. It was wonderful to sit there for a while and watch the world - a group of whooper swans flew over, pure white against a gunmetal grey sky; flocks of finches made their way along the line-side trees hunting for berries and seeds.

Beyond the Halfway Hut, I was wrapped up again in beautiful autumn woods as the Way travelled onwards towards Forres. I felt completely cut off from the rest of the world as I wandered along the old line, as if nothing else existed beyond the tracks. Occasionally the line would cross farmland and I could see farms and cottages in the distance but the peace of the route was never broken. 

My last night out in the tent was in a quiet birch wood a few hours walk before Forres. Leaves drifted down to the woodland floor covering it like golden pennies and the hooting of an owl sent me off to sleep. Trains may be long gone from Dava but fortunately they are still running from Forres and took me home the next day via Aberdeen. 

Fact File

Start: Kingussie by Glasgow/Edinburgh to Inverness train.
Finish: Forres by direct train to Aberdeen then changing for Edinburgh.
Route: Walked out of Kingussie to the south on the B970 (quiet) and the Speyside Way path starts opposite Ruthven Barracks. It is well signed and described online. At Grantown, the Dava Way starts just beyond the camp site and again it's well signed and described online.

Trossachs - Reflection perfection

As usual, due to lack of time and a desire not to add to the hours of screen time generated by the working day, my blog has been stuck in the past. Winter arrived here in a flurry of snow and storms but then left again to be replaced by weather more like summer. But this blog goes back to autumn for several days of bikepacking from Dumbarton through the Trossachs to Perth. One of the days was the most perfect autumn day.

Grey, cold weather greeted us however as we wheeled loaded bikes off the train at Dumbarton Central and pedaled to Balloch then onto Drymen. It was wonderful cycling though as we traveled along quiet lanes that undulated through the countryside, each rise opening up a view to Ben Lomond. Here and there we were wrapped up in trees as the route became a cycle path through the autumn woods. 

We were glad we stopped at Drymen for coffee and cake before the stiff climb over the hill to Aberfoyle, though we left the road before then, picking up a section of the Rob Rob Way. It's always nice to get off the road and this section was a really enjoyable ride along forest tracks that took us deep into Loch Ard Forest. Though mostly plantation, there were enough deciduous trees to create some autumn colours and these lined the little loch that we camped beside late in the day. 

The second day of the trip couldn't have been a more perfect autumn day with sunshine, clear blue skies and not a breath of wind. A thin veil of mist hung over our little loch as we made breakfast then packed up the tents and loaded the bikes. A winding route up forest tracks took us over Duke's Pass. Sunny, golden birch woods intermingled with the punchy red of rowan berries gave to way to the dark green of conifers. But the top of the pass afforded views through the trees to the rugged hills all around and it was wonderful to be up high on bikes on such a gorgeous day.  

As we began the descent down the other side, we were literally stopped in our tracks by the scenes at Loch Drunkie. With not a ripple on the surface, it was a mirror loch with perfect reflections of the lochside trees. It couldn't have been more beautiful.

We continued our descent to Loch Vennacher and cycled the trail along its south shore before picking up the bike path that travels along the line of the old Callander to Oban railway. The railway opened in the late 19th century to connect Callander with Oban via Crianlarich but sadly closed in 1965. That may seem like a long time ago but my dad remembers travelling on the train which brings it within touching distance of the present. Though it's a shame to have lost the trains, it is a wonderful bike ride.

The old line travels along Loch Lubnaig then climbs gently up through Glen Ogle. The steep-sided glen is dotted with woods and ancient rockfalls that have left huge boulders scattered across the hillside. We camped up here among birch trees, just to the side of the track. As day faded to night, it was impossible to resist screwing up your eyes and trying to imagine a steam train chugging up the incline. But the only thing moving along the line after dark were the bats who were using its open air space to catch insects.

Next morning we continued up the line, passing over the fine viaduct that signals the approach of the top of the pass. From here it was a wonderful descent to Killin that twisted down through plantation pines then pretty autumn woods. We were freezing by the bottom and glad of a pot of hot tea and a second breakfast at a cafe in the village. 

From Killin we cycled along the quiet road on the south side of Loch Tay. The views were lovely here over the steely grey water and autumn colours lined our route. At Ardtalnaig we turned off and climbed up into the hills. The little farm road was too steep to cycle and we pushed all the way up to the last of the cottages where the road became dirt track and leveled out enough for getting back on the bikes. This track took us through to the head of Glen Almond, a wild and lonely place where grey clouds gathered and spits of rain fell. A portent of the following day's weather.

