A short walk to a Neolithic cairn.....Creigh Hill

Hill: Creigh Hill

Type: Sub2k

Height: 497m

On the way home from my short trip I wanted a quick up and down not too far off my journey. Additionally the forecast was for rain from lunchtime onwards. I decided on Creigh Hill from the lovely Backwater Reservoir. I had intended to do this a few years back when I did Hare Cairn on the other side of the reservoir but as I recall it had been a hot sweaty day and one hill had been enough.

Although it is only a minor hop and a skip hill it has the interesting attraction of being the site of a Neolithic cairn or two if you go to both tops.

I will never tire of driving around the Angus hills, it is a spectacular area and largely devoid of people. So, when I arrived at the parking area I was surprised to see half a dozen cars parked up and assumed it was a local walking group up on the same hills. But as I put my boots on I heard female voices laughing and screaming. Looked down to the reservoir to see a group wild swimming, good on them.

Good track to start with

There is an ATV track just beside the parking area, a climb over a fence and I was on my way. After a couple of minutes I came across a small sheep which did not run away but just watched me as I walked by. Later I reflected that this was the only sheep I had seen on the ramble, I wondered if it got missed at the round up and was now kinda lonely.

From that angle it looked as if the weather was going to break

Track no more

I followed the track, huffing and puffing until I reached a fence and a gate. Looking across to my summit there is a lot more heather than grass en route so I continued up a bit more before cutting across diagonally to reach a deer fence. I sprung a pair of grouse but thought I would have sprung more with the amount of heather around, maybe they have mostly been slaughtered. Awkward walking until near the top I stumbled across a narrow beaters track which took me to the fence.

I hoped that there would be a rough track of sorts beside the fence and that proved correct. Now it was a case of following the deer fence to the top. On my left were beautiful views of the patchwork hills in Glen Quharity & Glen Dye, no doubt a shooting estate. The rather large country pile I took to be Balintore Castle.

At a fence junction another clamber over and a short way up was the summit of Creigh Hill and the Neolithic burial chamber of Cairn Motherie. The cairn boulders have been rearranged over the years to create a walkers shelter. I understand that it has never been excavated but it is believed to be undamaged below ground and should contain deposits of whatever.

Excellent views of the Angus hills but some are covered in very low cloud and with the strong winds the clouds and rain look to be coming in this direction. Over the glen was Cat Law a Fiona I did way back.

Across the reservoir the trees heading for Hare Cairn have been deforested, I presume a track has been left through the debris.

There is a twin top about a kilometre away containing another burial chamber. If the weather had been better I would have tramped across the rough moor but not today, this north top is recognised as the true top and that was good enough for me.

This perspective makes the deer fence look like a wide track, it was not!

As I descended I could hear some stags briefly roaring across in the Glens but none to be seen.

I missed my beaters track so a rough heather plod got me back to the grassy section and the ATV track.

Sun broke out for about two  minutes turning the water blue. Car parked at the trees.

On the descent nice views over the reservoir and the large dam. It is a large bit of water which supplies Dundee and the surrounding areas with their supplies.

Overall another wee ramble that did as I hoped. The trees around the parking area were full of birds so a pleasant half hour listening and watching was a perfect end. Just that drive home!

Ascent: 203

Distance: 2.9k

Time: 1.22

Wildlife: Red Grouse; Buzzard; Coal Tit; Treecreeper; Robin; Meadow Pipit; Goldcrest; Dunnock; Chaffinch; Peewit 20+