127-128 - Dumfries & Galloway and South Ayrshire - 18th May 2015

There are several people who sometimes join me for my high points, the person who has done the most is Darren with an amazing 36 high points out of the 126 that I have done so far, the reason he has done so many is because he did all the London high points with me, mostly all on one day back in January 2013. I remember saying to Darren that he should come and do a proper mountain at some point and so the time had come for us both to make that happen.

Now Darren has a favourite movie, The 1973 film The Wicker Man starring Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward (or Ewar Woowar for those in the know) and when we started to plan his trip he mentioned about visiting some of the filming locations for the film so that is what we would do, a combined mountain/Wicker man trip. The Wicker man was filmed in Scotland and we managed to find a holiday park on the actual site of some of the filming so off we headed up the M6 to Scotland and the Burrowhead Holiday Village near Whithorn.

Before I go any further I need to say that there are Wicker Man spoilers, so if you have never seen it and don't want it ruined then go watch it now, I will wait while you watch it . . . . . .

We set up camp and the first night was spend exploring the holiday park but the next morning we were off for a drive around the local area to see some of the Wicker man sights. we were quite lucky as we managed to find both sites where they filmed the actual Wicker Man being set on fire, We also found the hole in which Edward Woodward was led out of before he was taken to the Wicker man, and further down the coast we found St Ninians cave which was used in the movie. The Isle of Whithorn is a small fishing village in the local area too and we stopped here for some food for our barbecue that night, we ended up buying some fish from a travelling fish salesman, (that was odd and expensive).

The next day it was time for a hill climb and we headed north to the Galloway Forest park where we parked amongst the hills next to Loch Trool. We left the car and were soon walking along the side of a river, there were a few waterfalls along here which were nice and after a few smaller hills we were walking through a large open flat area with a ruined spooky stone cabin overlooking the river and mountains. After a bit of an explore we headed off again and were soon climbing up the slopes of our mountain, firstly through the forests and then out into the open moorland. The climb was going well but the weather was slowly deteriorating, It had started off cloudy and dry but it was turning damp and windy and we were now starting to walk into the cloud.

Merrick

After a few snack stops we were now getting close to the summit, we couldn't see the high point until the very last minute due to the thick cloud cover but it was good to see and we found some shelter from the wind in a small stone structure near the Trig point on top of Merrick, at 782 metres it is the highest point of Dumfries and Galloway. After a stop for food it was time to move on to our next high point, it was not very far from Merrick however it soon became apparent that the cloud and wind combined with a very rocky ridge and steep slopes made the rest of the walk rather difficult and a little bit dangerous. Merrick - Kirriereoch Hill the highest point of South Ayrshire at 782 metres above sea level.

There was no way I was going to carry on and risk any injuries without being able to see where we were going. I do have a little rule in my high points challenge and that is that I will get as close as possible to any high points, sometimes it is not possible to get to a high point due to it being private property or if the weather is too bad or if it is too dangerous so we decided that this was as close we were going to get.

As near as we dared to go

It was now time to make our way back to the carpark so we retraced our steps and passed Merrick again and worked our way back down the slopes of Merrick, through the forest and along the banks of the river and back to the car, near the car park over looking Loch Trool we stopped at a memorial to Robert the Bruce, It was here that Bruce and his men were victorious against the English in 1307, a really beautiful place to visit.

Back at the campsite it was barbecue time again and time to set fire to the Wicker Man, It was sun set and Darren had made a mini Wicker man and the plan was to set fire to him in the same location as the original Wicker Man, it took us a while to get him lit but we managed it and we danced around singing pagan ritual songs as the sun dipped below the horizon (not really, we just burnt the little wicker man). Now it was time for a well earned rest before our long drive home the next day. After packing up the tent we set off for home and on route we stopped off at several other Wicker Man filming locations. It was a brilliant trip and Darren was excellent company, I look forward to climbing another hill or 2 with him, Thanks Darren.

123-126 - Swansea, Carmarthenshire, Bridgend, Neath Port Talbot - 13th-15th October 2015

Fan Foel

The Pod

I was joined again by Chris G and this time we were heading off to South Wales to tick off 4 high points, We drove to our campsite in South Wales not too far from the town of Amanford where we were treated to a bit of luxury, instead of our tent we ended up with a glamping pod. so we settled in and got ready for our first high point.

Just to the South of Amanford lies the Mynydd y Betws Wind Farm, 15 magnificent wind turbines all working together to supply power to Carmarthenshire, our destination was near the wind farm so we decided to park and go for a walk around the Wind farm and find the high point. Both Chris and myself are huge fans of wind farms, personally I think they are beautiful, quiet and excellent news for the environment,  to see these amazing beasts up close was a real treat. we took our time walking through these and getting surprisingly close to them, at one point we saw one being worked on by an engineer, stopping and re-starting the turbine, it is a fascinating thing to watch. 

Swansea High point

Eventually we had crossed the wind farm and had made out way up Mynydd y Betws hill to the highest point, at 373 metres this is the highest point of Swansea and with magnificent views over the wind farm it really was a good one to visit. Not too far from the high point was the remains of a medieval castle, there were not too many stone work remains left however plenty of ditches to explore and hide from the wind in. 
Making our way back down the hill and back through the wind farm we eventually made our way back to the car park and then back home with a short stop in Ammanford for some supplies.