Some rough ground around the watershed gave way to a good cycle-able track all the way down the rest of the glen though we pitched the tents at the first good spot we found, beside the ruin of Lechrea. The final day of the trip was a contrast to our perfect day in the Trossachs with torrential rain as we cycled to Perth to catch a train home. The only reflections, of two soggy cyclists, were in the puddles.

Fact File

Start: Dumbarton Central train station (train from Edinburgh via Glasgow, bike booking not necessary)

Finish: Perth train station (train back to Edinburgh, bike booking not necessary if it's a train that starts in Perth)

Route: Out of the station, we essentially followed national cycle route 7 from Dumbarton to Ardtalnaig, although we detoured into Loch Ard Forest on the Rob Roy Way and re-joined the cycle route in Aberfoyle. The route through to Glen Almond from Ardtalnaig has a right of way marker post at the start and was all cycle-able except the initial push to the last farmhouse and a very short section at the top of the pass which was a bit rutted and muddy but not too bad at all. At the bottom of Glen Almond we turned south down the Sma' Glen which although an A road is relatively quiet. We then took back roads to Pitcairngreen where cycle route signs then took us on a lovely route into Perth city centre and the train station. 

East Lothian - Aberlady bay watch

I love the arrival of our over-wintering geese in September and October. It's so moving and awe-inspiring to watch their noisy skeins travel across skies illuminated by the light of the sun's low autumn arc. I have a few places where I go to watch them - Montrose Basin, Loch Leven in Kinross-shire and closer to home, Aberlady Bay in East Lothian. On a recent trip to the latter, I packed a friend and overnight camping kit to spend a night out on a goose watch at the bay.

A short bus ride from home dropped us at Aberlady Bay late afternoon where there were already large numbers of pink-footed geese on the mudflats. It's generally pink-footed geese that form the huge skeins that fill the air with their "wink-wink" calls. There was also the usual assortment of ducks and waders. 

We wandered across grasslands brightened by the orange berries of sea buckthorn, also known as the baked bean plant. A scramble over the dunes put us on the deserted beach for a wander to the rocks at Gullane Point. The tide was out but the sea filled the air with an ever- present roar, a reminder, like the geese, of the primal forces at play around us. The view is extensive from the point. Back to Edinburgh and the Pentlands; across to Fife and the Lomonds; and the spans of the three Forth Bridges can just be spotted in the far distance.

We turned our backs on the beach and ambled through the dunes and the scrub beyond. Faint paths meander through here though it never seems possible to follow one for very long before it peters out. Eventually we came by chance upon the old tank defences that date from the second world war. These concrete blocks are littered along the coast but the ones here are so hidden that they always make me feel like I have stumbled upon a local Machu Picchu. 

We wandered aimlessly as the light was fading and eventually found a secretive hollow with flat ground, perfect for pitching the tents. I'm not sure how we came across it but I am sure we'd never find it again, such is the nature of the landscape here.

A beautiful sunset followed with the grasses of the dunes alight in soft golden shades. Skeins of geese came in above our tents as the light faded and day turned to night but it was the morning that brought the spectacle of thousands of geese taking to the air above the bay. We watched quietly for a couple of hours then took flight ourselves to Gullane for coffee and cake at a favourite cafe, Goose on the Green.

Fact File

Start/finish/public transport: The no. 124 East Coast bus drops you in Aberlady, the final stop for the village is closest to the bay. We took the 124 back from Gullane into Edinburgh after our walk.
Route: From the bus stop, we walked east along the pavement adjacent to the main coast road which has good views over the bay and takes you to the wooden bridge that you need to cross to get over the outflow of the Peffer Burn. The main path to the beach is obvious from here. The paths back through the dunes are indistinct. After watching the geese at Aberlady Bay in the morning, we continued east along the pavement adjacent to the main road. This is actually the John Muir Way and it soon leaves the roadside to continue to Gullane across fields. This gave good views of geese flying out over the fields.

Gear Review - Lightwave Sigma s10 Tent

The Sigma s10 tent is a four season, one person, single skin hybrid tent with two poles that cross over in the middle. Lightwave claim that the special lining of the tent called X-Tex eliminates the condensation issues that generally make single skin tents useless in this country. Are their claims true? Read on.

