And without playing with the pop-up eyes headlights
Then a quick spin north for a couple of pictures of the Campsies in snow, no time to walk today, an appointment at Sainsbury's this afternoon!
Yes, you do need hat and gloves!
Monday, 1 March 2010
Snow and the MX5
Another typical Glasgow day, 1st of March and time to get the soft top down on the MX5
And without playing with the pop-up eyes headlights
Then a quick spin north for a couple of pictures of the Campsies in snow, no time to walk today, an appointment at Sainsbury's this afternoon!
Yes, you do need hat and gloves!
And without playing with the pop-up eyes headlights
Then a quick spin north for a couple of pictures of the Campsies in snow, no time to walk today, an appointment at Sainsbury's this afternoon!
Yes, you do need hat and gloves!
Thursday, 18 February 2010
High Ballagan waterfall
I was out looking for the jasper outcrop on the Campsies above Strathblane. I didn't find it but did stumble on this rather nice little sun trap.
I'd walked out to Ballagan Glen, crossed to the west side and walked up the fence just outside of the reserve. The freezing fog of the last few days is minimal today but some was still hanging about in the valley around Dunglass.
I worked from outcrop to outcrop, looking for the red and yellow band of crystal. No joy. Must be further East. Found lots of nice rock to scramble through though.
In the end I gave up when confronted with a vertical drop with no easy route down, plus the suspicion I was in the wrong place! So up to the open tops via sheep tracks and stream beds. Then down in to the very boring open valley of the Ballagan Burn
Except for this rather nice little waterfall
Up here things only thaw if they get direct sunlight at the moment. The fall gets very little except late in the day
The plunge pool is deep enough to swim in come the summer. Roll on.
Then back down the valley, through the reserve and back to the car in Strathblane for the drive home.
With a stop for some snowdrops I'd noticed the other day. Ballagan House grounds are now carpeted with them but these came out as a rather better image.
I'd walked out to Ballagan Glen, crossed to the west side and walked up the fence just outside of the reserve. The freezing fog of the last few days is minimal today but some was still hanging about in the valley around Dunglass.
I worked from outcrop to outcrop, looking for the red and yellow band of crystal. No joy. Must be further East. Found lots of nice rock to scramble through though.
In the end I gave up when confronted with a vertical drop with no easy route down, plus the suspicion I was in the wrong place! So up to the open tops via sheep tracks and stream beds. Then down in to the very boring open valley of the Ballagan Burn
Except for this rather nice little waterfall
Up here things only thaw if they get direct sunlight at the moment. The fall gets very little except late in the day
The plunge pool is deep enough to swim in come the summer. Roll on.
Then back down the valley, through the reserve and back to the car in Strathblane for the drive home.
With a stop for some snowdrops I'd noticed the other day. Ballagan House grounds are now carpeted with them but these came out as a rather better image.
Friday, 12 February 2010
Strathblane Hills
Up on to the south edge of the Campsies today, Strathblane Hills. We looked at two houses at the foot of these hills before an attack of common sense had us buy a house within easy distance of the vet school... And a very nice house it is too, just 15 minutes south.
The walk out from Strathblane shows Dumgoyne as you might expect around here.
Once you clear the houses the track skirts the lower edge of the rough hillside and the view of the walk shows nicely. An easy one up the left skyline.
On the shoulder of the hills the view north opens up to Ben Lomond, the rest of the Trossachs and the Arrochar Alps. Solid snow above about 2000 feet from the look of it.
I think I could actually see the hills on Arran way off to the south west, that's really the mark of a clear day around here...
There is some snow still in pockets in the Campsies and damned unpleasant walking it makes too, more like packed ice...
The Daniel Stone at the top of Slackdhu
I had originally planned to walk around the full edge to Ballagan and back along the main road, but this grass slope between the crags tempted me and, as I was a little time pressured, bottom scooting was the way down. The route is just to the right of the highest point in the head picture.
The slope faces south west and the wind, bitter on the tops, was northerly so here it was totally sheltered and the moss was warm to the touch. In Strathblane gardens the snowdrops are in flower and the daffodils well above lawn level. Up here nothing is growing yet, but a few more warm days like this and the foxgloves, last year's biennials, will get some new leaves up and working...
The walk out from Strathblane shows Dumgoyne as you might expect around here.
Once you clear the houses the track skirts the lower edge of the rough hillside and the view of the walk shows nicely. An easy one up the left skyline.
On the shoulder of the hills the view north opens up to Ben Lomond, the rest of the Trossachs and the Arrochar Alps. Solid snow above about 2000 feet from the look of it.
I think I could actually see the hills on Arran way off to the south west, that's really the mark of a clear day around here...
There is some snow still in pockets in the Campsies and damned unpleasant walking it makes too, more like packed ice...
The Daniel Stone at the top of Slackdhu
I had originally planned to walk around the full edge to Ballagan and back along the main road, but this grass slope between the crags tempted me and, as I was a little time pressured, bottom scooting was the way down. The route is just to the right of the highest point in the head picture.
The slope faces south west and the wind, bitter on the tops, was northerly so here it was totally sheltered and the moss was warm to the touch. In Strathblane gardens the snowdrops are in flower and the daffodils well above lawn level. Up here nothing is growing yet, but a few more warm days like this and the foxgloves, last year's biennials, will get some new leaves up and working...
Thursday, 4 February 2010
Northern Campsies
I've been wanting to have a look at the northern edge of the Campsie Fells for some time. Today I got the chance. It was a bit of a grey day in Summerston and you couldn't actually see the Campsies. This usually implies it's raining, but today it was just murky over melting snow from the flurry last night. Roads were clear so I headed north. It was worth it:
I parked at the distillery and things were looking a bit misty from the field you cross from the road to get to the open fells. That's the peak of Dumgoyne showing through the cloud.