The next morning it was time to visit the tallest of the high points during this visit. it was going to be a fairly long walk so headed off and parked at a youth hostel ready for our walk. We first had to walk along the road for a while but we had soon left the road and were making our way through a valley, passing some old ruined buildings, through a forest and over the river we eventually came out onto open land and the start of the climb up. The climb was pretty steep to start with and we were soon making progress and getting higher, stopping for snacks at times and then to put in warmer clothes as the wind had picked up. To our left below us there were some amazing views of a lake and to the north but we carried on and soon we were walking along a ridge and over the peak of Picws Du and then along another ridge towards the highest point Fan Foel, at 781 metres it is the highest point of Carmarthenshire. 

We didn't stop long and we soon went straight down the front of Fan Foel, a steep decent and then across some moorland passing over the smaller hills of Cefn Disgwylfa and Disgwylfa eventually making our way to farm land and some footpaths leading us back to our car at the youth hostel. It was then a short drive home back to our pod and a nice relaxing evening.


On day 3 we had planned to visit 2 more high points so we headed south and then east deep into the winding roads of the Brecon Beacons where we parked at an amazing view point northwards over looking the town of Treorchy. From the car park we walked back along the road and through the sheep, it wasn't quite as beautiful as the previous day however it still had some amazing views now to the south. We soon joined a service road and were making our way up to a fenced off complex and a tall mast, just beyond this was the highest point of Bridge End, called Werfa it is 568 metres above sea level. Making our way back to the car a slightly different route we were soon driving and on our way to our second destination of the day.

We parked our car at another car park with amazing views, this time overlooking Hirwaun common, a short walk back along the road brought us to some moorland and then into a forest, this high point was situated well into this forest so I knew the views wouldn't be as good from the summit but we carried on and eventually found the trig point marking the highest point of  Neath Port Talbot, called Craig y Llyn it is 600 metres above sea level. A short walk and we were back at the car and on our way back to the pod for another good rest before our drive home again. These few high points were all really good to visit, each one of them were slightly different, even the forest covered Craig y Llyn had its appeal. Thanks to Chris for joining me on another awesome trip.

The top of Carmarthenshire

Werfa, Bridgend

Craig Y Llyn

121-122 - York and Barnsley - 14th-17th September 2015

Highest point of Barnsley

In September 2015 I was heading up to Leeds for a work event so while in the area I thought I would tick off a few more high points. first was the highest point of York,

Stock Hill

I was staying not too far from Wetherby and the highest point of York was not too far away so I headed off and parked nearby. There was not much of a walk to the highest point and I found it quite soon, not one of the most exciting high points around but still good to tick it off my list. The highest point of York, Stock hill and the crazy height of 44mt.

Endless moorland

After my work event I stayed at a campsite near the town of Penistone, a very small but lovely and friendly campsite called Orchard Camping. It had a fire pit everyone was so friendly, well worth a visit. The next day I headed off to find one of my high points, it took me a while to find somewhere to park as the road was very busy, I managed to find a layby on the A628 to pull over into and I headed off across the moorland on a rather gloomy day. The ground was very wet underfoot (really much buy new hiking boots) and after a while of trudging across the moorland I arrived at Hoar Stones, at 514 meters it is the highest point of Barnsley, I didn't stay too long and soon I was retracing my steps to get back to my car and back to my campsite where I enjoyed a delicious stew cooked on the campfire.

120 - High Willhays - Devon - 11th August 2015

Meldon Dam

Devon is a beautiful county with some amazing countryside and towns, it is also home to Dartmoor, a National park and huge moorland, the location of the highest point of Devon. for this trip I was accompanied by Chris G and he set off from Bournemouth arriving at our campsite on the edge of Dartmoor near the town of Okehampton in the Appledore farm campsite, a lovely and friendly campsite.

On the day of the walk we parked in a car park and headed off to find the high point, the first thing we arrived at was the Meldon Reservoir, our route took us straight across the dam and there were some impressive views both across the water and then down into the valley below. Once across the dam we started to make our way uphill, first walking up and around a smaller Longstone hill and then up Okehampton common. It was very wet and boggy underfoot and my feet were soon drenched (must buy new hiking boots). but soon we were working out way up the slopes to Yes Tor.

From Yes Tor it was a fairly flat walk to High Willhays, at 621 meters the highest point of Devon. We stopped here for some lunch and a cup of tea and then we made our way back down the slopes along a different route. from High Willhays we walked down the north east slopes and then up West Mill Tor for another short snack stop and then down the western slopes across Black Down. This whole area is used as military training grounds so there were signs of military life popping up at various times, small huts and even a railway.

High Willhays

We eventually left the moorland passing through a car park and then had to climb uphill again to an old railway line and the Meldon Viaduct, We crossed the bridge and then made our way back to the car tired and happy after a successful hill climb.

During the rest of our stay we decided to do a few more walks, one was when it was very wet and we headed off into a misty forest to try and find some shelter from the rain, it was a lovely walk and quite a spooky atmosphere. Our second walk took us down some country paths, it also featured us getting a bit lost, discovering some abandoned vehicles, having to climb our way through the soaking wet undergrowth and into a farmers field and then trying to find our way back to the car  while trying to avoid walking across anyones private property (Thanks Chris ☺).

All in all it was an excellent few days and a successful hill climb. I think this hill was my halfway point in my highest points challenge. 

Cowpat Mushroom