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Inspiring Mountain Walks | Scottish Landscape Art - Scottish Landscape Paintings - Part 2

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Light and subtle sounds …….back on the hill again

Posted by admin on November 5th, 2015

It’s damp, grey and dark here in Irvine today, but on Sunday last, Nita and I caught the end of the fine weather and made the most of it with a working walk in the hills.

We hadn’t been out for a week or two so it was with a real sense of excitement that we drove north through the beautiful scenery of the Loch Lomond National Park.  Huge banks of fog lay over the loch, sometimes shrouding everything including the road, sometimes pulling back out onto the water to give amazing views of the summit of Ben Lomond sticking out above it.  The colours were superb in the bright early sunshine and I had the feeling that even if I didn’t get any sound recordings made during the day, I’d certainly see some great views and maybe get some new ideas for paintings.

Hills around Bridge of Orchy

The Bridge of Orchy Hills, morning

But that said, you do have to get your priorities right and as we drove through this spectacular autumn landscape our minds were firmly fixed on breakfast at the Green Welly and one of their fine bacon rolls!  Once this was accomplished I’d put my mind to work ….but not before!

One of the problems I’ve encountered during my first attempts at making sound recordings in the wild is that there can often be a lot of background man-made noise.  I decided therefore to head back to a small hill we’ve walked several times in the past and one that is set well back from the main roads and isn’t an ‘anything’ …like a Munro or Corbett or Graham.  Being unclassified it, tends to be less frequented by other walkers.   The wee hill in question was Ben Inverveigh……rising between Glen Orchy and Loch Tulla.  I hoped that from its broad rough summit ridge I might be able to capture something of the wild in a recording.   It’s difficult to explain quite what I’m after except that there are wonderfully subtle sounds of space and quiet when you’re up in the hills ….and these are what I want to try and capture with the sound recorder.

View from Ben Inverveigh

From Ben Inverveigh

Ben Inverveigh is only around 650m high but even so its upper slopes were periodically shrouded with cloud and it made for quite a strange atmosphere as the mists came and went, sometimes reducing the visibility considerably and sometimes breaking so that we could see the bigger hills around us.   We stopped by one of the two small cairns marking the official top and after a quick bite of lunch, I set the sound recorder working…..propped on a small rock with its microphone sheltered from the cold breeze.  Over the ten months I’ve had use of this recorder, I’ve made quite a lot of recordings, but most have failed to capture quite what I want.  Many of them have as I said, captured the background noise of traffic or passing aircraft…..or me sneezing or Nita eating a bag of crisps as happened on one occasion!  Recording sound is not easy you know!  Anyway, on Sunday we did seem to have perfect conditions and when I switched the recorder on I felt rather more optimistic about the results than normal.  I’d have to wait until I got home to have a listen to the recording, if for no other reason than that it was bloody cold up there and we needed to get moving.

WHW & Beinn Dorain

Beinn Dorain from the West Highland Way, late afternoon

The walk back saw conditions improve considerably and before we were half way down we found ourselves in bright late afternoon sunshine.  The colours were once again, very beautiful and quite intense.  The spiky clumps of grass that made up much of the covering vegetation on this hill were a strange mixture of colours, ranging from a reddish brown at the tips, to a rich straw colour and to a vivid yellow green at the base of each blade of grass.  This meant that the overall colour seemed to change depending on which way the breeze blew.

By the time we got back to the car the light was fading fast but we’d had a great little day.  Not only did I get some ideas for new paintings, I also, it turned out, managed to get my first half decent sound recording.  I haven’t worked out yet how I’m going to use these recordings ……but it’s a step forward and quite an exciting one too.  At some point in the future I’ll get some of these recordings on-line so that you can get an idea of what this crazy painter is trying to do!

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Refuelling!

Posted by admin on September 6th, 2015

I’m late writing this blog again and am sat in my studio this Sunday with Sea Sick Steve blasting out!  Suffice it to say ….I’m the only one here at the Courtyard so far today…. I might get some complaints otherwise.  Oh well, sometimes its great having the music up loud and in a strange way it can be almost as relaxing as being out in a wild and quiet location.

