Over The Hill

It was a feeling of deja vu as we booted up at the start of our circuit of Beinn Eich and Doune Hill; the rain was bucketing down, and every hillside was covered in low cloud; Ah well, here we go again, another wet day in Glen Mollochan.

And it wasn't long before we were testing our footwear as well as our jackets for as we left the road and climbed the stile onto open land at Edentaggart we were almost ankle deep in water as we crossed the first small field, with no signs of the resident pigs seen on previous walks; dare I say it, maybe they were the sensible ones and stayed indoors for the day!

Beinn Eich's broad, grassy south east ridge is a fairly straight forward climb, which, as the gradient eases, culminates in what always seems a long trek towards a non-existent top that finally materialises with the smallest of cairns marking it's 703m summit. Denied any views by a drifting low cloud, we stopped just long enough for our party to split, a few making a short day of it and returning via our ascent route, while the remainder of us continued onwards towards Beinn Lochain.

The weather began to improve slightly as we reached the bealach below Beinn Eich and started uphill on the still grassy slopes towards Beinn Lochain, the rain eased and at last the clouds began to break up a little to give us glimpses west towards the Arrochar Alps and, at the extremities of the visibility, Beinn Ime, some 12 kilometres away, just visible under a grey canopy of cloud.

By the time we arrived at the 734m Trig Point marking the summit of Doune Hill we were treated to a short dry spell as we sat around the top, taking lunch and discussing the various options of what mysterious contents the hillside bunkers of "the base", below us at the western end of Glen Douglas, actually held, or whether, if "King Alec" has his way, will hold anything in 10 years time.

North east of Doune Hill, beyond Bealach an Duin lies the un-named 701m top, another point of discussion here as to whether it is from the closeness of these two summits that Doune Hill gets it's name, which translates to "The Forked Hill". Whichever, the 701m top makes a nice end to a high round before descending the rough grass and bracken slopes to the head of Glen Mollochan.

The first time walker of this route may be forgiven for thinking that once down in the glen, it is a nice pleasant walk back to Edentaggart. Unfortunately, that is not the case as we well know. This glen certainly puts your footwear and Mr Goretex to the test; it is 3½ kilometres of waterlogged grass and track; if you have dry feet at the end of this glen, then you can be very pleased with your choice of footwear.

The lack of any substantial views today was certainly compensated for by the quality of the company - Great walk - Thanks Lawrie