Great write up @acsimpson - have been looking at a lot of those tiles and have the ones above Harperrig, so know there is a lot to do for all of them.
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Veloviwer: Difficult explorer squares
(175 posts)- Started 4 years ago by stiltskin
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Posted 2 years ago #
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Good to join up all these little Pentland Hils farms.. must have been a grand day out.
I am still obsessed by the sign at the crossroads south of the Covenanter’s Grave. Which points up a good track and says Boston Cottage.
Now I have been at Boston Cottage, it is a non-existent house on the A70. It has a sign pointing back to Little Sparta/Stonypath which I have also done.
When we camped at the Covenanters I was up very early and took the path south of the grave and cycled up the hill, at the top of the hill there is another sign pointing to Boston Cottage. However it is point8ng down to Dunsyre so I am not sure that it doesn’t just end at the d7nsyre road and you go along to Little Sparta and back over that way I have gone before.
Frustrating as from the Covenaters Grave you can see a lovely valley beyond the defunct reservoir that is path less but would make a good route to Boston Cottage,
In the olden days these paths were to move people and livestock around between the remote farms. The south west Pentland range has so many tracks and paths. But very few people. I did set the dogs off at a Dunsyre farm from miles away. On my early morning ride to nowhere near Boston Cottage. The farming folk are not very used to cyclists or even walkers. One of the landowners is very unfriendly to the entire world.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Nice write up, acsimpson.
Any access issues with
the forest track from Harperrig to West Cairn Hill?
That's somewhere I 'need' to go.Posted 2 years ago # -
@fimm, is it this track?
west cairn hillIts a little undefined through the woods but easy enough, its a pretty steep path up that way but you'll be fine.
Posted 2 years ago # -
@ Steveo
The eastern half of that route is the drove road to the Cauldstane Slap? But the western half looks to return via Murder Farm. Is that right? Btw Murder Farm has new owners.
Ah wait, no you come back down the Camilty Plantation Road I see now. And merely walk on the road well away from the new farm with poly tunnel and named Bruar or similar must go see. Might go now in fact
Posted 2 years ago # -
I went up through the plantation on the fire roads till the turning circle, there was a caravan for the forestry folks, it looked a bit dodgy but the path exists and is easy enough to follow on foot would be a pain trying to carry a bike through it though.
Rest of it was the main track down from the Cauldstane Slap and a bit of a cut off to get back to the car at the Harlaw carpark.
Btw Murder Farm has new owners.
Less likely to be murdered crossing it now?
Posted 2 years ago # -
@acsimpson good writeup, followed it round on Strava. Who 'invited' you to GOML at Newbigging?
If I have the correct square, the Dykefoot Farm one is accessible from the windfarm at the 'back' (west).
Posted 2 years ago # -
@fimm. Steveo's route is the same as mine into that square. There was no access issues at all, I think it's all forestry land. and the only person I saw was a bird watcher looking for an elusive night jar. I didn't see any evidence of the cravan so guess they have finished whatever work they were doing.
You head west from Harperrig on Tarmac and then turn onto a great forestry track (the gate can be ridden round) which takes you almost all the way you need to go. The track has a little gravel on some corners but almost no potholes so is a real blast on the way back down. If you aren't going over West Cairn hill itself then the second square only requires a short stretch of the footpath which leave from the turning circle. Last week it was rideable but obviously dry bog in places so YMMV.
@Murun, it was the residents of the cabin just before you skirt the farmyard. The square looks to be accessible from the north too but I haven't tried that route.
The windfarm is my backup for that square but requires a longer out and back on the gravel.
If anyone else want to visualise the ride or follow parts of it then it's all here: https://www.strava.com/activities/5681518449
Posted 2 years ago # -
acsimpson, steveo, that's very useful, thank you very much. I don't need to go to the top of West Cairn hill, I've run up there with Mr fimm.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I think this is the most appropriate thread for Jenny Graham and Calum Maclean's acheivement: Pair complete UK's longest straight-line challenge
Posted 2 years ago # -
“
"I'm happy I've done it but I wouldn't do it again," he said.