I think I’ve needed a bit of both of these to be honest, after what has been a very busy and quite stressful last week.  It’s been a good one though and very enjoyable too …but I needed a break at the end.   Our plan had been to get up at 5am and drive up to Glen Coe to walk Stob Dubh, one of the Munro summits of Buachaille Etive Beag.  Trouble was that by the time we got to Thursday evening both Nita and I were completely shattered and even the thought of walking in what must be one of Scotland’s finest mountain ranges couldn’t cut through the weariness.  But we did need to get out and Nita suggested we head back to Beinn Odhar near Tyndrum.  It’s a regular in our hill walking diary as it makes for a great half day but with plenty of steep and ‘up’ to give the legs a short but sharp work-out.  It also had the advantage that we didn’t have to drag ourselves out of bed until 08.30!

View from Beinn Odhar of the old mines

From the old mine workings on Beinn Odhar

Have to admit we hadn’t checked the weather forecast for a couple of days but had seemed to remember that there was a nice splurge of high pressure lurking somewhere close to Scotland and so imagined we’d have fine weather.  We did, but not in that clear blue skies kind of way we had expected.  By the time we were driving along the shores of Loch Lomond it was dark and threatening rain and a good number of hills had cloud shrouding their tops.   It was, however, a rapidly changing scene and in the hour it took to drive the remaining way to Tyndrum we’d had a bit of almost everything from bright sunshine to heavy bursts of rain.  This was to be the story of the day.

Part of the enjoyment of a half day in the hills is that you have time to stop for coffee and a snack before setting out and we did just this at the very popular watering hole that is The Green Welly.  And then we were off, heading up the West Highland Way for a kilometre or so before turning off this popular track and making our way up the steep grassy slopes of Beinn Odhar.  There is no messing with this hill.  You gain height quickly and the views behind you are always impressive.  On Friday this meant a stream of fast moving dark clouds passing by at about 850m and the summits of the larger hills regularly disappearing and then re-emerging into bright patches of sunlight.  For me, this was perfect and I felt a painting coming on almost as soon as we gained some height!

View from Beinn Odhar

From the slopes of Beinn Odhar

This is the hill that has old mine remains high up on the slope and it never fails to amaze me to think that people used to trudge all the way up there  before starting a day’s work.  As we picked our way through the rocky outcrops marking the mine workings the cloud descended and it was time to get the water and wind proof gear out ….suddenly it was cold with that very definite hint of winter being just around the corner.

View from Beinn Odhar

Landscape patterns, from the slopes of Beinn Odhar

We reached the wee loch tucked under the final steep and boulder covered slopes leading to the summit and decided to sit and enjoy this incredibly peaceful spot.  We’ve been here many times before and this really is one of my favourite places in the Southern Highlands.  It is so unexpected and despite this being a Corbett it is a rarely visited spot.  I guess we sat sheltering from the wind and occasional drizzle for about 50 minutes…..just watching the clouds come and go.  This really was a perfect place to re-fuel.

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A quick dash to the top of Beinn Ime and back!

Posted by admin on July 18th, 2015

The title for this blog probably breaks most if not all of the trades description act for as most of you know, I don’t actually dash anywhere, especially when I’m on a hill!  That said however, our trip to Beinn Ime yesterday was in a sense, a bit of a dash as up until mid afternoon the day before, we had no intention of going walking.  The forecasts seemed to have been suggesting wet and very windy weather for Thursday but when Nita double checked early Wednesday evening…. it seemed like the rain wouldn’t actually arrive until the end of the day.

Not wanting a silly early start as Nita had been working a night shift on Tuesday and didn’t get much in the way of sleep on Wednesday, we opted for going for a walk in the Arrochar Alps ….not much more than an hour and a half drive from Irvine.  The forecast had actually suggested there would be 90% chances of a cloud free Munro, but when we reached the side of Loch Lomond at just after 9am, everything was dark and gloomy with heavy banks of cloud shrouding all the hills above about 500 metres.  I have to say we weren’t at the time too happy with Geoff Monk at MWIS….. but we should have known better as, given another hour and the tops where clear.  And we used that hour by stopping at Luss and treating ourselves to a bacon roll and a cuppa ….so not bad after all!  My apologies to Geoff and his team at MWIS for ever doubting them!

scottish mountain

The Cobbler

Our target for the day was Beinn Ime, a hill we’d first climbed back in 1998 and one we’d revisited on five or six other occasions over the years.    It makes for a very pleasant wander through spectacular scenery and as you start at sea level and end up at just over 1000 m ….it gives your legs a good stretch.    We haven’t actually walked the path up past The Cobbler and Beinn Narnain to Beinn Ime for probably four years and it was amazing to see how much the lower sections of the path had changed in this time.  What had been saplings have grown and the big views you used to have out over Loch Long, have for the most part, been hidden behind foliage.    What you lose on the bigger scale however, you make up on the smaller scale.  Numerous wild flowers decorated the sides of the path almost all the way up to the edge of the forestry and from that point the views of The Cobbler and Beinn Narnain grab your attention.     The path itself has eroded quite badly in places despite it only being a little over 10 years old I think.  The top surface seems to have been washed away in places but it still makes a pretty easy way to gain height and get up into these spectacular mountains.

