Some say the best viewpoint on Mull, I wouldn't disagree, it was magnificent.....Ben Buie Mull

Hill: Ben Buie (Yellow mountain)

Type: Fiona

Height: 717m

It was time to add to my Mull collection. The SMC book promotes this hills route from Loch Buie but when I bagged Cruach Choireadail I had a good view of the hill from the other side and spotted a possible route from Glen More. My research indicated that the route from Loch Buie had a track for much of the way but also that it was a very steep ascent. 

From Glen More the ramble is pathless but after a steep start it is much more undulating. The elevation climbed works out roughly the same for both routes so as Glen More had been my original choice I stuck with that.

View from the car

After three stormy days the weather had calmed so much that it was blue skies above when I parked up. Don't mistake blue skies for warmth!

Just noticed one was a young stag, antlers just coming through

Just after donning my rucksack I was looking at the slopes for possible deer/sheep tracks through the lower terrain, which was a mixture of tussocks and boggy ground, when I spotted 4 well camouflaged deer looking down at me. Maybe it will be your tracks I follow as I ramble I thought to myself.

As usual I had just put my camera back in the pocket when a golden eagle appeared flying below the crags of the aptly named Creag na h-lolaire. But sods law whilst getting out my camera it disappeared behind the hill.

After that start I was optimistic for a good wildlife day as I set off amidst the tussocks finding a flattened thin track. Probably both a water course and deer track, certainly wet underfoot.

Lochs coming into view, glad of a breather

The next section is simply a bit of a head down slog. Trying to find the odd helpful track. Good to stop and look around because with the low harsh sunlight the views back were much better. 

The slopes were not too bad initially as I headed up to the first elevation of Maol Tobar Leac an t-Sagairt.

After that effort I had a steeper 100m climb up to the crags hiding Creag na h-lolaire where was pleased to find a gap between the crags, no scrambling required. However the eagle was still not showing.

Creag na h-lolaire ahead

That was the steep section over so from now on it was a series of elevations and descents. Still much huffing and puffing.

The terrain ahead was now very different. I was surprised to see so much stony and rocky ground with small patches of green grass separating the grey stone patches. All the way to the top the stones were a mixture of sizes. It seemed like this was an old quarry where a crusher had been smashing huge stones to smithereens resulting in all these different sized stones.

This section was also dotted with ponds which were alive with mating frogs. Their croaking carried far so I was alerted and wary as I approached them. I spent a bit of time watching them on both the in and out routes, always a special sight.

Looking for goats

The descent felt more than the map suggested before I walked across the poor terrain to next climb to Cnap nan Ghobar. Nice name but nope, no goats were spotted. Although there were plenty of little poop balls which could have been their droppings. It was quite steep at times and the crags although not large had to be given respect. 

Cairn with snow patches

No obvious breaches so a bit of zigzagging before getting to the top and I was happy to see the large cairn ahead of me.

I was about to give it a hug and a kiss when I caught sight of an even larger cairn some way behind. To say the least I was a bit deflated. After all this time I should know better.

Ben Buie summit the rounded cairn in the middle

Once again the descent felt more than it was in reality but it was a slow plod as I made my way the half a kilometre to the real summit which was all of 3 metres higher than where I had stood at the other cairn.

However, moaning aside, the real deal was well worth it as the views were spectacular. I had read that this is considered the best all round view from a summit on Mull, hard to disagree on a day like this.

Sadly the haze slightly took away from the sea views, more atmospheric. The Paps of Jura shimmered in the distance as did Colonsay.

Turning West and looking along Loch Scridain towards Iona, Tiree and Coll could just be see.

Looking away from the sunlight and closer Ben More was very dark, pocketed with snow patches along with a few of Mull’s Fiona's.

Ben Nevis

Beinn Sguilaird twin peaks and Cruachan on the right

Longer views had Ben Nevis and Ben Cruachan. Much more beside all these, yip truly a superb viewpoint.

Starting my descent with Creach Beinn on the right

My return was a backtrack of the ascent. I stopped and looked over to another Fiona, Creach Beinn. The SMC book suggests dropping down from here to the end of Loch Airde Glais and go up the flanks from there. Not a chance that I would do that.

Near the frog ponds a Snipe burst out from some tussocks zig zagging away from me in the direction of Ben More.

Nice view of two of the lochs

I can see my car but much steeper than it looks. Pointed peak another Fiona, BeinnTalaidh

It was not until the descent that I realised just how steep it was from Creag na h-lolaire back to the car. But from up here the three lochs looked looked ideal for a days trout fishing, need to explore that option. There is a Scottish Hill Tracks route (287) from Loch Buie to Salen that incorporates these lochs on the route. If you had two cars it would be a nice one to do from Loch Buie to the start of my walk.

