Helen Rose Hillwalking and Outdoors Diary

Photo: Frances. The West End of Glasgow is not known as a mecca for hillwalking – although there are a few steep inclines within its boundaries . However a fair population of folk living in the West End have a passion for the outdoors and many of our city dwellers nurse ambitions about conquering the Munros.
Few are more committed than Helen Rose, who shares her hillwalking experiences in Scotland, Ireland and elsewhere….

Coll May 2013

Helen Rose Hill Diary

Coll Beach FMThe Isle of Coll is a small hebridean island some four miles west of Mull. It is approximately 13 miles long and 4miles at it’s widest. It has a population of around 200 all-year residents and more in the summer. It is a holiday destination for many seeking peace and quiet and who enjoy nature and the natural beauty of the Hebrides. I spent a week there in the Spring with my friend and her dog, a Labradoodle called Muffin. I had exam study to do and to wind down before the operation to remove the metal plate from my leg. This was the perfect place to relax. The island is less than three hours by ferry from Oban. Unfortunately, the weather was very stormy and some boats were cancelled so I ended up in Oban for an unplanned extra night.

We stayed in a lovely cottage overlooking the sound in the main village Arinagour near the ferry terminal. Subsequent days were windy and wet but that did not stop us going out with Muffin for walks and driving to unspoiled beaches and inlets. This being Scotland, visits to the beach meant dressing in thermals and waterproofs but the fresh air was intoxicating and Muffin enjoyed running around on the beaches. It was lambing season so she had to be on a lead other than on the beach.

Coll Beach CastlesColl was home for some 500 years to a branch of the MacLean. In 1590 the MacLeans of Duart invaded their cousins on Coll with the intention of taking the island for themselves. A battle was fought at Breachacha Castle where the Coll clan overwhelmed the Duarts, chopped off their heads and threw them in the stream which is still known as the ‘stream of the heads’. The Macleans of Coll retained their baronial fief and Castle of Breachacha until 1848. Arh, the joys of family. This castle is still there on a headland. My favourite beach was at Gortan, a very narrow bay with the wreck of the Harmony on the sand. There seems to be no available information about this ship. If you know anything about it, please contact me.

All the beaches we visited were deserted and the only signs of life were the lambs on the sand dunes. We even spotted a sheep with triplets! We visited most of the beaches on the island including Bigne Traill and Rubh a Binnein. They were all beautiful. What Coll has is quite special and often intangible with lots of wild, raw nature that thrives due to the solitude. It is why you should consider coming to somewhere where there is still in this day and age absolutely ‘nothing’.

Muffin CollWe paid a visit to the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) centre which is very active as Coll is noted for the summer residency of Corncrakes. Unfortunately, we were too early in the year for their arrival. The approach from the east side was a white knuckle ride over the dunes in the jeep as there was a large amount of puddling from the recent rain. There is a better road from the west side!

On the last day we went up Ben Hoc which is the highest point on the island offering panoramic views. It was a beautiful sunny day and we ended it with a superb meal in the Isle of Coll hotel noted for its seafood and local lamb. It was a restful and relaxing week in a peaceful island with beautiful views. We think Muffin enjoyed her first holiday away from home!

Daffs near BeachWhat Coll does have is quite special and often quite intangible. Coll definitely has lots of wild, raw nature that thrives due to the solitude. It is this that brings many to our island and, perhaps, that is why you too should consider coming to somewhere where there is still, even in this day and age, absolutely ‘nothing’.

Contact me at helenrose52@hotmail.com

 

 

 

Dumyat April 2013

Helen Rose Hill Diary

DumyatDumyat is the rocky little cub of the Ochils, far lower than the main range but packed with character. It has a superb position on the fringe of the range overlooking Stirling and the Central Belt; the views are superb in all directions. We started from the Square in the pretty village of Blairlogie as the car park at the usual starting point was closed for building work. It was a pleasant walk from the village alongside the forest and on to more open countryside. It was late winter and there was snow on the higher slopes. It was cold and crisp during the earlier part of the walk.