scottish mountain

The Cobbler from the upper slopes of Beinn Ime

I had expected the path to be quite busy at this time of year but in fact we only saw a few other folk throughout the day and the busiest spot was actually the summit of Beinn Ime itself.  Even so, there was only a few folk and they soon headed off back down and Nita and I had this lofty quiet spot to ourselves …… with the exception of one lone sheep and a couple of Ravens.  It had taken us about four and a quarter hours to the top and so we had plenty of time to sit and enjoy the views which, despite the generally grey skies, were pretty extensive.  Nita could make out Ben Nevis to the north but it still had its head in the cloud.  Most of the rest of the hills were clear just as MWIS had forecast.

scottish mountains

At the summit of Beinn Ime

Our return back down to the car was in increasingly gloomy light but the rain held off and I have to admit that I felt quite smug…. our lazy start and second breakfast in Luss paid off…. cloud free tops by the time we started walking and still dry eight and a half hours later on our return to the car.  A perfect day in the hills.

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Revisiting Beinn Bhreac

Posted by admin on June 29th, 2015

Several years ago Nita and I walked the three hills to the north of Glen Douglas on the west side of Loch Lomond. For what are relatively small hills this is a surprisingly strenuous walk as there is quite a lot of steep ascents and descents. As such, by the time we’d climbed back up to the second hill, we were running a little late and so rather rushed over to Beinn Bhreac, the last and highest of the three hills. We subsequently didn’t have much time to enjoy the big views out over Loch Lomond or to explore the rocky little tops.

On the steep slopes of Beinn Bhreac near Loch Lomond

On the steep slopes of Beinn Bhreac

Yesterday, with the forecast looking fine, we went back to Glen Douglas, only this time, to walk Beinn Bhreac and to explore it and its neighbour Ben Reoch. We’ve done several walks this year in these hills around Luss and on each occasion it’s been quite dark and hazy. As we arrived in Glen Douglas yesterday things were looking very similar with cloud misting the tops and fine drizzle falling. But even so, the glen was looking fantastic.

Approaching the summit of Beinn Bhreac near Loch Lomond

Approaching the summit of Beinn Bhreac

The route up from the glen to the summit of Beinn Bhreac is pretty direct and like most of the Luss Hills, steep and generally grassy. As we gained height the drizzle stopped and the cloud lifted, giving fine views back into the glen and across to the surrounding tops. I have to say that it’s been three weeks since we were on the rocky tops around Conival in Assynt and my legs were complaining as we made our way slowly uphill. With the sun starting to come out it was quite warm and it seemed to bring out the wild life…. flies and midges and … a lizard, which was hopefully eating some of the latter!

After so much grass, the summit of Beinn Bhreac is a pleasant surprise, being made up of a series of rocky outcrops and crags, the highest of which gives an amazingly large view over Loch Lomond. You can see a long way north up the loch and right down to the southern end. Directly opposite is the Munro, Ben Lomond which was looking great, although no doubt, it was a lot busier than on our side of the loch! We had seen no-one and that was to remain the same for the rest of the day.

Rock crevice near the summit of Beinn Bhreac near Loch Lomond

Rock crevice near the summit of Beinn Bhreac

As I said, on our previous visit to these hills, we had kind of rushed on our way over from Ben Reoch and had by-passed it’s more interesting and craggy little subsidiary top. Yesterday, we decided to make our way over to it and enjoy exploring around the crags. On leaving Beinn Bhreac however, we came across an amazing crevice in the rock. It looked like the side of the mountain was breaking away and would, sometime in the distant future, collapse down into Loch Lomond. It was surprisingly deep and offered shelter for many plants which were somehow clinging onto the ledges of the rock.

By the time we reached the rocky top near Ben Reoch, the sun was bright and hot and after picking our way around and through the crags, we settled down for a very pleasant rest, enjoying the views and the sight of four Ravens that seemed to occupy this lofty little top.