Climbing up the fell it became clear that most of the mist was in the valley. That's the neat conical plug of Dumgoyach showing through
A little higher and you get that superb view on to the top of the fog with a brilliant blue sky above it. That sky is so blue. It's quite different from the blue over Heathrow!
Looking back past Dumgoyne. Too blue! With just a little mist still around the peak.
Then you weave through assorted small hills, climbing slowly all the time until you get to the small cairn at the top of Garloch Hill. This is just a selected area from the head picture.
Then back down.
I noticed this rather nice winter tree, even if it is an Ash. Ash trees have such nice jet black leaf buds all Winter. It's a pity they're the last to open in Spring!
The big thing I learned today is don't hill walk in wellies unless you enjoy falling on your @rse in the snow four times during the descent!
I parked at the distillery and things were looking a bit misty from the field you cross from the road to get to the open fells. That's the peak of Dumgoyne showing through the cloud.
Climbing up the fell it became clear that most of the mist was in the valley. That's the neat conical plug of Dumgoyach showing through
A little higher and you get that superb view on to the top of the fog with a brilliant blue sky above it. That sky is so blue. It's quite different from the blue over Heathrow!
Looking back past Dumgoyne. Too blue! With just a little mist still around the peak.
Then you weave through assorted small hills, climbing slowly all the time until you get to the small cairn at the top of Garloch Hill. This is just a selected area from the head picture.
Then back down.
I noticed this rather nice winter tree, even if it is an Ash. Ash trees have such nice jet black leaf buds all Winter. It's a pity they're the last to open in Spring!
The big thing I learned today is don't hill walk in wellies unless you enjoy falling on your @rse in the snow four times during the descent!
Wednesday, 27 January 2010
Kelvin Walkway to Milngavie
Walked the Kelvin Walkway from my house to Milngavie (pronounced Mill Guy!). The river is not exactly pretty on a grey day in late January... But it will make great flat water canoeing ground for the open canoe in summer!
The Central Lowlands do power lines, lots of them!
This is the Balmuildy Bridge carrying the A879 Glasgow to Milngavie road.
Right along side is the main water supply to Northern Glasgow, and the Kelvin Walkway footbridge.
A tree which seems to have had a hard time at some point in the past!
The walk up the Allander from the Kelvin to Milngavie is quite flat and largely straightened for a big chunk of the way, but the reward is the mill weir in the carpark of Tesco's:
Quite possible in flood, looked OK last week with just an extra 3 or 4 inches on the main drop...
The Central Lowlands do power lines, lots of them!
This is the Balmuildy Bridge carrying the A879 Glasgow to Milngavie road.
Right along side is the main water supply to Northern Glasgow, and the Kelvin Walkway footbridge.
A tree which seems to have had a hard time at some point in the past!
The walk up the Allander from the Kelvin to Milngavie is quite flat and largely straightened for a big chunk of the way, but the reward is the mill weir in the carpark of Tesco's:
Quite possible in flood, looked OK last week with just an extra 3 or 4 inches on the main drop...
Monday, 18 January 2010
Ballagan in T shirt weather (January)
Another walk to Ballagan, this time dragging along my son David. As always, the walk from Strathblane and through the grounds of Ballagan House:
having seen from the road that plenty of water is coming down:
Once in to the reserve we dropped straight down to the burn and followed the bank up in to the gorge. This is the unstable sedimentary west bank. We were about 100 yards on from here when the noise of a rockfall echoed round the glen. Impressive. Keep off of the west bank!
An older minor fall had turned this young birch upside down. Not keen on reverse gravity, it soon found its way back upwards!
The excellent well made up footpath demonstrated here. We'd been pushed away from the water by narrow waterfalls and were scrambling round them. Not vertical but a lot steeper than it looks. The white blur through the trees in the background is the stream, about 150 foot below us...
Getting closer to the main falls, which clearly shows as a triple drop here:
The main fall from close to. Worth the scramble.
View back on the scramble out
A minute icicle still here after three warm days. In the deep frost I suspect the Spout was a 60 foot icicle. A sad fact of practicalities that there was no chance to get here then!
having seen from the road that plenty of water is coming down:
Once in to the reserve we dropped straight down to the burn and followed the bank up in to the gorge. This is the unstable sedimentary west bank. We were about 100 yards on from here when the noise of a rockfall echoed round the glen. Impressive. Keep off of the west bank!
An older minor fall had turned this young birch upside down. Not keen on reverse gravity, it soon found its way back upwards!
The excellent well made up footpath demonstrated here. We'd been pushed away from the water by narrow waterfalls and were scrambling round them. Not vertical but a lot steeper than it looks. The white blur through the trees in the background is the stream, about 150 foot below us...
Getting closer to the main falls, which clearly shows as a triple drop here:
The main fall from close to. Worth the scramble.
View back on the scramble out
A minute icicle still here after three warm days. In the deep frost I suspect the Spout was a 60 foot icicle. A sad fact of practicalities that there was no chance to get here then!
Thursday, 3 December 2009
Lower Campsie Glen in December
In celebration of completing our house sale I took an hour to see lower Campsie Glen with a little more water coming down. The Tolkein steps:
And the view from on the steps:
Looking back down the glen
A tributary hangs in the air
Just looking for footprints in the deep leaf mulch makes me think I am the only person to walk here for at least 4 weeks....
And the view from on the steps:
Looking back down the glen
A tributary hangs in the air
Just looking for footprints in the deep leaf mulch makes me think I am the only person to walk here for at least 4 weeks....
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