.............not all those that wander are lost..............

Wednesday 10 November 2010

Creag nam Ban revisited..

I'm feeling in a great mood today after the TGO Challenge news that I have been successful in the draw for next May.

{Red berries in the sunshine}

As the weather was good too, I took off to revisit Creag nam Ban. Unfortunately, this involved a bit of tarmac bashing/walking along the South Deeside Road to get to the gate onto the moorland. Although the sun was shining it was still quite wet and muddy underfoot so I had to stay alert for cars as they hit the puddles at the side of the road.  Despite trying quite hard none of them 'got' me.

Creag nam Ban or 'hill of the witch' isn't very high but has good views from the summit so I took my lunch with me. There are stories that a local witch was burned on this hill in the dim and distant past.


{Creag nam Ban from the road}

I remembered the last time I tried to get onto this hill when I discovered locked gates and therefore no access to the path.

{Beech trees beside the road}

Hoping that situation had been sorted out by the Park Access officer, I headed for the gates. There are two quite close to each other, with some high deer fencing with barbed wire wrapped around the posts and threaded along the fence. Sadly I found there had been no change. The gates have latches but also very old, heavily rusted chains with padlocks attached.

{Barbed wire, padlocked chain, no access!}

The recent barbed wire 'incident' suffered by Alan [ here ] meant that I was not prepared to risk climbing among the barbs so I turned and walked back along the road. There was another place where the wall beside the road had obviously been used to access the slope up to another part of the fence. But again, there were several strands of barbed wire.

Back down the road I tried an alternate access along a track behind some cottages. This time I could not even get as far as the junction of the paths as the field gate was locked and full of large, muddy, brown cows.

So now I'm cross! The access laws should prevent this kind of nonsense. Bah! Time for another call to the Access officer!

It's a shame they burnt the witch.........

{Baa!}


7 comments:

Alan Sloman said...

Wirecutters

Wirecutters

Wirecutters...

Phreerunner said...

This looks a nice little hill, it's a shame the locals don't welcome walkers. Have you tried going up from the east via the path that starts near Dalraddie House (according to my Anquet - I've never been there)?

Laura said...

Thanks for your comments!
Wirecutters and a chain saw?
The path from Dalraddie House is the one blocked by the two locked gates...The Cows were blocking access to the path junction at NO 28913 94684.
I have been up there but probably 5 years ago - before the barbed wire was added it was possible to get over one of the gates. It's a great view from the top.

Louise said...

How annoying! There's a local walk I do with The Girlies and part of that had been deliberately blocked with huge hay bales (I would have climbed over in 'me yooff', not so energetic now!) and another with a fence and branches. The local access officer was called! The landowner? Oh yes, a local solicitor...
word: sistruit. I've had that one somewhere else?!

Laura said...

Well, I've sent an email to the access officer today - so we'll see! To add injury to insult I then walked back home along the road and gave myself a blister under each foot - 12 kms only on tarmac being a bit much for my delicate tootsies!

Louise said...

Ouch! Hope they heal in time for next Saturday.

Alan Sloman said...

As well as wire cutters to remove the barbed wire on gates, it's a grand idea to take a really good Lock and chain with you, to chain up their gate. That way, when they come to use it, they will have the same problems you have encountered.