Beinn Bhreac

Beinn Bhreac from the rocky summit near Ben Reoch overlooking Loch Lomond

It was certainly a fine walk and it was well worth while revisiting and spending time exploring these tops. As you know, I’ve recently been doing some drawings based on our earlier visits to the Luss Hills. I think I may well get a couple more done based on our wander yesterday.

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Diary of a trip to Assynt – week 2

Posted by admin on June 17th, 2015

Saturday May 30th

This middle Saturday of our holiday saw us packing up, cleaning the cottage and moving a few miles south to the beautiful sandy bay of Achmelvich where we’d booked a caravan for our second week.  It was kind of strange as we normally stay in one place for the two weeks.  As it turned out, it was of course, one of the best days, weather-wise, of the whole holiday but as we had the car packed full of our gear we weren’t keen on leaving it in a lay-by all day while we went on a big walk. Instead we had a very lazy day, visiting the fabulous bookshop and cafe a few miles outside Lochinver and then having a very relaxed lunch at a fine restaurant in the village.    By the time we’d finished there and done a bit of shopping for the next week’s food supplies, it was time to move into the caravan.  The weather was starting to deteriorate as we unpacked the car and we decided to grab a quick walk along the fabulous beach before the much forecast heavy rain and unseasonable gales arrived!

Sunday 31st May

Rain and much rattling of the caravan as the forecasted winds wiped out any chance of heading into the hills again.  More reading, eating and drinking ….well, it was a holiday!

Monday 1st June

Still the forecasts were for high winds up top and heavy showers, so, determined to get some walking done, we headed into the wonderful “rock garden” country just to the north of Achmelvich.  It’s a wild, rocky and complex area of low hills and lochs.  We clambered up four of these little rocky hills, each one giving fine if rather grey views of the famous Assynt sky-line.  Despite the blustery conditions all of these amazing hills were clear.   We spent about five hours wandering through and over this strange little landscape and never got higher than about 120m…. just shows you, you don’t always need to be up a big hill to have fine views.

Assynt sky line from a hillside

Assynt sky-line

Tuesday 2nd June

Yet more heavy rain, very low cloud and high winds.  Another inactive day saw us drive down to Ullapool, for more food and bookshop visiting!  Had some amazing views on the way back, with the huge dark clouds eating up the familiar Assynt peaks.  Very dramatic at times ….and very wet too!

Towards Cul Beag,

Heavy weather, towards Cul Beag,

Wednesday 3rd June

Finally a hint of slightly better conditions, especially on the lower hills to the west.  Decided to enjoy the fine views from the path that circles the rocky little peak of Stac Pollaidh.  We’ve walked this before and it’s a very popular walk…. but what the heck ….the views are just spectacular.  We certainly made the right choice as the bigger hills of Conival and Ben More Assynt were shrouded most of the day and the winds, even at the modest height we reached, were very strong.

From Below Stac Pollaidh

From Below Stac Pollaidh

On the north side of the hill I stopped and tried to make a sound recording.  We’d found a sheltered spot but could hear the wind rushing and roaring around the rocky towers that make up Stac Pollaidh.  It would have been perfect…..except that as I said  earlier, it is a very popular place and of course, just as I got the recorder working, several other walkers came along, talking at what seemed to be the top of their voices!  On my second attempt, I thought all was going well, only to hear the voices of some serious climbers making their way along the ridge above.  Hopefully everyone enjoyed their time on or around this amazing hill ….it just wasn’t the place for recording silence!

Stac Pollaidh

Stac Pollaidh

Thursday 4th June

At last, at last, we had a break in the low cloud, high winds and rain.  We decided to head up towards Conival, (one of the two Assynt Munros) but instead of following the main path we’d taken back in 2006, Nita suggested we cut up the side of an adjoining hill and make our way to a prominent point at 850m that I’d painted on several occasions in the past.  It would give big views into the north east facing slopes of Conival and Ben More Assynt.  According to the forecast, we had until about 16.00 before the cloud and rain returned and so an early start was required.  We started walking from Inchnadamph at just before seven o’clock in the morning and after a kilometre or so we left the main path and struck up the side of the hill.  As with much of the Assynt landscape the ground was very rough but I always prefer walking across open hillsides and away from paths so this was just fantastic.  We quickly got huge views back across the beautiful Loch Assynt to Quinag ….and all this in patchy bright sunshine…..couldn’t believe our eyes!