“
(Didn’t involve bicycles)
Posted 2 years ago # -
A fine achievement by Jenny and Calum. Must have been almost unimaginably tough going without paths and ignoring contours.
On a point of order regarding the OS' identification of this line - the OS seems to be defined as the longest straight line without crossing an 'Other road, drive or track' or better. Which obviously depends on track classification accuracy. The OS have the landrover track coming in from Gaick towards Sronphadruig as stopping at Loch Bhrodainn. In practice, from overhead shots, it looks to be 4WD vehicle negotiable to the outflow of Loch an Dùin, which intersects with the OS line. Not sure if this would alter the line or just shorten it...
https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/newsroom/blog/gbs-longest-linear-walk-without-crossing-a-road
https://tinyurl.com/2s7s24w7 - Google Maps of what I'm talking about
Posted 2 years ago # -
@Murun - you are right about there being a landrover track heading South from Gaick Lodge, past Loch Bhrodainn.
I cycled it a couple of years ago to follow in @IWRATS documented tyremarks over Gaick pass. (He went Northbound in his book).
It does turn into much more of a path as you go along the side of Loch an Dùin and needs a bit of hike-a-bike.
All of this is irrelevant though as the line they took is not crossing 'paved surfaces for vehicular use' and the landy track isn't tarmaced.
Posted 2 years ago # -
@HankChief - I would agree it's not clear what the OS are defining as a 'paved road'. Looking at the blue lines on the image in the OS link above, these correspond to the 'Other road, drive or track' ie double-dashed lines on smaller scale OS maps, or proper roads.
The binding constraints on the OS line appear to be avoiding the hill tracks at (a) upper Glen Feshie, and (b) Loch Builg. Neither of these are tarmacked. And as you confirm, it overlooks the facts on the ground at Loch an Duin.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Hmm. It does seem quite fortuitous that it squeezes past those points.
Looking at that line, and just thinking of the circular driving route round the Cairngorms (& ignoring the rest), I'm not sure there is much further you could as it seems to have found a bulge outwards at both end.
Posted 2 years ago # -
It's been puzzling my brain as to what else would make up the top 5 longest routes.
Here are my guesses (based on a road atlas rather than OS).
A. Loch Lochy to Carrbridge 48ish miles
B. Stromness to Muir of Ord 43ish miles
C. Spean Bridge to Crianlarich 37ish miles
D. Ledmore junction to Dingwall 37ish miles
Close but shorter
E. Scourie to Lairg 36ish miles.
F. Loch Lochy to NW tip of Knoydart 34ish miles
Some of these seem a much more appealing walk that bashing over the Cairngorms.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Oh & what about the 20miles from Carnwath to Hillend...
Posted 2 years ago # -
@HankChief did you mean Strome Ferry (no ferry) instead of Stromness? That would be a fantastic walk
Posted 2 years ago # -
Yes. #MyBad. And indeed it would be a cracking walk.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I went for a spin round parts of Lanarkshire and The Borders at the weekend picking up lots of new squares. None of them were tricky other than by remoteness but I almost missed this one. Zooming right in shows that I only spent 1 second in it.
I also discovered some more tarmac heading into the far south of the Pentlands which I hadn't previously explored.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Ha, wow! New challenge idea?!
Posted 2 years ago # -
@jonty, If you are planning to jump straight from top left to bottom right without "visiting" the other two squares then I can suggest a location. You need to find a road that hits the intersection and ideally is downhill so that you cover more distance per record in your track.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I was thinking more minimising the actual time you spend in each square you get? I guess squares per km is the measurement to maximise.
Posted 2 years ago # -
The veloviewer site gives an average distance per tile visited for all your activities. I'm currently sitting at just over 7.6 but if you took out activities where I didn't gain any squares not would be much lower.
From memory when I was a regular commuter it sat closer to 8.
Posted 2 years ago #
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