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Monday 21 September 2009

Meikle Bin


On the middle day of my three day sojourn, I decided to have an easy bag and go and get Meikle Bin. This is a tad higher than yesterday’s Fells, but seemed to have a reasonably easy approach through forestry from the Carron Valley Reservoir.
Unfortunately, I left my camera in the tent (dhuhh), so there are no pictures.
And, to make this post, and, lets be honest, me, appear more interesting, I am going to resort to the use of random inverted commas around various words during this posting.
This will make it appear that some of the things I am saying have other, more subtle meanings and make it seem that I am a lot brainier than, in fact, I really am.
Take no notice. It “just” an affectation.
So, we (that is, me) parked up next to a bored –looking coach driver counting the little holes in the leatherette cover of his steering wheel yet again, and marched off up various forest tracks which ultimately lead to a muddy path brushing through a narrow bit of tree cover to assault the michty slopes of Meikle Bin.This is The Big Bin.
There’s a Little Bin just next to it, for cans and bottles and a Baby Bin nearby for old nappies and little blue knitted jumpers fated to be covered in white sick
I could hear various raucous noises “coming” from the hill and a couple of “teachers” descended towards me, japing that I “wiz cheeten haevin ae dug tae pill yea up they hill”. These were shortly followed by a slipping, sliding crocodile of “children” dressed in various items of camouflage, pink wellies with little red lips on them, very short skirts, various other unorthodox hillwalking “gear” and ipods, mobile phones and other bits of technology not “yet” invented.
They were all friendly and, much to Bruno’s delight, incontinent of biscuits and the contents of the butties their mums had put up this morning. Bruno tidied up around the summit trig point.
Soon, “they” were gone and all was quiet and I was left to shiver and eat a banana by the trig point.
A cold and miserable day, it was, so I didn’t hang around.
I left early and went back to the shop at Kippen for more celebratory stuff.
Prolly did six miles.
There’s aircraft wreckage on the top covered in graffiti. The pic isn't Meikle Bin
Late info: Apparently, the aircraft wreckage near the summit is that of a Fairey Firefly number PP556 which was reported missing on 8 January 1950 and was later found crashed on Meikle Bin. The crew, Lt J Arthur Robertson and Naval Airman J Smith had both perished in the accident.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Shame you didn't get a better day for it Mike - the views are amazing - you can see both sides of the country.

Glad to see things haven't changed with school trips and this particular hill. I was marched up it in 1967 in a blizzard as one of my few school outings. Dress code doesn't seem to have changed much.

Mike Knipe said...

Bit mizzly, Ken - but obviously a popular path judging by the state of it and the used tissues, mars bar wrappers, drinks tins....
It wasn't clear what the sproglets were supposed to be doing, other than sliding on the grass. Whatever it was, they seemed to be enjoying it anyway.

Anonymous said...

The hill's usually fairly tidy Mike.

Just like the type of rubbish I notice lying about in the streets - most of it appears to come from those with the most disposable income - weans up to about 22 years old! I suspect therefore that most of the debris was recent - about 15 minutes recent.

Mike Knipe said...

Probably so - Bruno tidied up most of the organic stuff - so he was doing his bit.

scotsmare said...

I just walked Meikle bin today, stunning weather, beautiful views and no litter! I've lived in the area for years and never walked it before, shame on me!

Mike Knipe said...

Stunning weather? send some down here, ta.
Meikle Bin is worth the plod through the forest, though, eh?

Anonymous said...

yes definately worth it, I got myself a wee dog this summer to accompany me walking and he loved it as well. I take his photo at the top of every hill, as nobody believes his little legs can walk so far. Do you visit Scotland often?

Mike Knipe said...

Sorry about the delay - annonymous with the dug - Yes, I try to get to Scotland as often as poss - usually day walks in the Borders - its only a couiple of hours to there from here - Peebles/Moffat kind of thing - then there's the 2 weeks TGO challenge and I usually manage another week or so for Munro Buggerring.