A return to the South West.....Cairnharrow

Hill: Cairnharrow

Type: Sub2k/Marilyn

Height: 457m

Cairnharrow hill

Another poor weather week so had to take advantage of the one good day. Another week and another trip to South West Scotland and the Galloway hills.

It was a beautiful morning for a drive, the countryside burnt orange was impressive. On a day like this I could keep simply keep driving and taking in our beautiful landscape but there is a small hill to be tackled.

After leaving the A75 it is a twisting minor road with minimal passing places. Fingers crossed that nothing was coming my way. It would be a long reverse for someone, probably me. But I reached the pens without incident and went on to the long farm track. At least this is straight but again no room to pass each other but again nothing encountered. 

The car had been washed yesterday and will be washed again after this. Mud and coo stuff spattered all over. A small muddy turning area where maybe a couple of cars could squeeze in.

Still the morning sun was glorious and off I went for this short ramble.

Glad the bracken has died away

At least I timed the season correctly as the bracken had died down. There is a stone dyke to follow but initially the route is through the middle of the fields unless you like climbing over big stone walls.

At the top of field one there is a gate in the middle of the field but it was tied and bolted so I did climb after all. Just sheep in the field today.

Through field two with no livestock and again a gate that was open, good.

Now heading for the stone dyke where a worn track accompanies it. After all the rain the ground was a lot drier than I expected so far so good.

Big tor in the wall!

There are times when you have to go cross country through the tussocks and heather but keep heading back to the wall to find the track.

A left turn alongside the wall and the target is in sight. You are hemmed in a bit between the grassy humps and the wall so not a lot of viewing interest.

Earlier on I had noticed that the dyke was an unusual build with the stones mainly vertical. Up top it was a mixture with the bottom half horizontal stones and the top half vertical. Need to look at dykes more carefully!

Towards the top the wall gets flanked by an old barbed wire fence sometimes on both sides. As I neared the top I spotted a broken section of wall so hopped over the barbed wire easily thinking the top was this side. A couple of minutes later I spotted the trig but of course it was on the other side of the wall and fence. 

Fortunately, another broken section and there I was although the real top is not the trig but a small cairn through yet another hole in the dyke.

Pibble Hill directly behind with Cairnsmore of Fleet the big lump

View across to Wigton

Arty shot lol

Very good views although the low bright sun meant the views down to the Lake District were poor. But good across the Solway towards Wigton. The best views were inland looking over Pibble Hill and behind it Cairnsmore of Fleet with the Glentrool hills further behind. A nice spot.

Still plenty of greenery around here

I returned by the same way flushing a snipe. There was lots of heather but never heard or spotted any grouse. Plenty of meadow pipits flying in pairs.

Another reason for doing this hill was that I wanted to visit the nearby historic Neolithic burial chambers at Cairn Holy which are said to be older than the Pyramids, wow. There are all sorts of theories about the site just like many others eg. are the stones lined up with the stars for pagan rituals or just burial chambers. But there is no doubt important people were here, possibly the mythical Scottish king Galdus/Corbred II. The acidic soil has removed all trace of the bodies but their belongings survived. I was taken with an axe head made of Jadeite whose stone had come fronm the Alps. An indicator of somebody important and of the trading between the communities here and abroad.

So, a ramble that was ‘just what the doctor ordered’. Spectacular weather, an easy ramble along with another Sub2k bagged. An enjoyable traffic free drive in great scenery and some history thrown in. I will take that to pass a day.

Ascent: 287m

Distance: 4.01km

Time: 1.41

Wildlife: Meadow Pipit; Robin; Chaffinch 30+, Snipe, Carrion Crow