Overlooking Loch Assynt, June 4th 2015

Overlooking Loch Assynt

Higher up, the slopes became very steep and rocky, with Nita picking a careful route through the worst of these.  It was a long hard haul before finally the angle of the slope eased and we emerged onto a wild broad rock strewn ridge.  It was difficult up there to walk in a straight line as we had to follow leads of grass and moss to get through the boulder fields.  Slowly though we got closer to our objective and despite the weather starting to close in much earlier than expected, we got some great views across to the two Munros.

The rocky landscape of Conival and Ben More Assynt

The rocky landscape of Conival and Ben More Assynt

Before the rain started, we grabbed some photos and donned the waterproofs and made our way across to the main walker’s path.  This lead down through a very steep rocky little section and we found the rock very slippery here once it was wet.  Not sure what the rock was but it was certainly different to the stuff we walked on the previous week just across the way on Canisp …that was like walking on Velcro!  Not wanting to tramp back on a busy and eroded path, as soon as we were down the steepest bit, we abandoned it and made a circular route back before regaining the main track not far from Inchnadamph.  This wasn’t without concern however as it meant we were on the wrong side of a big stream and relying on the footbridge marked on the 1:25000 to still be in place.  As experience on Canisp the previous week had shown ….footbridges aren’t always permanent fixtures.  Luckily on this occasion ….it was still there.  A great sigh of relief as we saw it and a very pleasant if damp walk back to the car.

Below Conival, a steep descent

Below Conival, a steep descent

Friday 5th June

Yes, you’ve guessed it, more very heavy rain and so a return to the restaurant in Lochinver and then an hour or so packing.  Towards the middle of the afternoon the rain finally stopped and the sun came out.  We were able to enjoy a final walk along the white sandy beach ….a fine end to a fine, if rather damp trip to Assynt.  It was a holiday of much weather which if not so great for the walking, will definitely give me some new subject matter for paintings.

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Diary of a trip to Assynt – week 1

Posted by admin on June 9th, 2015

Saturday 23rd May 

Had the perfect start for our trip and drive north, with clear blue skies and the hills of the Southern Highlands looking stunning in their spring colours.  Warm too, it being 17 C when we stopped for breakfast at the Green Welly in Tyndrum.  But the bright conditions weren’t to last, even by the time we were a few miles up the road driving across Rannoch Moor, we could see the high grey cloud moving down from the north west.  By the time we were in Glencoe village it was grey all over and just 9°C!  Little did we know that this was a taste of things to come?  The remainder of the trip north to Assynt was under increasingly dark skies and the final few miles along the single track road to the cottage we’d booked for the first week on the Storr peninsular, saw the rain start falling.  We’d picked a beautiful spot to stay all the same and even in the gloomy light and rain of the first evening, Nita could see wild geese grazing the rough pasture outside the cottage window.

Sunday 24th May 

Woke to bright sunlight and beautiful views across the land to the sea.  In between, in the hollow in these small hills, lay a wee loch and a short wander from the cottage took us to its shore.  I was surprised to find small banks of reeds growing around the edge which made for interesting patterns and possibly, some drawings in the future.

Monday 25th May  

Quinag, Assynt

Below Quinag, heavy shower

Heavy showers and high winds forecast, so decided on a lazy day checking out access to the ground leading up to below Sail Gorm on Quinag.  I’ve wanted to try and get up to below this part of the hill for some years in order to do some sketching and perhaps make a recording or two.  We found a convenient parking place and access, at least to start with seemed good …..we just needed a little dry weather.  Even the water proof drawing pen my colleague Alex Boyd had given me, would not do too well in the very  heavy showers that kept racing in from the north west.  Got some great views of Quinag as it was engulfed in one of these showers.  Time to head for lunch at the Scourie Hotel!

Tuesday 26th May

Assynt, Sutherland

The Old Man of Storr

More heavy showers and strong winds and so not a day for the high tops.  Instead, Nita suggested we walk the few kilometres from the cottage, out to Storr Head and the Old Man of Storr.    The 1:25000 map showed no fences all the way from the road near the cottage but we soon found  our way blocked and we had an annoying  hour and a half trying to find our way as two more tracks were blocked by fences and gates.  We did finally get to the open ground and had a fine walk out to Storr Head via a small hill that even at I think, 169m, gave impressive views.  The Old Man of Storr, a huge sea stack, was well worth seeing and the roar of the sea crashing against its base, made for some interesting recordings hopefully.  We returned along the cliff tops to the Storr lighthouse and then back to the cottage along the single track road in bright early evening sunshine.  Despite a few heavy showers early on, we arrived home dry!

