Ramblers Routes

ramblers routes ramblers routes Britain’s best walks from the experts Britain’s best walks from the experts Scotland Scotland 01 Tarbert to Abhainn Sgaladail, Isle of Harris 02 East Lomond & West Lomond, Fife l Distance 13½km/8½ miles l Time 4hrs l Type Lochs and moorland l Distance 11km/7miles l Time 3hrs l Type Hill and glen NAvIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL NAvIGATION LEVEL FITNESS LEVEL walk magazine autumn 2015 walk magazine autumn 2015 plan your walk plan your walk l Inverness l LEWIS Stornoway

HARRIS TARBERT

SKYE LOMOND FIFE HILLS l Edinburgh

Where Linear walk from Where An unusual out-and- Tarbert to Abhainn Sgaladail. back walk taking in both hy: steve morgan PhotograPhy: Start Port of Tarbert summits of the Lomond Hills keith fergus PhotograPhy: (NG155999). in Fife. end A859 above the Abhainn The North Harris Hills may fall how the route has been put Start/end Craigmead The two peaks of Fife’s Lomond 3 miles south-west of the village of Sgaladail river, marked by a short of being Munros but they together, often using existing car park (NO227062). Hills form a conspicuous focal Falkland. From here, take a single- small monument (NB186096). still form a substantial barrier, paths – in this case, the Harris terrain Hill tracks and point for the Lomond Hills track road running east, then turn terrain Paved road, open representing the boundary Walkway. paths over open moorland Regional Park, which was L onto a stony track and go around country, moorland tracks, between Lewis and Harris, and are with two steep ascents and designated Scotland’s first in 1986 a metal barrier. The track rises past several steady ascents, both a watershed and a weather 1. START Before setting out, it’s descents. The route passes (then named Fife Regional Park). a wood then continues over open gates and stiles. vane – often keeping one part of worth nosing around Tarbert. A across farmland so keep dogs This park is home to East Lomond moorland, where skylark and MapS OS Explorer 456 & the island wet while another is community trust bought out the on leads. and West Lomond, Fife’s most meadow pipit may well be 455; Landranger 14. bathed in sunshine. This gorgeous landowners 10 years ago and now MapS OS Explorer 370; prominent landmarks – at 522m/ spotted. As the dome of East GettinG there The W10 walk breaks out from Tarbert and runs a well-stocked shop where Landranger 58 & 59. 1,713ft, West Lomond is the Lomond comes into view, the bus runs along the A859 follows a serene loch, before you can buy supplies for the walk. GettinG there Stagecoach highest point in the region. The gradient eases and the track between Stornoway and walking under the gaze of the Take the road signposted for bus 36 goes from Glenrothes peaks are separated by a broad narrows to path. Keep on past a Tarbert, passing the end of hills. Among the summits and Scalpay and keep on this for 2km. to Falkland. It’s a 3-mile expanse of moorland with a gate on the R, signposted for the this walk, where you can flag ridges is the Clisham horseshoe, You soon pass through the walk/bike ride from Falkland. fantastic array of flora and fauna, Limekiln Trail, to reach a gate on the bus down (www.cne-siar. where the highest mountain, minuscule hamlet of Urgha. eatinG & drinkinG and good paths make for a the L (NO238060). Once through, gov.uk/travel/busservice/ Clisham, logs in at 799m/2,621ft. The Bruce Inn, Falkland reasonably simple walk, although turn R from where a broad track current/indexlh.asp). No Any cyclist will tell you that these 2. The road swoops down towards (✆ 01337 857226, www. there are a couple of steep ascends north-east to the base of buses on Sundays. mountains can be a heartbreaker a dam and reaches a car park and thebrucefalkland.co.uk). ascents. The surrounding East Lomond (NO243061). eatinG & drinkinG Firstfruits after the flatlands of the Uists lay-by (NB177004) on the L. Take SleepinG The Bruce landscape is predominantly flat, Tearoom (✆ 01859 502439, and Lewis. That much is true, but the footpath heading north-east Inn (as above). so the views are far-reaching, 2. A path, which can be a little www.firstfruits-tearoom.co.uk) things are easier for the walker, along the west side of the loch. ViSitor inforMation across Fife, Perthshire, Stirlingshire eroded at points, now climbs up for light meals or cakes. Hotel as this footpath through the The route is level to begin with Kirkcaldy Information and beyond – the Pentlands, the the steep west face of East Hebrides (✆ 01859 502364, mountains, opened in 2001, was then rises gently through Gleann Centre (✆ 01592 267775, Ochils and the Southern Highland Lomond, although the route www.hotel-hebrides.com) designed with much thought, Lacasdail and along the shores www.visitscotland.com). Munros of Stuc a’ Chroin and Ben keeps to the L of the steepest for more substantial meals. skipping and threading its way of the loch of the same name. Guidebook Kingdom of Vorlich are particularly appealing. section on a steady ascent. Once SleepinG Hotel Hebrides, through valleys and never too Fife: 40 Coast and Country past a craggy outcrop, there demanding. It’s a key part of the 3. The path curves R, sweeping Walks 1. START Begin from Craigmead is a final, steep climb onto the Tarbert (as above). by Dan Bailey (£6.99, ▲ ▲ ▼ new Hebridean Way and typical of above the head of the loch, with ▼ car park, which is approximately 434m/1,424ft summit of East

