And finally it was Thursday.
This walk bags three Marylins around the Mosspaul Hotel -Wisp Hill Pikethaw Hill and Ellson Fell.
After a perishing cold night (where’s me new sleeping bag?), we pitched up near the Mosspaul Hotel just on the Dumfries/Borders boundary and stomped off up the enormous 350 metre climb on to the top of Wisp Hill. At 595 metres, this was the sudden summit of today’s walk, for the next top – just a little bit South (ish) was the 564 metre top of Pikethaw Hill. 600 metres of up in just 4 km so far. This is thigh-bustin stuff. But not to be deterred by mere muscle pain – we tripped lightly over Frodaw Height and Dan’s Hags for the knee-bustingly steep 200 metre drop from Upper Hill to the old toll house in the valley bottom.
Roughly at this point, Mike discovered an easier way back to Mosspaul and declared his intention to follow it. Me, being equally as determined as stupid, plumped for the return over Ellson Fell and Carlin Tooth – a further calf-numbing climb of about another 400 metres – making (in English) a total of nine miles and 3600 feet of climbing.
Many will consider this to be a weak effort, I have no doubt.
Actually, it wasn’t too bad really. It’s a cracking walk with big views and we had a fab and sunny day for it.
This is just like the Lake District, but without the people.
Home in an hour and a half through Hawick and down the empty A68, which is an hour quicker than the way I came…. Visitors to this area should be aware that there’s not much traffic in an evening, mid week in March…
After a perishing cold night (where’s me new sleeping bag?), we pitched up near the Mosspaul Hotel just on the Dumfries/Borders boundary and stomped off up the enormous 350 metre climb on to the top of Wisp Hill. At 595 metres, this was the sudden summit of today’s walk, for the next top – just a little bit South (ish) was the 564 metre top of Pikethaw Hill. 600 metres of up in just 4 km so far. This is thigh-bustin stuff. But not to be deterred by mere muscle pain – we tripped lightly over Frodaw Height and Dan’s Hags for the knee-bustingly steep 200 metre drop from Upper Hill to the old toll house in the valley bottom.
Roughly at this point, Mike discovered an easier way back to Mosspaul and declared his intention to follow it. Me, being equally as determined as stupid, plumped for the return over Ellson Fell and Carlin Tooth – a further calf-numbing climb of about another 400 metres – making (in English) a total of nine miles and 3600 feet of climbing.
Many will consider this to be a weak effort, I have no doubt.
Actually, it wasn’t too bad really. It’s a cracking walk with big views and we had a fab and sunny day for it.
This is just like the Lake District, but without the people.
Home in an hour and a half through Hawick and down the empty A68, which is an hour quicker than the way I came…. Visitors to this area should be aware that there’s not much traffic in an evening, mid week in March…
