MildredsSmurf
Extremely Talkative
- Messages
- 221
- Points
- 640
Until the age of 7, I lived in a wee cottage in the Highlands of Scotland. The house bordered woodlands, hills and a big pond and these surrounding features were there for me to explore at my leisure. It was fantastic, I climbed cliffs and trees and generally had a ball. I had received an “Action Man” adventure kit for my Christmas around the age of 6 and that made me even braver as I then considered myself properly equipped to adventure as I now had a mirror to send signals!
Then our family moved to the central belt of Scotland, it’s a nice place St Andrews, but compared to ‘my’ hills and forests in the highlands, it was rubbish. I never got over that and it means that I have unfinished business when it comes to adventuring!
So there I was touching 50 and standing on a steep slope in the rain.
Further down as I’d zigzagged upward, the going had got dodgy on loose earth that had become slippery when wet. When standing on it, my feet would just slide which is not great on steep slopes, but my walking poles saved the day - as usual. On the whole, the predominantly tufty grass made for a good grip, even in the rain, luckily.
It was a fantastic view westward along the steep escarpment of the Ochils and this is why this hill, Wood Hill, was my favourite. This day was Saturday and I found myself with an excess of energy, I think it is springtime that causes this as I’m particularly hyper in the spring, particularly March and early April. Anyway, I had that spring in my step and a favourite hill that I had climbed dozens of times. I’d always climbed it the same way as it is a steep hill and it seemed madness not to follow the path due to the steepness. I was bored with the same old route though, so this time I'd decided to tackle it head-on.
I didn’t bother going to the top of the hill, the wind-tortured trees at the fence border (between the woodland and the sheep grazed and naked hillside) enthrall me too much for that. So I walked eastward along the fence border to the woodland that drops steeply into a wee glen. I’d been near here before but had never explored it - today was that day.
After hopping the fence at the boundary of the wood, I spied what looked like a great camping spot below me and I descended down to check it out. This woodland, despite overlooking towns and villages, is protected by 1000 foot steep slopes so it’s not often visited.
The leafy flat area I descended to would make a nice spot to tarp, but carrying a heavy pack here is less than desirable. The trees here were all odd-shaped by time and circumstance, trees do that visibly whilst for us humans it’s generally done inside our heads.
I started heading southward following a hint of a path, I knew that I’d start descending rapidly, but I was intoxicated by this fantastic old woodland.
Before the main slopes, I came across some grand old beech (?) trees. One tree had split in half, a mass of wood lay rotting and undisturbed beside the half that was still standing. Despite the tree being halved, it was still a massive tree and it was magnificent.
I then reached the steep slope that plunges to the Forth Valley. I could see an outcrop further down, so I decided to carry carefully on - I could always retrace my steps. I reached this outcrop and could see another outcrop below, oh well, why not.
As I picked my way towards it, I realised that a couple of deer had been sitting on it as they jumped up and grudgingly walked eastwards down a tricky slope. At this outcrop I had no intention of following the deer, I was going to the west side as it looked less difficult and I could spy the hint of another flat area through the trees below. As I picked my way down, the slope turned out to be grass and moss covered scree. I spotted a scree shoot that was not moss-covered and I headed to it. The shoot was only 10 metres or so but it was the easiest part of the descent as I stepped and slid down it using my walking poles as ski-sticks.
I eventually reached the next outcrop and realised that I could now see the woodland path below, I’d made it and I’d also discovered a great wee tarping spot above the path, just 20 minutes walk from the car park.
I then joined the woodland path back to my car taking pictures of the springtime woodland and bluebells as I went. I realised that I had much more exploring to do here and my childhood adventure kit, that had once fitted on my belt had now morphed into the rucksack that I wore on my back.
Then our family moved to the central belt of Scotland, it’s a nice place St Andrews, but compared to ‘my’ hills and forests in the highlands, it was rubbish. I never got over that and it means that I have unfinished business when it comes to adventuring!
So there I was touching 50 and standing on a steep slope in the rain.
Further down as I’d zigzagged upward, the going had got dodgy on loose earth that had become slippery when wet. When standing on it, my feet would just slide which is not great on steep slopes, but my walking poles saved the day - as usual. On the whole, the predominantly tufty grass made for a good grip, even in the rain, luckily.
It was a fantastic view westward along the steep escarpment of the Ochils and this is why this hill, Wood Hill, was my favourite. This day was Saturday and I found myself with an excess of energy, I think it is springtime that causes this as I’m particularly hyper in the spring, particularly March and early April. Anyway, I had that spring in my step and a favourite hill that I had climbed dozens of times. I’d always climbed it the same way as it is a steep hill and it seemed madness not to follow the path due to the steepness. I was bored with the same old route though, so this time I'd decided to tackle it head-on.
I didn’t bother going to the top of the hill, the wind-tortured trees at the fence border (between the woodland and the sheep grazed and naked hillside) enthrall me too much for that. So I walked eastward along the fence border to the woodland that drops steeply into a wee glen. I’d been near here before but had never explored it - today was that day.
After hopping the fence at the boundary of the wood, I spied what looked like a great camping spot below me and I descended down to check it out. This woodland, despite overlooking towns and villages, is protected by 1000 foot steep slopes so it’s not often visited.
The leafy flat area I descended to would make a nice spot to tarp, but carrying a heavy pack here is less than desirable. The trees here were all odd-shaped by time and circumstance, trees do that visibly whilst for us humans it’s generally done inside our heads.
I started heading southward following a hint of a path, I knew that I’d start descending rapidly, but I was intoxicated by this fantastic old woodland.
Before the main slopes, I came across some grand old beech (?) trees. One tree had split in half, a mass of wood lay rotting and undisturbed beside the half that was still standing. Despite the tree being halved, it was still a massive tree and it was magnificent.
I then reached the steep slope that plunges to the Forth Valley. I could see an outcrop further down, so I decided to carry carefully on - I could always retrace my steps. I reached this outcrop and could see another outcrop below, oh well, why not.
As I picked my way towards it, I realised that a couple of deer had been sitting on it as they jumped up and grudgingly walked eastwards down a tricky slope. At this outcrop I had no intention of following the deer, I was going to the west side as it looked less difficult and I could spy the hint of another flat area through the trees below. As I picked my way down, the slope turned out to be grass and moss covered scree. I spotted a scree shoot that was not moss-covered and I headed to it. The shoot was only 10 metres or so but it was the easiest part of the descent as I stepped and slid down it using my walking poles as ski-sticks.
I eventually reached the next outcrop and realised that I could now see the woodland path below, I’d made it and I’d also discovered a great wee tarping spot above the path, just 20 minutes walk from the car park.
I then joined the woodland path back to my car taking pictures of the springtime woodland and bluebells as I went. I realised that I had much more exploring to do here and my childhood adventure kit, that had once fitted on my belt had now morphed into the rucksack that I wore on my back.