The path continued over some little scrambles on to a more exposed line going towards the midpoint. As it was dry and clear and we had gained some height we had a tea stop enjoying the views to the south, the Wallace monument and the inevitable distillery as Scotland is the home of malt whisky. This hill is only 1500 feet but has all the characteristics of a much bigger mountain with steep crags and a classic pyramid shape. We continued upwards with the usual banter as we were a small group but then the weather turned colder and it started to snow. By the time we reached the summit it was a full scale blizzard and whiteout, something usually only experienced on much higher mountains. At the trig point I turned round and Alison’s jacket was completely iced up at the front as were her spectacles. My hair had frozen strands on the fringe!  Fortunately we were all well equipped for the weather. With no visible markers, David had to use the GPS and compass to find the descent route as it was a circular walk of seven miles.Dumyat Path

 We descended into the blizzard on the snow and finally reached a wide track under the hill. We left the track for a lunch stop as the sun was now shining and it had stopped snowing. The views were not so good here as we were in the lee of the hill. Just as we left the lunch spot, the hail stones came on and we had to walk sideways as it was stinging on the face but we were on a wide track. Eventually we reached the farm and looked into the barn where there were newborn Highland calves. Highland Cattle are fairly common in Scotland and look very beautiful. We have a herd of them in Glasgow at Pollok Country Park.

Dumyat CalfWe carried along the path back to the starting point in the snow but the weather was now calm and clear. The trip ended with a visit to the pub at Menstrie for a post walk libation. I thoroughly enjoyed Dumyat especially in challenging weather as I like a battle with nature and felt invigorated. It was my first walk in snow since I broke my leg and I was pleased I managed it so well. Dumyat is very similar to Dumgoyne, a hill in the Campsies near Glasgow. I recently climbed Dumgoyne as I wanted to go up a hill before having the metal plate removed from the leg which was broken and met my anaesthetist for the coming operation on the top of the hill. Pure coincidence!

Thanks to David Traynor for leading the walk.

Coming attraction; Coll

Contact me at helenrose52@hotmail.com  

 

Kerrera,Seil Island and Easdale March 2013

Helen Rose Hill Diary   

Kerrera BoatI am trying to visit most of the islands around Scotland as they are all so different in character. During the winter I managed to visit three islands over a weekend based in Oban on the west coast of Scotland and about three hours travel from Glasgow. The weekend was cold but we had good views on the trips.

From outside Oban we took the little ferry over to the Island of Kerrera which sits in the Firth of Lorne. It has fertile low pastures where the farming tradition goes back hundreds of years – to bog and heathland, small coastal bays and beaches with cliffs and caves. There is a path running around the island and we followed it from the pier in a clockwise direction. Our first stop off was Gylen Castle, located on the south coast. It was built in 1587 and sited above the rocks; it is a dramatic and magnificent place looking down the Firth of Lorne and to other Argyll islands. We followed the path around to the north of the island and left the path to climb to the highest point on Carn Breugach at 620 feet. Kerrera is also famous as the place where King Alexander the second died in 1289. The path continued south to the coastline with dramatic sea views and back to the pier. The distance on the path was about eight miles so made a good day out. From our B&B in Oban, we had good views of Kerrera.

Kerrera CastleThe following day, we drove over the Atlantic Bridge to Seil Island. This bridge is only a small stone affair but does cross over the Atlantic Ocean, albeir very narrow at that point! We drove on to the village of Ellenabeich where we took the very small power boat over to Easdale which like Seil Island has a history of slate quarrying. As we were a small group, the curator opened the island museum for us. It has a fascinating history. At the peak of the industry in the second half of the 19th century the population was in excess of 500. A storm in 1881 flooded the quarries, and thereafter the industry declined until the last slate was cut in the 1950′s. By the early 1960′s the population had dwindled to only 4. However, since then the population has steadily increased and most of the dwelling houses have now been reconstructed and modernised. We had a walk around the island and up to the highest point looking out to neighbouring islands and the Atlantic. The Puffer Tearoom is highly recommended! By the way, Easdale is the home every year of the World Stone Skimming Championships. Check it out on www.stoneskimming.com

EasdaleCrossing back to Seil Island and the village which gets its name from the former slate island within proximity of the village, called Eilean nam Beitheach. The island was mined out of existence and its name is now the current Scottish Gaelic name of the village. The houses have a very dramatic backdrop of cliffs from the quarry. We walked around the village before driving to the very comfortable and welcoming Tigh-an-Truish Inn on Seil Island for a wee libation before the drive back to Glasgow.  We earned the libation as we had walked over to Otter Bay which is renowned for sailors landing to go over to the Inn!

