KYQ4: Stronend

Stronend view to Ben Lomond and Arrochar Alps

Sunday 20 October 2019

Ascent: 410 metres

Distance: 10 kilometres

Time: 3 hours 12 mins

Stronend 511m 2hrs 25mins

Stronend is the highest point in the Eastern Campsies and visible from the house. It was time that I climbed it as it is a Marilyn as well. Gregor had run up it a month ago and said the panoramic views from Stronend of the mountains spanning from Ben Lomond to Ben Vorlich were quite stunning. However, the route from Kippen via the Boquan burn required crossing 3 kilometres of an upland peat moor on a not very reliable boggy path. He was right on both counts.

It was the sort of autumn morning that beseeches you to get out and as Gregor was going to Glasgow I got him to drop me off near Garrique Farm on the backroad to Fintry. There is an excellent track that climbs steadily alongside the Boquan burn until it breaches the continuous line of crags at the Spout of Ballochleam. The views to the north are sublime from here with the mixed woodlands and Flanders Moss rising into the highlands beyond the boundary fault. There have been several new plantations of woodland that are passed on the ascent that have been funded by the EU. As you arrive at the gate at the top of the track there is a helpful sign explaining the importance of the upland moor for carbon capture and giving a list of the bird species to be found on this hostile upland environment.

A track continues to the Ling Hill wind farm that had 25 or so turbines whirring at a good generation speed in the strong northerly wind. I entered the boggy ground on what was the relatively unused track and headed alongside the Boquan burn for a while until the depth of the sphagnum moss and the boggy ground was impairing progress to such an extent that I decided, wrongly, to head south to reach higher ground. I had thought that this would give easier conditions but it became 45 minutes of battle with heather and sphagnum moss. It was an extreme workout for my ankles and thighs as I fell half a dozen times into the channels of bog that meandered between the tussocks of deep vegetation. I began to think that the two black kites that were circling above were awaiting my final collapse.

At last, I reached the summit plateau by the 482m spot height and from there it was an easier walk to the large block of stones at the summit. The views were all that had been promised and I spent 10 minutes or so enjoying the panorama to the north-west as I examined the map on my phone. I decided that I would try to find a route off to the west and drop down to Fintry. I was pleasantly surprised to find a notch in the crags to descend to the flank of the hill that is called Skiddaw on the OS map.

I phoned to arrange my lift home from Fintry not Kippen before following a wall that had a faint path running alongside. It curved round to the west and steepened so I decided to head straight down to the road and became trapped in a long slope of prickly gorse bushes. It required me to search out gloves before I could extricate myself from the nasty stuff. I negotiated a ditch and fence and descended through a forested area scattering some roe deer before reaching the lush grazings than ran down to the road. The descent had certainly been a lot quicker than would have been a return by the ascent route. It had also provided a fine traverse to admire the setting of the village of Fintry and observe the scarp slope of the western Campsies. On balance, the outing had been worth it but I doubt if there are any regulars for this hill.