A young immature White Tailed Eagle

And then it appeared out of nowhere, what a sight, a White Tailed Eagle on consecutive days what a bonus.

Those views and wildlife sightings made the rough ground slog well worth it.

Ascent: 696m

Distance: 8.3k

Time: 4.06

Wildlife: Snipe; Red deer; Golden eagle; Meadow Pipit; Raven; Common Frog

The end of a journey, a milestone hill.....Ellson Fell

Hill: Ellson Fell

Type: Sub2k

Height: 537m

After a disturbed nights sleep and my early morning start, due to the trauma of losing and thankfully finding my phone (see Wisp/Pykethaw Hill blog), I was mentally a bit drained. But I wanted to bag this hill. I had scheduled it for today anyway with the weather forecast being fine today but sadly the forecast for tomorrow not so.

Mindset said go for it and if I decided on the hill that my body said not good I could always retreat and come back another day. We might go away but the hills don’t.

View from parking area

I drove along the single track and parked my car at the entrance to the still active deforestation area. Hopefully parked out of the way far enough should any of the giant timber lorries come up or down. Some walkers do this as a loop but I did not fancy the descent from Ellson to the A7 and walk back along its fringes so chose to do a there and back.

As I walked the short distance to the start of the ramble I could see sheep on the hill. My only worry apart from fatigue was that a farmer might come along and give me aggro about pregnant ewes, it has happened hereabouts read the reports.

The Start

In my less energised state the start of the hill to the top of Castlewick looked like a proper slog. Not because of the terrain as it was nice and grassy. There was also an ATV track going up so no tussocks to tackle but I knew it was going to be a case of head down and grind it out from the start.

I thought I could see people up on the high point of the approach but probably sheep.

There is a cottage beside the start and as I slowly ground my way I imagined that a pair of old codgers were sitting in their living room, enjoying a cup of tea and a scone and having a right old laugh at me. My backside would have been in their sights for a while, not pretty.

As said one of those head down, bent over, step by step plods grinding my way up the hill ignoring the mocking stares of the sheep who did not even bother to run away.

As it turned out height was gained quickly and when I stopped to look around the views were getting better and better, well worth the effort. A good view looking over to where I was finding my phone earlier in the day.

As expected there were a few false summits before I spotted what I earlier thought might be people. On the top of Castlewick there is a small solar panel installation. Possibly for the shepherds or boosting a signal to the farms and homesteads below.

A fine undulating ridge

Recovering my puff I surveyed the undulating ridge ahead. I counted four small rises and falls to a large cairn in the distance. Not for the first time I was not paying due attention to the map as that cairn was not the summit. Indeed from here I didn’t appreciate that with the contours of the landscape I could not actually see Ellson Fell.

I progressed along a nice high level ramble still on the ATV track. As a stand alone hill/ridge this route had great views in all directions.

Now a proper view and Ellson was on the left not continuing the ridge walk

When I reached the 1st cairn I had a clear view of the way ahead and it was now obvious that Ellson Fell was not the cairned point I had seen from the solar panels. It was slightly on my left at 10 o’clock. Disappointingly the track looked to be descending sharply before reascending towards Ellson. My legs and brain were protesting but I was not giving up now.

As per the norm it was not as bad a descent as it looked. Back on the high point the ATV track turned away so I was left with a short moorland crossing to the summit of Ellson Fell.

Looking to the highest point locally the Donald of Cauldcleuch Head

Pikethaw Hill on left and Wisp Hill directly ahead

The ridge I had walked had two visible cairns but here there was nothing to mark the summit of Ellson despite it being the highpoint hill, what a disappointment but not surprising for regular Border hill ramblers. The views had been better walking along the ridge but on the summit it was still not too shabby for a Sub2k. Mentally it felt that I had done a lot today already and indeed I had, but when I looked at my watch it was just after 11am, I just wanted my bed.

View back to my return and the high point a 494m

I returned exactly the same as my inward route. But now it was weird weather. It initially got very cold and windy then soon after the skies changed to high clouds almost clear blue and I was shedding clothes as the warmth of a southern wind arrived.

Pt 494

This is indeed scenic Scottish Border countryside although the local place names are more in keeping with nearby England than Scotland. 

As I descended I had mixed feelings. I experienced both joy and melancholy. I reminisced about the full journey I had undertaken, not just todays objective on Ellson. I thought of the many hills that I had climbed, the views I got and the places I stayed. There was a lot of sweat and tiredness but plenty of euphoria. Most locations were new to me so this was a journey of learning in more ways than one. A very happy and fulfilling journey full of great memories.