In Oban we had visited the ruin of Dunollie Castle, the stronghold of the MacDougalls and strategically placed on a headland. The restaurants on the pier were very good and have an excellent reputation for fish. In the short weekend, we had enjoyed the visits to the three islands and the town of Oban famous for the seafood. The hand dived scallops there are the best I have ever tasted.

Seil Is QuarryThe trip was arranged by Fred Chatterton at www.scot-trek.co.uk

 

Coming attractions; Dumyat and Coll

Contact me at helenrose52@hotmail.com

 

 

 

Budapest February 2013

Helen Rose Hill Diary

BP Cathedral viewBudapest has long been on my list of European cities to visit. This winter, I spent a long weekend there and had the good fortune to stay at the Gellert Hotel. The Gellert is one of the oldest, traditional spa hotels and is located overlooking the River Danube on the Buda side of Budapest. Buda and Pest are two cities on either side of the Danube. Being winter, we had limited daylight hours but made the most of them.

On arriving in the early evening on a flight via Amsterdam, we made our way to the Rudas Turkish Baths, a short walk from the hotel. The Rudas Thermal Bath was established as early as the 16th century, during the time of the Turkish occupation. There is an octagonal pool covered by a dome.  It was lovely to relax in the warm water rich in minerals after the journey and we felt glowing as we walked in below freezing temperatures to the hotel. Budapest has a fairly unique quality, being among the very few large cities in the world that is rich in thermal water – so it also called the city of spas.

BP CafeThe following days we used the tour bus to hop on and off visiting the various architectural delights. The hotel was located adjacent to the bridge crossing over to the market hall. From our balcony we could watch the trams crossing the bridge and we walked in the evening over the bridge to dine at the Greek and Italian restaurants overlooking the river. We walked up to the Cave Church which was fascinating as it maintains a steady temperature of 20c throughout the year from the heat in the rocks.

On the tour, we saw the main buildings of Pest including the ornate Parliament and the Cathedral. Cafes were an important part of Budapest life and we visited the noted Central Cafe and also the New York Cafe, both famous for cakes and piano music. The food was unusual and for the first time, I had venison broth in a loaf. Very unusual! We rounded off the first day with a visit to the Gellert Art Nouveau Baths, stark contrast to the Rudas but with the same invigorating, warm spa water.

Budapest bridgeThe following day we visited the Castle Hill and the Citadel in Buda. Most of Buda is hilly and is the area most expensive to reside in. We managed more cafes and rounded of the day with a boat trip on the Danube. By the way, the Danube is not blue and visitors are disappointed as the river is associated with the music for the Blue Danube. We also had a walking tour of the Old Jewish Quarter in Pest. A very sad past but still a lively community.

On the last day, we ventured on the trams and the Metro. This turned out to be a gruelling experience as I had my purse stolen on the Metro after some confusion with a bogus ticket inspector trying to fine me for not having my ticket stamped prior to the journey. My companion managed a visit to the open air spa baths in the park adjacent to Heroes Square, impressive in January temperatures! My overall impression of Budapest is a beautiful city but it still has the feel of the former Communist State. On the upside, the spa baths were wonderful. I particularly enjoyed staying at the Gellert Hotel with its somewhat faded grandeur but the comfort, hospitality and location more than made up for this.Gellert

Contact me at helenrose52@hotmail.com 

Coming attractions: Kerrera etc., Dumyat and Coll.

Helen Rose Hillwalking and Outdoors Diary

Hillwalking Diary Archive



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