I bought my Sigma in late 2021 and have been using it for many of my outdoor trips since which have covered most weather types from dry and warm to cold and wet as well as below freezing. It's a hybrid tent in that it has a porch which is made from a more traditional silnylon fabric and not the X-Tex breathable fabric which is only used in the main sleeping portion of the tent.

The first thing that is obvious on unpacking and then using the tent, is the quality of construction and the attention to detail. This is a high spec product and is very well designed and produced. The two pole crossing design creates both strength and simplicity - there has not been a single occasion when I didn't get the tent up super fast and with a perfect pitch first time. I think it's actually impossible to pitch it badly because the two poles create the shape and there is no flysheet that needs pegged, positioned and tensioned. The tent is semi freestanding with only the porch needing pegged out but I have always pegged it fully for strength in the wind and to ensure maximum internal space. There is a dyneema guyline with double attachment points on each of the four pole sides as well as one for the large back panel and one for the front of the tent. All of the attachment points are strong and well made. Overall, it has quite a small footprint which is really handy in spots where the space for pitching is limited. 

The internal space and headroom is excellent (bearing in mind that I am just over 5 feet!). I love that there is no sagging inner as with other tents so the full covered area is available as living space. The porch is spacious enough for backpack and boots in one half then cooking/coming and going space in the other half. The inner has two small pockets at each end and a loop on the ceiling for a torch or lantern. Two nice tie-backs hold the door open in good weather. These are on one side only and it would have been nice if both halves of the porch had tie-backs to fully open up the tent on nice evenings. This is a small point as it's easy enough to make it work this way but tie-backs on both sides would have helped. The tent is advertised at a touch over 1.1 kg and that's roughly what I found it to be on my scales. This is incredibly light for the strength of the tent and one of its major attractions in my opinion.

Turning to performance, the windiest weather in which I have used the tent was, I think, wind gusts of 45mph. The tent stood strong and secure with minimal flapping and I was very confident that it was easily handling this weather. In cool to warm dry weather, the X-Tex fabric works really well and transports condensation to the outside of the fabric to evaporate. Sometimes it feels damp to the touch but is never dripping in these conditions. In below freezing weather, this dampness turned to frost and was easily brushed off in the morning before I packed up. However, in cold and wet conditions, I found the X-Tex fabric didn't work so well. The rain prevented the fabric from moving moisture to the outside and of course, in the cold there is a lot more condensation in the tent from atmospheric dampness, cooking and breathing. The night I discovered this, I was constantly wiping up pools of water from the tent floor and it was a pretty miserable experience.

That night was quite early days in my ownership of the tent and I was ready to send it back to get a refund. However, I didn't do that because I'd found that on the other nights when the X-Tex fabric worked, I had absolutely loved using this tent and it had become a real favourite. The simplicity, the strength, the internal space, being able to fully open the doors. So it has become my go-to tent for hillwalking when the weather is forecast to be mostly dry and not cold. I find it's the perfect tent for a high level pitch in the warmer months because it's strong but not too heavy to lug up a hill. 

When I bought my Sigma in 2021, it retailed at £475. It looks like it now costs closer to £600. I think it's worth this money given the quality, strength and what I expect to be good durability. However, I wouldn't buy it if it was to be the only tent I owned given the poorer performance of the fabric in cold, wet weather.

Southern Scotland - Backpacking another section of the Southern Upland Way

Last May I backpacked a section of the Southern Upland Way from Glen Trool village to Sanquhar. I enjoyed it so much that I was really eager to walk the next section during one of my May holiday weeks this year. So I was back in Sanquhar to pick up where I left off. Since last year, I have been trying to understand why I found this walk so enjoyable because it largely avoids all of the stunning scenery that Scotland has to offer. Instead it forms a meandering line through lots of unremarkable places as it climbs over grassy hills, wanders along quiet glens and crosses high pasture. Yet somehow the whole is so much greater than the sum of its parts. These quiet places bring a sense of peace and solitude, and for long sections you don't pass through any significant habitations or cross any roads which gives you the feeling of being completely cut-off from the outside world. It's utterly beguiling and so different from anywhere else. I absolutely love it. This year's section took me east from Sanquhar and into the Scottish Borders at its main town, Galashiels. Here are some highlights from the walk.

From Sanquhar, I climbed up into low grassy hills, walking an old coffin road through to Wanlockhead. I had a lovely camp spot up here at the old ruin of Cogshead farm, said to be a hideout for Covenanters in the days of their persecution. It sits beside a small wood but is also close to sheep pasture so the morning and evening birdsong was a beautiful mix of woodland birds like blackbirds, robins and warblers alongside farmland species like snipe, skylarks and curlew. 

