Friends of the Ochils Newsletter 22: Spring 2003

Sixty summits, not all familiar

Has Ken Stewart become the first person to complete an unsung list of hills?

To ascend Down Hill might sound an unlikely way to complete a group of hills, but that was how, on 26 February 2003, I completed a round of all the Ochil Tops (300 metres or more in height and with at least 30m of all-round drop) as listed by Alan Dawson on the FotO website. Down Hill, east of Castlehill Reservoir, was reached in the company of the newsletter editor immediately after a separate and enjoyable round, with mostly good walking ground, of my three other outstanding tops ending on Ben Thrush just north of Glen Devon. Unfortunately the weather (though almost dry until the very end) was extremely murky and views were always limited to the adjacent hill.

No doubt readers will have mixed views about "collecting" hills or "list ticking", and I sympathise with critics of doing this for its own sake. However, I feel considerably enriched by the experience. The website list has motivated me to walk in many parts of the Ochils which I might never have visited, especially to the east of the range where the hills, though much lower than the main summits, still have many features of interest. I have tried as much as possible to avoid simply walking "up and back down" (though this is sometimes hard to avoid, for instance with Coul Hill) and build in the tops as "highlights" of more extended walks.

The list is divided into three parts of similar size by the Glen Devon and Dunning roads, giving western, northern and eastern groups. The western group contains all the highest hills and is, for most, much the best-known area. Even here, though, there is plenty of interest outside the highest tops. There are the "front" hills, often visited for their own sake, such as Dumyat and the Nebit; the intermediate hills, most often visited on the way to the high tops, such as Bengengie, Colsnaur, Craighorn; and the familiar high tops of the main ridge from Blairdenon by Cleuch to Innerdownie. As with most hillwalkers, I suppose, my first experience of the Ochils came here. My first route - on 30 May 1983 - was by Craighorn to Ben Cleuch and back by Ben Ever, and I remember being impressed by the surprisingly large dry hollow between Millar Hill and Wood Hill. The stretch from Tarmangie to Ben Ever remains my most well-trodden area, with plenty of scope for varying the route of approach.

Even this, however, omits other peripheral tops to the north and east of the group. Commonedge Hill and its neighbours above Dollar and Muckhart give interesting routes with unusual views of the higher tops - enlivened when I did this by wispy showers and partial rainbows. The hills north of the Frandy reservoirs are spaced by some sharp and steep-sided cols and gave an enjoyable day on 23 March 2002 (again with the editor), extended after Core Hill by crossing to the north spur of Ben Buck (one of the most peat-hagged areas outside Alva and Menstrie mosses) and so over Ben Cleuch to Skythorn Hill and back down to Frandy via Bald Hill.

When I said that I "completed" a round of these hills, I hope that is correct. The top of a hill is not always well defined - see for example the piece on Dumyat in the autumn newsletter. Andrew Gannel and King's Seat are other popular hills which can mislead and I will mention others next time. But the main problem in this respect is trees. To find the top of a hill which is covered in trees, especially if the summit area is fairly flat, can be a tricky business, and several Ochil tops are in this category. On approach, a 1:25000 map is a great help as the additional detail on rides, fences, etc can assist in finding a comfortable route to the area of the top. Once close, however, it becomes a matter of crouching, both to keep under the branches and to have the best line of sight to try to judge the position of higher ground. Since this can be hard to decide in open situations, it is that much worse with obstructed vision close to the ground. Then, on finally emerging, there is the "joy" of divesting oneself of the needles.

To be concluded

The complete list of Ochil summits is at http://sites.ecosse.net/ochils/ochils/ochils330.htm

The less familiar tops mentioned in Ken's piece are to be found as follows (all are on Landranger 58):

Newsletter 22 Index