Lowther Hills 16 january

16 January Lowther Hills
Alan, Davie, Jimmy, Johnny, Paul, Rex & Robert
Bright and sunny with a cold northerly wind.

How the righteous are blessed. Here was another bright, sunny day to cheer our outing following a week of poor weather since our last walk. Our postponed visit to the Lowthers was put back on schedule for today and seven of us made the journey to Wanlockhead for the start. It was Davie’s walk and we knew he knew where he was going.
Wanlockhead, the highest village in Scotland at over fourteen hundred feet therefore not too far to climb to the top of the hill at just over two thousand three hundred. So why did we start off walking back down the Sanquhar road that we had just come up? For a good mile as well. All was revealed in the course of the downward march as we saw the path before us - the ‘Dempster Path’ Davie called it -skirting up the flank of the first hill we had to climb, Threehope. But between the road and the path lay the burn.
The sensible ignored the plank bridging the water but there’s always some, aren’t there? Two went to the plank to discover it too flimsy. But they also found the widest part of the burn. Paul, having failed miserably to demonstrate his long-jump skills, landing on all fours in the freezing cold water, now attempted to demonstrate his paddling and bank climbing skills. He eventually scrambled to dry land soaked from knees to toes and from elbows to finger-tips. Were we sympathetic? Of course we were.
The road and burn dropped away beneath us as the Dempster Path slanted upward and afforded us superb views of the Mennock Pass we had just left. And the going was easy, too easy. The path was left as it swung round the hill and we took to the heather disturbing red grouse as we climbed, much to Holly’s delight. But the heathery travail didn’t last long for elevenses were called and were taken out of the strengthening wind in a shallow cleugh. Alan’s Christmas Chocolate Orange did the rounds and was much appreciated.
Whether it was this chocolate or something in his coffee that affected Davie is impossible to say but after elevenses he took off like a supercharged exocet leaving most of us in his wake. Bob struggled. Jimmy struggled. Eventually Jimmy adopted his ‘Prince Phillip’ pose and sauntered to the top of the hill admiring the ever-widening view. And what a view it was, limited only by the horizon. Tinto rose up on our front left; to the north was Cairn table at Muirkirk, Corsencon at New Cumnock and Black Craig above Glen Afton; to the west Cairnsmore of Carsphairn held snow cornices on the lip of the gairy and, in the distance, the Galloway hills gleamed white in the sunshine; below us Nithsdale ran south to be stopped by the blue-grey bulk of Criffel. Magnificent. And the red grouse continued to rise at our approach. The summit was gained but there was no halt here. The onward march was to East Mount Lowther. The view indicator on this summit was reached and, at last, a welcome break was had as the view was admired.
Then it was on again. And now we were in colder conditions with a slight crunch underfoot and the strength of the north wind in our faces. The medieval track of Enterkin was crossed and the service road for the ‘golf ball’ reached. This was iced over and proved somewhat difficult to walk on and the sensible walked on the verge while some others tried their ice-sliding skills. The summit of Lowther was reached without mishap and lunch was taken in the lea of the aviation buildings with the sun warming our fronts to the extent that some stripped to T-shirts.
This Mediterranean attitude didn’t last though, for after lunch we rounded the building to come into the teeth of the fresh northerly. And it was here that we encountered our first snow, frozen to concrete consistency. Some brisk walking along the road to Green Lowther warmed the blood again and this summit was gained easily enough. We stood for a few moments deciding our next move, admiring the view - eastward now towards the Moffat hills - and watching ice chunks fall from the radio pylon as the wind and rising temperature loosened their hold on the metal.
Our next move was to be downward. The sun was still with us and the strength of the wind was lost on the descent and it was a warm group who gathered at the reservoir to take an early afternoon rest. And by this time Paul was nearly dry. The going was easy now. The grass track that serviced the reservoir was followed to find the farm road the would take us to Leadhills. The old railway was met with at Leadhills station and the narrow gauge line was followed west toward Wanlockhead, We walked into the setting sun for the last mile or so to the starting point.
A superb day in a super walking area made for a great walk and Davie was complimented warmly for his choice.
PS We pinted in the oldest hostelry in Sanquhar, indeed one of the oldest in the country, The Crown, established 1723. It won’t be the last.