Cairnsmore of Fleet - No photos, I forgot to take my camera!
It was a warm and sunny early morning when I set off from Whithorn but when I got to the Cairnsmore of Fleet Nature Reserve Information Centre it was much cooler, well it was still only 8am. As I was about to set off I realised I had forgotten my camera; this is the third time I have attempted to climb Cairnsmore of Fleet and even if I get there I'll have to come back again to photograph it. In spite of the coolness I set off walking in shorts anyway, you have to be optimistic at this time of year.
It is a half-mile walk before you pass underneath the disused and crumbling railway viaduct at Big Water of Fleet. Carry on along the track and you will enter into forestry; shortly afterwards you turn right, following the signpost for Loch Grannoch Lodge. After walking along the track for another mile or so, bear left, again following a signpost; you exit from the forestry after another mile. There is a small climb up by the side of Cleugh of Eglon before the final half-mile descent to Loch Grannoch, where the Lodge looks derelict from the outside. I got some shelter by the side of the Lodge as I put my waterproofs on, I couldn't ignore the cold rain any longer.
I walked back along the track away from the Lodge until I was a few yards past the end of a wall going uphill; I had to walk past it to find a way over the wet ground, deep holes and muddy bogs. Once I had reached firmer ground by the side of the wall I walked up by the side of it to where I reached an information board; it tells you about the Nature Reserve. There is no sign of any path and no sign that anybody else ever gets to read the information board. I visually plotted my route up Craigronald, avoiding the crags; first I had to cross an area of wet ground where the swamps hide underneath the tussock grass. I was going to try to keep to what looked like a green rake rising all the way up to the ridge between a gauntlet of craggy outcrops.
As I started to climb there were scattered boulders and tussock grass at first; as I gained height the grass was replaced by heather, then bilberry and then the first shoots of new bracken growth in between the sharp, dead stalks from last year. As I gained height I also gained gradient; the ground gets steep enough to be able to support yourself with your hands, otherwise known as walking on all-fours, and there were plenty of bigger boulders to clamber over. The bracken was just starting to grow, it might be more difficult to penetrate when it is fully grown or you might be able to see a better route, if one exists.
I eventually got up to the ridge, there is level ground but no path; I was walking across grass and heather, it is not really swampy but it is strenuous stepping over the vegetation, sinking into soft ground and having to step every step. It became more bouldery near the summit cairn of Craigronald but it is more like a rough upland moor than a mountain top. The mist was playing games, constantly hiding and revealing Cairnsmore, but at least I could see the direction I had to travel. It was fairly level walking, gaining 75 metres of height in almost a mile of distance; I headed for a cairn I could see on the unnamed summit ahead. I did wonder if I was anywhere near the “right” route when I came to a fence into which was built an elegant step-stile; it was sturdy and functional enough to get you safely over the fence whatever the weather.
After a short walk up easier grass to the substantial cairn I felt as though I was in the middle of nowhere; there are no paths, no landmarks and the fences marked on the map were not visible. I carried on walking in the direction of Cairnsmore, rising slightly on a broad, grassy ridge followed by an easy descent; I could see Cairnsmore of Fleet by then, navigation is easy with that much visibility. I came upon a metal fence-post, I thought it was a solitary one at first but as I passed it I could see a line of them rising up the side of Meikle Mulltaggart, but avoiding its summit. I was now able to work out where I was on the map and followed the fence until it started to bear right; I carried on walking upwards over plain grass to the broad, flat summit of Meikle Mulltaggart.
It's the kind of place where tufts of grass are the only landmarks; there were a few boulders lying around when I reached what seemed to be the highest point but nothing marked the summit. I walked off the summit in the direction of Cairnsmore and found a path for the first time today; I followed it down to Nick of the Saddle from where I was able to see my route upwards to Cairnsmore of Fleet. A fence went off to the left to follow the edge of the plateau; I had to cross the fence by a more typical, precariously unsafe, slippery wooden step-over stile. I took a fairly direct route upwards on a faint grassy path that disappeared well before I reached the summit. The gradient eventually eased and I got to a big summit plateau; I headed towards vaguely higher ground and eventually found the summit of Cairnsmore of Fleet.
At the summit there was a very big cairn, a trig point and the remains of a stone building, now resembling a square shelter the size of a small kitchen. The mist was rolling in and out, driven a by a strong, cold breeze as I followed the faint ridge path to the memorial to airmen who had died on the hill in World War 2. I carried on walking along the ridge; the tourist path bears right downwards but I continued on along the broad ridge. As I started to descend to Nick of Clashneach, the wind was strong and cold and there was hail in the wind. The Nick is a small, interesting col, with a fence, wall and a number of small lochans grouped together before you find an obvious path going uphill again.
There are more big boulders leading up to another ridge before you have another plain walk to another large cairn on the summit of Knee of Cairnsmore. I headed south, I couldn't see where I was going because the ground dropped away steeply; based on my reading of the map I kept bearing left and started to descend on what I hoped was a ridge. I was again walking over rough moorland and bilberry; the Door of Cairnsmore is either the ridge I was on or the drop off the edge of the cliffs, the map isn't too clear. I arrived at a fence without stiles or gates, but I could see the forestry where I needed to be, across a mile of rough, nature reserve meadow.
I turned right to follow the fence, keeping to the contours at first, before heading downhill in a straight line to nearly level ground. The ground became very wet as the fence turned right; it was close to the headwaters of a stream and I had to find the driest possible line over the edge of an extensive swamp. I eventually stepped over the fence when I decided I was above the head of the stream; I kept myself at the same height which meant I crossed another fence a couple of times as it made a hair-pin turn back on itself. I could see the opening in the forestry where I knew I would find the broad track back to Big Water of Fleet, but I was keeping higher to try and go a different way.
It was hard walking through tussocks and heather, regular small streams and numerous holes; it certainly felt like a long mile before I came to another fence. I turned right to follow the fence to a small hill named Mountain End; I crossed the fence there and walked below the crest of Clints of Dromore, not really knowing what to expect. I didn't want to trudge through the dense heather nearer to the crest, so I kept to the wet ground expecting to find a way through the ridge. I came to a wide gap, probably what is named Deep Nick of Dromore of the map, there was no path until I got to the other side of the ridge. Then I came across a faint path, keeping to the contours before bearing round to the left; it was going in the right direction and not losing any height.
The path was keeping just below crags until suddenly I had to make a bit of a scramble across one of the rocky outcrops; it is good rock just above a ten foot drop off the edge, not far but far enough to hurt if I fell off. Eventually the path lost height and took me to a gate in a fence; I walked across fields to join the small road back to the information centre.
© Andy Wallace 27th May 2007