West Lomond (NO 197066, 522m) East Lomond (NO 243061, 434m) 12.7 kilometres 480 metres of ascent This was a lunch-time impulse, on a day that suddenly seemed too good to waste. The Lomonds are a pair of ancient volcanic plugs, pushing up through layers of sedimentary rock that form an intricate escarpment around three sides … Continue reading Lomond Hills →

Threestane Hill (NO 631873, 431m) Mount Shade (NO 626870, 507m) Clachnaben (NO 615865, 589m) Hill of Edendocher (NO 603859, 577m) Sandy Hill (NO 593858, 592m) 20 kilometres 790 metres of ascent Clachnaben is Clach na Beinne, “stone of the hill”, a name that correctly applies to the granite tor that forms its summit, and which … Continue reading Clachnaben →

Scraulac (NJ 314056, 741m) Cairnagour Hill (NJ 325056, 743m) Mona Gowan (NJ 335058, 749m) Mullachdubh (NJ 354057, 681m) Morven (NJ 376039, 872m) 17.9 kilometres 800 metres of ascent The Crow Craigies Climbing Party’s meeting for 2020 was cancelled during the Current Unpleasantness. But the three founding members, now into our fifth decade of chuckling and … Continue reading CCCP 2020: Mona Gowan & Morven →

Finalty Hill (NO 212750, 905m) Mayar (NO 240737, 928m) 22 kilometres 820 metres of ascent After more than a hundred days in Covid-19 lockdown, the Oikofuge was finally permitted to live up to his nom-de-blog again, and head for the hills. I’d noted the accessibility of Mayar from Glen Isla last year, during a previously … Continue reading Glen Isla: Mayar From The Southwest →

Dundee Law (NO 391313, 174m) 5.1 kilometres 183 metres of ascent Another day, another park on the way to another Dundee hill. My starting point this time was the southwest corner of the steeply sloping Dudhope Park, on my way to the Dundee Law. Dudhope gets its name from the old word hope, meaning “valley”. … Continue reading Lock-down Walks: Dundee Law →

Balgay Hill (NO 377308, 146m) 2.8 kilometres84 metres of ascent Well, needs must when the Devil drives. The current UK coronavirus lockdown imposes paradoxical advice on the Oikofuge when it comes to walking outdoors—apparently I’m to “stay local”, but take my “normal exercise”, so long as it lasts “no more than an hour”. Given that … Continue reading Lock-down Walks: Balgay Hill →

Scare Hill (NJ 683193, 280m) Millstone Hill (NJ 676202, 409m) Mither Tap (NJ 682223, 518m) Oxen Craig (NJ 662226, 529m) Watch Craig (NJ 653224, c490m) 17.4 kilometres 820 metres of ascent Bennachie is the last eastward gasp of the Cairngorms—a low ridge of moorland dotted with granite tors,  beyond which the ground descends into the … Continue reading Bennachie →

Badandun Hill (NO 207678, 740m) Mid Hill (NO 220709, 774m) Bawhelps (NO 226722, 828m) 21 kilometres 880 metres of ascent This was a slightly odd little outing, but no less enjoyable for that. A hillwalking companion of many years (one of the CCCP crowd) was keen to climb Badandun Hill. We had a weather forecast … Continue reading Glen Isla: East Side →

This year, the Crow Craigies Climbing Party stationed itself on the north shore of Loch Eil, a little west of Fort William. Poor weather was dominating England, dumping weeks worth of rain in a single day, and occluded fronts were pivoting continuously across central Scotland. But although our weather certainly wasn’t great in comparison to … Continue reading CCCP 2019: Loch Eil →