Beyond here, the Way climbs to its highest point in the remote Lowther Hills. The grassy path undulates pleasingly for miles along the tops before dropping down to Potrail Water which becomes the River Clyde further downstream. Just beyond here, I pitched the tent for the second night out, looking back towards my route over the Lowther Hills. The evening was again bathed in birdsong and the next morning shrouded by a veil of low lying mist. 

The route doesn't shy away from going up and over the hills when it wants to so next was another stiff climb above Daer Reservoir over Sweetshaw Brae, Hods Hill and Beld Knowe. What a view from up here. Nothing and nobody for miles all around.

The Way then dropped into forestry to begin a long descent towards Moffat. On the map this section looked like a long walk through commercial plantation but as I said in last year's blog, even where it looks like this on the map, the route often surprises on the ground. So there were pockets of native woodland scattered on the hillsides while the route used mostly an old path that was still lined by broadleaf trees. The effect was lovely and the calls of cuckoos filled the air. 

Where the Way popped out of the woods, it joined a quiet back road known as Witches Wate as it was said witches lay in wait here and those passing always carried a rowan tree branch to ward them off. The Southern Upland Way doesn't go into Moffat but passes to the south. I made a short detour into town though to stock up on supplies. My original plan had been to use a camp site here for a night but even this wee town was too busy for me and I was desperate to be back out on the trail.

Beyond Moffat, the route climbed into the hills again with an ascent of Croft Head. Dense mist obscured the steep drop below my feet as I traversed along the ridge. Luckily it cleared as I began the descent to open up a view of Capel Fell and the deep gouge in its side, worn through by a millenium of running water. 

The path continued through a twisty, tight pass to pop out in the Ettrick Valley. It was wonderful to spend a relaxing couple of hours sitting in the sun, making tea and drying out kit at Over Phawhope bothy before a long road walk down the glen. It was a quiet road but with little shade from a hot afternoon sun. This was the spell in May when the weather was very briefly summer-like.

Eventually the route left the road and climbed again to travel along the ridge of Pikestone Rig. The high level, grassy path made for a wonderful evening walk in golden sunshine that bathed the hills all around. At the end of the ridge, I found probably my favourite camp spot of the trip beside the ruin of Riskinhope. A grassy knoll above the river made a perfect spot for the tent. Trees grew from the walls of the old house and the adjacent land was parceled up by ancient stone walls. It all gave the spot a very pleasant sense of place.

The next morning I dropped down from Riskinhope to St Mary's Loch where the route hugged the south shore on a very pretty woodland path before climbing into the hills at Dryhope Tower. Dating from the 1500s, the tower was designed to provide some security for local families from the raiders and reivers of the day.

The Southern Upland Way was heading now towards familiar territory for me as it crossed low hills to Traquhair. This was a lovely section, following grassy tracks over the tops of the hills and opening up big, views before joining what felt like an ancient lane, lined by knarly old hawthorn trees. 

From Traquhair, there was the usual steep climb up Minchmoor, the old Borders drove road. I love this route because once the hard work is done to get onto the top of the ridgeline, you can enjoy an airy, undulating amble for miles. I made my last camp of the trip about halfway along the ridge.

Although I know this part of the Way well, it was interesting to walk it as part of a bigger trip to see how it dovetails with the rest of the route and to approach it after several days on foot. It did feel different, although the Three Brethren still greeted me of course at the far end of the ridge. These huge cairns date from the 16th century and mark the boundary of the three estates that meet here - Selkirk, Philiphaugh and Yair. 

The Southern Upland Way now descends through woods to Yair then makes a pleasant traverse of rolling farmland to Galashiels. But it had a surprise for me before I got there. As I said above, I know this section well but I had never walked it in May so I had no idea that the woods at Fairnilee had a stunning carpet of bluebells in early summer. 

Galashiels is one of the Borders' major towns and it was a bit of a shock to the system arriving here after the peace of the last few days. The shock was softened however by enjoying a tub of ice cream and a cold drink in the square before catching the train home. 

Fact File

More photos on Flickr

Start: Sanquhar using the Glasgow to Dumfries train.
Finish: Galashiels using the Borders railway back to Edinburgh.
Route: The Southern Upland Way is well described online and signposted on the ground. There is a small shop in Sanquhar, a good sized Co-op supermarket in Moffat and pretty much everything the hiker could possibly want in Galashiels.