Wednesday 27th May

Heavy rain and gales all day.  Feet up, heaters on, food, drink and much reading  / listening to books.  It finally eased around 21.00 and a few bursts of late sun had us driving the couple of miles to the nearest beach.  Big waves and very strange light …but good to get an airing.

Thursday 28th May

Scotttish Landscape

On the lower slopes of Canisp, 28th May 2015

No let up in the cold, showers and wind ….but it did seem that conditions would be a little better, so we decided to go for a proper walk and we headed for Canisp.  We’d done two big walks on this hill in the past.  One of them, on a fine hot day, saw us reach the summit of this fine hill.  The other attempt saw us do a circular walk up to a point about 600m on the hill before being turned back by high winds.  It seemed that conditions would be similar today and so we planned to walk the same route.

Sutherland, Scottish Landscape

Between showers, Canisp, 28th May 2015

This involved crossing a large footbridge over one of the streams flowing from below Canisp.  When we got to it though ….well, it was there ….but not crossing the stream.  At some point in the past it had been swept away and was left high and dry on the bank of the stream!  All was not lost though as we were walking in one of Scotland’s finest limestone areas ….and this stream simply disappeared underground a few hundred metres up-stream!  With the water levels being so high, it hadn’t completely disappeared and we spent quite a time picking our way through and across small but luckily narrow rushing streams.  Back on course we had a fabulous walk.  At first, enjoying some bright patches of sunlight but then becoming engulfed by a series of huge hail showers that blasted down with real force.  The landscape around Canisp is so wild and rough  and these conditions really made you feel quite isolated …..there was no-one else stupid enough to be out  that day, not on this hill anyway.

Friday 29th May

Suilven, Scottish Landscape

Suilven from the near the Stoor lighthouse, 29th May 2015

After the long walk the day before, we decided to head back to the Storr lighthouse so that I could do some sketching and try and make some more sound recordings.  It was still cold but the sun was shining and the cliffs and churning waves looked great.  Had a well earned cup of tea at Living the Dream …. sat with our mugs of tea looking out over the sea…. a magnificent end to a very enjoyable first week in Assynt.

We headed a few miles south for our second week, staying in one of the caravans close to the beautiful beach at Achmelvich.  More about this second week in Assynt in my next blog.

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Blog…no blog!

Posted by admin on June 6th, 2015
Sorry, no blog this week. We’re away up in Assynt and I’ll be writing about the trip next week. In the meantime, here are a couple of snaps taken on a wild walk on Canisp.
Suilven from the slopes of Canisp

Suilven from the slopes of Canisp

 

From Canisp, a bit of a rainbow during a hail shower

From Canisp, a bit of a rainbow during a hail shower

-o-o-o-o-o-

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West Lomond – in the sunny east!

Posted by admin on May 15th, 2015

Meeting our friend Neil in Fife at 08.00, for a walk in the Lomond Hills, meant an early start. Indeed, it meant the alarm clock went off at half past four in the morning! When I got downstairs and opened the back door to let the cat out, I was disappointed to find that it was raining hard and unlike us, the cat decided it wasn’t a day for venturing out! The forecast had, I thought, indicated a dry start with the rain developing as the day progressed ….it looked like the forecast might be back to front.

Nita and I in the rain at the Bonnet Stone

Nita and I in the rain at the Bonnet Stone

The rain fell all the way over to Fife and when we started the walk at a point below West Lomond, the hill was well shrouded in mist. But, the Lomond Hills aren’t just about big views from the top. Neil had already told us that these small hills had some really interesting features and he had planned a route to take us past some of them.

The first, which I think is called the Bonnet Stone, is a crazy natural sandstone sculpture that sits low down amidst grassy fields full of sheep and their lambs. From a distance I found it difficult to judge just how big or small the outcrop was, but my jaw started to drop as we got closer and I realised that this was a very big sandstone outcrop indeed. The actual Bonnet Stone looked a bit like a very large mushroom and apparently it is possible to clamber up onto it, but I gave that a miss and made do with standing on another lump of the huge outcrop. Neil had told us we’d visit three caves on the walk and tucked underneath us was one of them. It was a perfect place to get out of the rain for a late breakfast!

Nita and Neil at the summit of Bishop's Hill

Nita and Neil at the summit of Bishop’s Hill

The haul up to the summit of West Lomond was pretty steep and we were soon into the cloud and, as we got higher, the wind. The summit wasn’t really a place to stop for long and a quick couple of snaps later saw us heading off down hill, with the wind and driving rain at our backs. It was an equally steep descent but on easy grass and as we emerged from below the cloud we could make out some breaks in the weather off in the distance.

