A sad day to go to a top with nae view.....Strathfinella Hill

Hill: Strathfinella Hill

Type: Sub2k

Height: 414m

It was a time for reflection that age catches up with us all and nobody knows what is round the corner. Two days ago I was reading the BBC news on my phone app in the hairdressers where an item about the death of an ex Scotland rugby cap caught my attention. At the same time I received a a ping on my phone, the good lady sending me the same article. I went to a very small Borders business college and I remember on my first day of a new course this monster of a boy/man sat beside me. Who was this long haired git he thought? A Borders giant but a gentle giant. I have many good memories of him at college and particularly of Murrayfield trips with the student gang where more than a few beers were taken. As a Gala player and local hero Ken never did have to pay for his beer in his home town. Died the day after completing a 3 week charity bike ride. RIP big man.

I was debating about whether to make this short but as I said, you never know what's round the corner, so why not I asked myself? No good reason so off I went.

To start I was looking for a short hill to break my journey and identified Strathfinella Hill as it was only a 10 minute diversion off the A90.

I reckoned about an hour each way and that proved about right.

My main concern was the weather as I had been in mist/haar/fog since leaving Perth. The NE was meant to have the only good weather in Scotland hence my trip. Thankfully the weather gods were on my side as with about 5 miles to the walk start I was out of the gloom and into bright sunshine, yippee.

Impressive cast stags, there were two more at the other entrance

I parked beside the private entrance to Drumtochty castle, an impressive place to start a ramble with these magnificent gates. How much for each cast stag?

Girth seen better at this angle compared to the other trees

My ramble left the castle and headed along the road for a couple of minutes where a dirty trail revealed the start of the forest sections but first of all there is a mightily impressive tree, one of the earliest Sitka spruces planted in Scotland. And it is a whopper, mightily impressive both in girth and height, a real giant. 

The climb was described a series of 4 sharp ascents, each leading to a forestry track. I had read that it had been used as a MTB descent and I can confirm that it still is. Thankfully I did not meet anyone but the fresh tyre tracks indicated very recent usage. I have ridden a lot of MTB trails but you would not have gotten me on this one even in my fearless prime. In terms of grading this descent would be a Black trail, the hardest there is. It is extremely narrow and tight twisting, extremely steep with tree jumps. There is so much deforestation debris along with the new plantings that if you came off at speed you could easily impale yourself. It was difficult at times descending it just walking. Then looking at the lines for the bike, never mind high speed descending, Wow factor.

Sector 1

Sector 2

On the first two sections the trail was rutted by the bikers but also very steep hard packed earth. At times I had to spike my poles in like ice axes to get enough leverage to haul myself up. The descent was worse.

Sector 2 a bit higher MTB tyre marks show clearly

After section 2 I walked up and down but could not find the start of the track into 'a nice wooded section'. I had a signal so got the Walkhighlands App and read a few of the reports. One even had a picture showing 3 trees and the pylon behind. I was trying to orient myself with this picture when it dawned on me that there had been more deforestation here and the trees that identified the pylon had been chopped down. Rather than clamber across the debris I followed the road to the base of the pylon and after a clamber up a bank there behind it was the track.

Image is so much brighter than the reality in all of the woodland snaps

This was a serene ramble through a dark forest mostly in silence, only the odd bird calling, unusual but satisfying.

There was an offset jump just before this chute, high speed finish to sector 4

Another walk up the next forest rod and another deep brown chute indicated the start of the final section.

The high speed jump is to the right of the tree base as I look, not for the faint hearted

The ascent was through an old plantation followed by a new plantation. These new trees were already overlapping over the very narrow track and I suspect that in a couple of years time this track will be no more.

It all levelled out and a pleasant soft on the feet walk through the darkness of the oldest trees was again satisfying.

Hidden trig

I knew from reports that the summit trig was enclosed in the trees. As I followed the MTB tracks something pinged in my brain an alert, had I gone too far? I decided to retrace and sure enough I spotted the trig which was sited off in a dark cutting. The green moss on the trig camouflaged it well. I presume the tree planters are not allowed to demolish a trig point. Some reflection time as I ate my banana, I don't think I have ever been to a trig, located in trees with no views, one for the record books.

On the trail I had spotted regular Pine Martin scat, some of it so glistening black it had to have been fresh. At the trig there was a large pile of droppings on a nearby stone, regularly marking its territory.

Viewed on the descent from the new plantation

I returned the same way, enjoying some views over the Angus hills and countryside, until I reached the pylon. Delighted to hear some roaring stags over in the nearby Angus glens.

Spotted a silent Magpie smirking as I tracked back up again

From detour had this glimpse of the country pile

I decided to extend the walk along the forest road but it began to take me away so I returned and awkwardly descended down the MTB tracks to the road.

Overall it was a tougher wee ramble than I expected for its lack of height. But it was satisfying and peaceful so turned out to be a good ramble after all.

NB: I was intrigued by the name Finella but appears to be from this with a slight misspelling 'Its name perpetuates the memory of Fenella, daughter of a thane of Angus, who was slain here after betraying Kenneth II to his enemies, who (according to local tradition) made away with him in Kincardine Castle'.

Ascent: 325m

Distance: 5.2km

Time: 2.21

Wildlife: Crossbill; Coal Tit; Wren; Robin; Goldcrest