Nice view and I can see my car at the junction of the roads.

So after all that I had a drive back to my digs and looked forward to a hot shower and then a siesta, as said, a lot packed into this busy morning.

NB: the reason this is a milestone hill is significant to me and nobody else. As one of my hillwalking targets that I set many years ago I wanted to turn all the hills on the Walkhighlands site that lay below the Clyde and Forth valleys from red to blue. I never really thought that it would happen but it did.  Today was that day. The final balloon changed from red to blue and I am well chuffed. It has been a magnificent and memorable journey.

Ascent: 446m

Distance: 5.7km

Time: 2.12

Wildlife: Raven; Buzzard; Great Tit; Meadow Pipit; Skylark

From the heights of joy to the depths of despair and back again.....Wisp & Pykethaw Hill circuit

Hill: Wisp Hill (595m) & Pykethaw Hill (564m)

Type: Sub2k x2

I was on the final stretch of my South of Scotland hill bagging with only a few toughies left and I knew that this pair of Sub2k’s would certainly be a challenge for my fitness. I had waited for a weather break and today promised to be blue skies but alongside cold winds so it was wrap up time.

From reading previous walk reports I realised that there were a few starting points for these hills but none of these avoided the pathless moorland ascent. Additionally all bar one route, which really only suited an assault on Wisp alone, meant you were straight on it climbing from the start.

A cold start out of the sun

I parked at the 1^st layby on the A7 after Ewes farm and walked the short distance to a gate alongside the busy A7 before clambering up the grassy verge, then over a fence and up to a pylon maintenance track. Great I thought at the time but don’t get too enthusiastic if following my route as it lasted less than 5 minutes before the rough ground had to be tackled.

Initially I was grateful to find a single file well trodden narrow track which was by passing the tussocks and other rough stuff. I pondered what might have caused these tracks and then looking upwards I spotted a pair of roe deer and wondered if these were my friends. 

On the run again

As it turned out I encountered them over half a dozen times throughout the ramble. This time, as well as the rest, they looked at me briefly then bounded away. I was so envious of how elegantly and effortless they made getting up a hill look.

The animal tracks were found and just as quickly lost before re-finding another one. I huffed and puffed as I rose steeply heading round the western flank of Whin Fell.

As you look my descent would go right of the tree onto the lighter patches and then down the shadow line

From up here I had a super view over to my 2^nd hill, Pikethaw Hill and my descent back to Eweslees Burn. From here it looked pretty steep.

Contouring around Whin Fell was the worst section of the walk. Even the animals didn’t come round this way. I could see an ATV track going up Wisp Hill but getting over to it took a lot longer than the distance had suggested in my mind. My roe deer buddies were already bounding up the hill, showing off.

Wisp Hill

I was pleased to reach the track and now all that was left was a 100m slow plod up to the trig point at 595m.

Reasonable views but mainly over the moors and in the distance the highest prominent hill was Rubers Law, the hill of the cattle as I recall from my time up there.

Rough going

Next I had an ATV track and a fence to follow as I descended the 300m down Ewenshope Fell. It was pretty rough going at times. Annoyingly I always had a constant view of my ascent back up Pikethaw. So the further I dropped the more daunting it became. A farmer passed me going up on the other side of the fence, gave me a wave, he was he only person I met. Looking over where he had been the going looked easier so I hopped the fence and it was, a lot better. Lots of patches of short grass and fewer tussocks. 

Better going this side

The easier walking allowed me to take in the views where there were sheep dotted all over the landscape. You would certainly need an ATV to get to where these sheep were, as said a wild rough and remote landscape.

Finally I arrived at the fence junction called Ewes Doors on the map, that apparently was an ancient defensive point of the pass between Ewesdale & Teviotdale.? Looking back down from the slopes of Pikethaw I could see disturbed linear ground which were defensive ditches. So close to England everything seems to have English rather than Scottish place names.

From Pikethaw slopes looking back to descent from Wisp

Time for an energy gel before the steep climb. Initially there was the ATV track but that soon disappeared and I was left wandering through patches of a grassy tussock that was new to me. The good thing was that these tussocks were well spaced out so I could meander through rather than on top of them.

I was feeling good, these gels really do work. 

As I meandered I had an even better surprise when out of the corner of my eye I spotted the huge cairn. Due to the terrain I had wandered away from the fence line so surprised to see it and I had obviously made good time.