On the side of bishop's Hill

On the side of bishop’s Hill

Neil’s plan was to head over to the summit of Bishop’s Hill and then back down to the col before returning to the car via a fabulous glen carved out through the sandstone by a small stream. The breaks we had seen in the distance did tell of better conditions and as the rain stopped the cloud level lifted and we got our first views of West Lomond…. a large lump of a hill that might make for an interesting drawing or painting. In other directions we could see Loch Leven, East Lomond and further away, the Bass Rock. We had a longer stop at the summit of Bishop’s Hill before doing a small detour to see a very impressive pinnacle that stands as part of the craggy side of the hill.

West Lomond from the col

West Lomond from the col

The walk back through the sandstone carved glen was equally impressive and a detour took us up to an elegant waterfall and a couple more caves. This time we didn’t need their shelter though and a late lunch by the side of the small stream saw us sitting in the sunshine for a few minutes.

The perfect lunch spot

The perfect lunch spot

This really was a fine walk and this is an area I’d like to return to in slightly better weather. Our walk ended with a visit to Neil’s parents who live close by and who made us very welcome and treated us to a fine meal before we headed back to the wet west! Many thanks to them for the fabulous Fife hospitality and to Neil for taking us on such a fine walk through his local hills. It’s always great going somewhere you’ve never visited before.

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A big little hill

Posted by admin on April 11th, 2015

Several years ago Nita and I spent a long day walking right around Ben Lomond, rather than climbing right to the top. It made a fascinating walk as once we’d left the main paths and descended around the “back” of this hugely popular hill, we saw no-one. What we did see though, was the very rugged nature of this side of the hill and it was a really worth while trip. On that day, our route bought us back to the main Ptarmigan path via the broad grassy ridge leading north across a high col to a small rounded top called Cruinn a’ Bheinn. At the time I remember thinking that it would make a fine view point but we never got around to going over there.

April colours, Loch Lomond

April colours, Loch Lomond

As you know, Nita and I are trying to regain our hill fitness after our long lay-off and we decided to tackle some of the smaller hills to start with. A couple of weeks ago we had two fine days over on the Luss Hills and having both survived and enjoyed these two trips, I got out my copy of Andrew Dempster’s “The Grahams” and had a look to see if there were any Grahams we’d over looked in the Loch Lomond area. To my surprise I found Cruinn a’ Bheinn which I’d completely forgotten about since our trip around Ben Lomond and which I’d never even suspected was a Graham!

Ben Lomond

Ben Lomond

So then, with a gap in what has been a very busy work schedule of late, we headed for this “wee” hill yesterday. The book reckoned the shortest way to its summit was from Inversnaid on the east shores of Loch Lomond. This requires a lengthy drive to get to it but in almost perfect spring conditions we drove the final 15 miles from Aberfoyle to Inversnaid gawping at the beautiful views over the lochs, woods and hills ….sometimes bright under the clear blue skies and at other times shrouded in banks of mist. Wow, it was quite a stunning drive.

Cruinn a's Bheinn and Ben Lomond from the boggy col

Cruinn a’s Bheinn and Ben Lomond from the boggy col

To get to Cruinn a’ Bheinn, involves a two and a half kilometre walk south along the WHW before picking up a big estate track that climbs very steeply up the hillside above the loch and crosses a broad and wild col. With the narrow WHW path needing a lot of concentration to negotiate with my fuzzy eye it took quite a long time for us to reach the track heading up Then, as I say ….it was up hill…..very up hill.

The views were very fine though so our numerous stops were well rewarded. Eventually as we neared the top of the steep and the track started to make its way across the col, we got our first view of Cruinn a’ Bheinn ….and more is the point, of Ben Lomond. Quite impressive with all the gullies filled with snow.

Loch Lomond from the WHW

Loch Lomond from the WHW

From this point, it’s a case of leaving the well made track and heading directly towards the hill over very boggy and rough ground. It was surprisingly hard work but not as hard as the 300m pull up to the summit of Cruinn a’ Bheinn …which was very steep in places. We finally reached the small summit cairn four hours and fifty minutes after setting out, but it was well worth while as the views to Ben Lomond were fantastic. Even from two kilometres away, Nita could see lots of folk at its summit…..and yet we had our little hill to ourselves.