Continued... 6 FINISH

VIsIToR INFoRmaTIoN Tarbert TIC (seasonal), Pier ✆ Map not to scale. Road ( 01859 502011, www. Representation of visitouterhebrides.co.uk). Map not to scale. OS Explorer GuIDebooK The Outer Representation of MAP 370 1:25,000 OS Landranger www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk Hebrides: 40 Coast & Country MAP 14 1:50,000 Walks by Paul & Helen Webster www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk 5 (£6.99, Pocket Mountains, ISBN 978 1907025334). 5 6 LoCaL RambLeRs GRoup The nearest group is Inverness 4 Ramblers, which is part of the 1 3 Ramblers’ Highland & Islands 4 2 START Area (✆ 01463 236204, www. FINISH ramblers.org.uk/inverness).

gorgeous views back south, across the loch to the open sea. As the path levels out around the pass, things become boggier pretty 3 much all year round. This is a good place for spotting red grouse, Continued... To download this route and hundreds of others, stonechats and ravens. Follow the visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes path across a small footbridge to Pocket Mountains, reach the hairpin of a minor ISBN 978 0955454837). road (NB187058). LoCaL RambLeRs GRoup: another wall opening, you’ll find a trig pillar on the summit of West St Andrews & North East Fife broad farm track (NO225064). Turn Lomond (NO198066). Again, the 4. Walk uphill to reach the main Ramblers (www.standrews L onto this, and follow it across view is extensive, with the flat, rural island road, the A859, above the nefiferamblers.com). more open moorland, enjoying the landscape of Fife drawing the eye hamlet of Maraig, with views of splendid scenery – look back for towards the big, muscular vast Loch Shiophoirt, which opens a fine view of East Lomond. The mountains of the Southern out into the Minch. Turn R along START 2 Lomond (NO244063). The track then begins to rise more the road. Walk along the verge Highlands, with the Perthshire Stuc 1 panorama is stunning, taking in steeply, veering south-west. After a’ Chroin and Ben Vorlich especially and some minor roadside tracks much of Fife and its coastline, the passing through a gate, the base arresting. There is also a lovely view for 500m – unfortunately, much of long rolling profile of the Ochil of West Lomond’s steep eastern from here of the East Lothian coast. this stretch is taken up by a large Hills, Arthur’s Seat above profile is reached (NO199068). lay-by. Then cross the road to pick Edinburgh, and West Lomond. To download this route and hundreds of others, 6. For the descent, take a path up the Harris Walkway as it pulls visit www.ramblers.org.uk/routes 5. Here the track forks. Keep R that drops steeply north-east away to the north-west (NB194069). 3. From the summit, carefully and take an easier approach from the trig pillar down West descend East Lomond, retracing around the northern aspect of Lomond’s eastern slopes. In due 5. Granite shoulders, the flanks of 6. The path makes one last curve this time to a small monument by your steps back to the car park West Lomond, along a broad, course, the path zigzags back the hills, nudge you along, but the R, high above the vast mouth of the footpath that resembles a well at Craigmead (NO227062). stony path. When it climbs steadily down to the main track. Make walking is remarkably easy, if often Gleann Sgaladail, where the river (NB186096). Buses to and from

to a fork, go L onto a narrow a R here and retrace your steps soggy. While the road swings and its tributaries twist and turn in Tarbert can be flagged down 4. Walk through the car park, path and take the last, steep back to Craigmead. north with a series of thrilling textbook fashion. Finally, the path here on either side of the road. passing the public toilets, then go climb to reach a large cairn and Route devised by Keith Fergus hairpins, the footpath drops drops down to the A859 again, Route devised by Mark Rowe between two gateposts onto a steadily towards the valley floor, path that heads through a pocket and contours gently around the of pine woodland. Beyond a gate, side of the peaks of Cleit Ard and turn L, climb a grassy path over a Caisteal Ard. At the brow of the field, and when it splits, keep L. pass, huge, sheer cliffs at Creag Mo The path continues north-west, appear in the distance, resembling soon passing through a gap in a the fractured basalt columns of the wall. Continue along the path as Giant’s Causeway, except these are it climbs gradually. Once through 300m above sea level.

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