30/07/2011 To Rotten Bottom and back again

Erie Hill (donald)
Garelet Dod (donald)
Cape Law (donald)
White Coomb (donald/corbett)
Lochcraig Head (donald)
Molls Cleugh Dod (donald)

Length: 13.7 miles  22.0 km, Ascent: +1301m, Naismith: 6h 35m

Another solo day so I took full advantage to indulge in my growing Donald habit.

welcome to scotland

Parked up at on the road at Talla Linnfoots farm. On with the boots and over the bridge and up Garelet Hill despite the dire warnings on the notice board. I can only imagine that this is a very old sign (pre outdoor access code) or is some throw back to the water board. It's a stiff wee pull to the top but ther views quickly open up. I was able to see Broad Law and the unmistakable mast.

With my ML training approaching I thought I would make the effort to estimate timing betwen hills, so out with the map despite the very good visibility, and some mental arithmetic followed. I was a bit smug when Erie Hill  arrived right on schedule after wading through calf deep woodrush. A pause for brunch and more mental arithmetic and then it was on to Garelet Dod. This time there was a quadbike track to follow. Now, either my sums were wrong or these parallel lines of flattened grass shaved 15 minutes off my estimated time. I suspect that it speeded things up, my counting isn't that bad.

molls cleugh dod from erie hill 


I had reached a point in my plan for the day where I could

1. Drop down to the gameshope burn, cross by the footbridge marked on ther 25k map and then climb up to Molls Cleugh Dod, move on to Lochcraig Head and descend to Meggat Stone via Nickies Knowe and Wood Brae.
2. Continue on to Cape Law, make for Rotten Bottom, Lochcraig Hill and return over Molls Cleugh Dod.

Plan 2 won. I was slightly concered because it looked very far. These hills lack distinct features. To differentiate between Bidean nam Bian and Buachaille Etive Mor is pretty straight forward. These Donalds hills are all big grassy lumps, regular map checking is really essential to keep track of progress. Subtle features are revealed as the walk continues, craggy cleughs, boggy lochans and occasional boggy bogs.

hill, probably din law

It still looked very far, even though the map said 1.5km to Cape Law it looked almost twice that distance. What was I flapping about? I had come out for a walk. I was a fit as a fit thing. 3 big bowls of pasta the night before. 6 Munros the previous week (4 of which had been a 12 hour session on the Grey Corries). I am confident in my navigation. (see previously mentioned 12 hour session in the Grey Corries). Sod it. Start walking.

Needless to say Cape Law arrived bang on time and gave me the first surprise of the day. Another walker. Anywhere else it would have been expected, but here, I was genuinely surprised. He was sitting with his doggy so I paused for a brief chat as I passed. He expressed the same level of surprise at seeing me.

rotten bottom. check the map if you don't believe me

The next feature was Rotten Bottom. This is never going to bode well wherever the circumstances. On the descent from Cape Law I could see a dog leg in the dyke so I cut across, aiming for the point where the dyke stopped. It stopped because Rottten Bottom started.

It wasn't as rottern as it could have been. We've not had much rain so I didn't encounter the really boggy bit until I was almost across. Double back and double back again until I worked my way around it. I knew it was over because the dyke started again.

The next bump was called Firthhope Rig and, as I had been obsessing over Donalds, I hadn't noticed how close it was to White Coomb (corbett). So, as I was passing, I strolled across and back again. Bonus Tick. You don't get many of them. Back on route to Lochcraig Head and then a short reascent to Molls Cleugh Dod.

loch skene from lochcraig hill. it feeds the gray mare's tail

I had discovered there was a bothy at Gameshope and I had decided to visit it. This led me down to where the 25k map shows a footbridge. No footbridge. I found a rough path along the east side of the burn and followed this easily to a big barn opposite the bothy. On the opposite side of the burn is a depth guage. I can only assume that the burn can get quite big - it does have quite a large catchment area. No such problems today, the bothy was reached easily and is very nice. No wood burning stove but then there isn't any wood around to burn. Gameshope's lower reaches are very pretty and would not be out of place in the Lakes. Fortunately, they are in Upper Tweedale and are much less visited.

vallet of ther gameshope. erie hill is the pointier one

Left the car at 10:15 returned at 17:30. 42 Donalds out of 89 - 47.19% but who's counting?