We got back to the car a little over nine hours after setting out, which was somewhat longer than the 3-4 hours mentioned in the guide book! Oh well, I feel somewhat better about this after just reading a report on-line, written by a chap who climbed this hill with some friends…. and wrote that he reckoned Mr Dempster must be rocket powered as it took them 7 hours to do the walk. So then, nine hours for a chap who is registered as blind ….can’t be too bad ….especially as I had to stop to try and record the sound of a Golden Eagle calling high above us. That’s my excuse anyway!

Thoroughly recommended ………. how ever long it takes you.

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Just another couple of days in the office!

Posted by admin on March 28th, 2015

You may have noticed that I didn’t get around to writing a blog last week.   No real excuses I’m afraid, just lots of work….. Including two days in the Luss Hills office!

A hungry Raven!

A hungry Raven!

A week ago, Nita and I were sat on the side of Beinn Dubh eating our lunch and peering through very dense haze out over Glen Douglas towards Loch Lomond and Ben Lomond.  It was a very strange kind of light that day, with heavy brooding cloud cover that gave way every now and again to patches of brightness and weak sun.  The hazy conditions though meant that the views were limited somewhat although very atmospheric.  That day was our first proper hill walk since way back in September and the steep slopes of these relatively small Luss Hills gave our legs a good test!  I have to admit to feeling a little shattered as I made my way up the final steep section towards the summit of Beinn Dubh.  It was though, so good to be back!  We wandered along the broad ridge towards Mid Hill and finally found the perfect lunch spot that also gave quite dramatic views of the steep north facing slopes of Mid Hill, still holding large deep patches of snow.    We weren’t alone for our lunch though as soon after parking ourselves down, we were joined by a very fine looking Raven.  He or she wandered around about five metres from us and although we told it that it didn’t eat Primula Cheese filled bread rolls ….it wasn’t convinced.  Indeed, after a short while we were persuaded to offer a beak-full to this magnificent looking bird and after a few tentative forays, it came close enough to get the food.  And it seemed to like it too!  It stayed with us, waiting for further offerings.    These wonderful birds are great to watch when they are in the air as they tumble about doing crazy acrobatics, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen one up so close on the ground.

A hazy day in the Luss Hills

A hazy day in the Luss Hills

 

Yesterday, after a very late start, (we didn’t start walking until 11.20 am) Nita and I were back to the Luss Hills again.  This time though, visiting some tops that we’d never been to before.  Beinn Chaorach at 713 m is the second highest point in the Luss Hills and sits to the south of Glen Luss, right on the edge of the divide between the Highlands and the Central Belt of Scotland.  We’d often thought about visiting these tops but for some reason, had never before got around to it.

Remains of heavy snow ... Beinn Dubh

Remains of heavy snow … Beinn Dubh

Like all of the Luss Hills, it was a very steep haul up to reach the broad connecting ridge that led over a couple of smaller tops to the rounded bulk of Beinn Chaorach.  Yesterday, unlike last Thursday, the air was incredibly clear and the views from this quite lofty little top were very big indeed.   Nita said that she could clearly see Ailsa Craig way down in the Firth of Clyde and even I could see the rugged tops of the Arran Mountains with my monocular.  We had a day of bright sun and dark clouds and it made for some beautiful scenes.  Patches of bright colours and deep shade moved across the landscape, and if it hadn’t been for the very cold wind, it would have been the perfect day for a lengthy stop. March being March however and despite it being officially spring and all that….. winter was still very much around.  Yesterday’s lunch break was therefore a far shorter affair than last weeks. The Beinn Dubh Raven didn’t spot us from the other side of the glen and so we didn’t have to share our sandwiches this time!

Heading for Beinn Chaorach, a steep climb ahead!

Heading for Beinn Chaorach, a steep climb ahead!

One of my pet hates I have to admit is being on a hill and hearing another walker talking into their mobile phone.  I guess I must be turning into one of those grumpy old men ….although Nita will tell you that I got there years ago.  Anyway, in the past, although I always took my phone with me on walks (in case of emergencies) I always kept it turned off.  Yesterday however, I managed to leave it turned on and half way back along the ridge, the phone starts ringing loudly.  Thankfully there were no other walkers around and so, there I stood, with half of southern Scotland stretched out before me, carrying on a conversation with a bloke working at Heathrow Airport!  It felt quite bizarre….I was in my Luss Hills office!

Beinn Chaorach, the Luss Hills

Beinn Chaorach, the Luss Hills

At the summit of Beinn Chaorach

-o-o-o-o-

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