The cairn is located slightly over the brow of the hill and it is a huge cairn with much stone debris scattered and buried in the surrounding area. It marks the site of a prehistoric burial cairn and also the watch fort for the Roman garrison below at Ewes Door.

I had two choices for the descent. Having said earlier my original one looked steep but from the summit the second option of staying higher would have crossed a lot of peat hagged moor along with a longer walk back to the car so I stuck with option 1.

I left the cairn and knew I had to stay to my left/west as my snap earlier showed just how steep the crags into the gulley were.

Left of pine then heading for the small plantation

I also knew I had to go left/west of the lonesome pine in same snap before cutting back east to avoid more steep ground before heading down to the burn.

Just after the tree I took a snap looking towards the small tree plantation where I was headed. This point was to be memorable, more of this later.

On the final stretch or so I thought

The descent was slow going as steep and mainly pathless lots of stuff to trip me up but I was in no rush, so steady Des mode paid off.

I headed to the small tree plantation wondering about the economics/reasoning for planting such a small wood. Surely not a pheasant rearing area, seemed small but a possibility.

I expected to cross one burn but it turned out to be two, my creaking legs were glad that I had poles to assist, long jumping is no more for me.

After the wood I headed up to the fence, walked alongside it a bit then went through an old gate to the other side which was a mistake. The next section was me kicking my way through a very narrow slot beside the fence through dead bracken. For sure this would not be an option later in the year.

I observed a pair of Ravens performing magnificent aerobatics probably as part of their bonding. However, I was laughing shortly after as I spotted a female hen harrier contouring the hillside . When she came round a flank and saw the ravens it made an elegant but swift U-turn heading back the way she came. But the ravens either didn't see her or more likely were not interested so no pursuit took place. It was a pleasant coincidence in that I had not seen a hen harrier for yonks then in the space of a week I have seen both a male and a female in different locations.

Glad to be away from the bracken I followed the track to my start point and then back down the A7 to the car.

I dropped off my rucksack and as always went to let the good lady know I was back at the car. To my horror I realised that my top pocket was unzipped and there was no phone.

Thinking time taken. I realised that the only thing I knew for sure of my last awareness of the phone was that I had taken a snap of the descent but the location was only ever to be a guesstimate.

I had to do something so I walked back my track so far but realised this was not a serious option so decided to return back to base which was an hour away, to contact the good lady on the off chance she might be concerned and also to clear my mind and better review my options.

On the way I stopped at two phone booths, neither took cash and only a credit card could be used. I had change but only a debit card another lesson learned.

What turned out to be a really promising and interesting day had turned to despair. Such is life but don't lose your phone it has lots of implications.

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The following day:

Unsurprisingly I had a very disturbed sleep which included downloading a banking app onto my iPad at 5am. They asked for another photo to be taken to pass verification from the one on file, hair everywhere, a sleepless face, not a pretty picture but I passed.

Before formally reporting my phone lost I decided to have a short search backtracking my route. On my iPad find my phone it showed the last location as the layby where I started my walk. I assumed phone location might be GPS but is purely mast pings only.

I had 4 possible locations but they were big maybes the reality was it could be anywhere.

I clambered up to location 1 where I flat crossed a fence deep grass around. I had brought my iPad and tried the make the noise function but nothing happened. Similarly my watch also had that function but also no response. Searched the grass anyway.

Onwards I went following my Gps as close in as I could. Funnily spotted the two deer on the same slopes I first saw them yesterday. They ran off no doubt thinking not again.

It was interesting following the exact line as at times I thought I had been slightly higher or lower. Slow going as my eyes were focused both on the Gps as well as the ground.

After a couple of kilometres I got to the 2^nd point where I had slipped on muddy ground, found the mud heap, raked about but no phone.

Ya beauty!!

Moved on to a burn I had jumped. I looked at a spot that I thought I had used but the Gps said a bit further up. I recognised the small rock that I had stood on on the far side so looked around and was astounded to spot the phone, wow what relief. As I landed and leaned forward the impact must have jolted the phone out of my pocket. Went to phone the good lady but of course no signal. Interestingly when I looked at the screen a message showed that it had been contacted by ‘find my phone’. I had tried both watch and iPad a few times but don't know which worked.

Never mind all was good again. It was still early morning and my legs were tired with my lack of sleep but I decided to make a day of it and go for Ellson Fell.

Ascent: 695m + 128m (823m)

Distance: 9.3km + 4.2km (13.5km)

Time: 4.21 + 1.32 (5.53)

Wildlife: Nuthatch; Crossbill; Long Tailed Tit; Great Tit; Robin; Buzzard; Carrion Crow; Meadow Pipit; Skylark; Roe Deer; Raven