The Donalds; Lorraine’s Ups ‘n Doons part 4.

Monday Day 28, Final day
138 Meall Clachan
139 Uamh Beag
140 Beinn Odhar
141 Creag Beinn Nan Eun
141/141

After a warm shower, dry clothes and a fantastic sleep I woke up to freshly made banana pancakes and coffee. Julie and Lisa has looked after me well and I bloody love them. Thankyou girls.
As I do Fi, julie dropped me back at the high point on the Sherriffmuir road where we had finished like 2 drowned rats the night before. This morning was lovely blue skies and I could at last see where we had been.
Fi was there to take all my extra kit and I cycled off for my final day with a fantastic downhill
Ride to Braco followed by a chilled undulating ridge to Glen Artney. For once I had plenty of time and there was no rush. Glen Artney is a beautiful place to go slowly through…
I was first to arrive and chilled at the river waiting for Chris, Marsie, Manny and Fi who had all come to join me. We had a late afternoon start with a steep wee climb up Am Beanan to reach the first top Meall Clachan where we experienced our only heavy showers of the day. I was very glad of this when we hit the infamous Uamh Beag bog between this hill and Beinn Odhar. Today we could generally pick a way through and everything is relative. Yesterday I had crossed 2.5 miles of the menstrie bog in really wild conditions but could see how tough this would be in similar conditions, if climbing these Glen Artney Donalds save them for a good day!!!
Over then to the final hill of both the day and the journey Craig Beinn Nan Eun. A great moment turning south to see everything I had already climbed and what an amazing bunch to be with on the summit. It was bitter cold and a beautiful light and we didn’t hang around. Celebratory caramel wafers, sausage rolls and seeet pastries were produced and then we headed downhill meeting Kev and Tom en route for the Bonnie’s wee bridge. Then back to the car where Manny produced a wee dram before we all headed off.
An incredible end to this journey with some very special people.
Thankyou to every single person who has supported and followed. This may have been a self propelled journey but would not have happened without all the support both on the hill and in the background………

And then there were 4……

Sunday Day 27
129 White wisp
130 Innerdownie
131 Tarmangle Hill
132 Kings Seat
133 Andrew G Hill
134 The Law
135 Ben Cleuch
136 Beinn Ever
137 Blairdenden Hill

Girls on Top……….
An auspicious start this morning cycling from Tillicoultry to dollar Glen to meet the girls. I was already a drowned rat when i got there. Tea and lots of offers of food soon sorted this out and Nic, Kathryn, Susannah and I
Eventually headed up whitewisp hill with a detour out to Innerdownie. A bit wet to begin with but weather and ground conditions deteriorated but enthusiasm and humour did not. These lassies had come from a high school reunion in Edinburgh the night before and impressed me with there willingness to come out on a bog trot! Views disappeared and we wandered about in the mist, Nic leaving us to organise bikes annd bags for the end.
I first met Nic and Kathryn through Jamie Aaron’s record breaking Munro round and love that the spiders web of contacts is still weaving along.
The girls had come at short notice but had to drop 📉 off after kings seat and I carried on in deteriorating conditions over Andrew g hill, the law and beinn cleuch. It was Mingin. Nothing was dry.
Julie who lives locally had organised to meet up for support over to Blairdendon Hill after being passed all my kit from Nic and even collecting my lost glasses! This lass I did not know had come all the way oot in the worse weather with hot tea and home made cake and jam.
And think goodness as the Menstrie bog lived up to its reputation and it was a tough bog walk over to Blairdendon Hill. Offers of a bed for the night were initially refused by me because I wanted to stay on my route but 12 hours after starting with NOTHING dry I relented and Julie whisked me off from the end of the track for hot shower, bed and lovely food made by the lovely Lisa.
This could have been one of the worse days but because of all the amazing support it will definitely be up there as one of the best…..
4 to go……
Julie will be dropping me at yesterday’s end point for my cycle to Glen Artney

Saturday day 26
127 Tinto
127/141
Up Tinto first thing this morning then a big cycle back up towards the Ochills. I found today tough and it was great to get support from Struan and Marsie sorting out bags so that I could travel light.
I passed the Kelpies today, nearly made me as happy as yellow flowers…..
Shattered by the time I reached Dollar but booked a wee room in Rillicoutry to make sure I was ready for a big day across the Ochills.
I have really struggled with updates as I lost my glasses on the hill and can’t believe someone has found them on pykestone hill. Unfortunately cannot see the post properly to thank them by name but so looking forward to being reunited.
Thankyou to all the group of supporters who have really helped out particularly the last couple
Of days.

Friday Day 25
119 Comb Hill
120 Gatheranow Hill
121
122
123 Huntingdon Hill
124 Coulter Fell
125
126

After a lovely camp in the Bonnie Glen Kirk, I cycled up the Glen , hid ma bike and headed up Comb Hill and over to Gathersnow fully into the wind but no rain at this point.
The long march of the windmills today as I headed over the next two hills and used the windmill tracks to take me across the plateau to Huntingdon Hill. The full force of the windmills and the rain saw me staggering a bit and I hid behind one of the windmills for a ‘Jamie Nap’! 10 minutes later I was much fresher and ready for the bog. Dropped a lot of height to a lovely reservoir then the big climb back over
Coulter fell
And the other two hills before dropping steeply to my bike.
Another milestone reached.
I only have Tinto left down here before heading back over the central belt but still had to get there.
Si back on the bike and a big push round to Tinto Hill via Biggar and my first Chippy and it was bloody great!
The end is nigh…..(Apologies for gaps in names of hills, I have lost my glasses and cannae read the map!)

Thursday day 24
115 the scrape
116 Pike Stone Hill
117 mid Hill
118 taberon hill
119 Drumelzier Law
It was into the full force of a strong south westerly as I cycled out of Peebles in the morning for Drumelzier. The wind was moving west and pushed me up the scrape and pykestone hill . Good start to the day having the wind at your back. Into the full force of it Again out to mid hill and taberon hill, unsteady on my feet. At least today’s lashing rain stopped and started giving the waterproofs a chance to dry in between each blast. Everything eased as I dropped off Drumelzier and thought I had found a great wee bothy but unfortunately locked. Today I was accompanied across the moors by the lonely lament of the golden plover.
I am now in a Bonnie spot by the river in Glenkirk. I don’t want to leave ma wee tent yet though. It’s blowing a hooly doon the Glen and I am very snug.
Hopefully this all makes sense, lost ma glasses again…..

Wednesday Day 23
111 Birkscairn Hill
112 Dun Rig
113 Middle Hill
114 Stob Law
114/141

Motivation was in tune with yesterdays low pressure system. Legs like led, I struggled to leave Innerleithen yesterday morning to cycle to Peebles. My hills were the ones around Glen Sax.
It was 3pm before I was on top of Birkscairn Hill. En route up the rain started, this ‘heavy shower’ lasted till 6 and I was walking directly into the full force of it for the first half of the route. On Dun Rig I met a couple
Of hardy young people out training for there ML, they should pass just for being out yesterday.
Middle Hill is aptly named and just as I thought the rain was easing it came hammering back for the route up Stob Law. Back over Hundleshope and down Glen Sax and I started to dry out as the rain stopped but the wind didn’t but it was behind me now. The heavens opened again as I reached the valley floor and I was a drowned rat when I reached my bike.
Ma wee waterproofs have given up……..
It was a no brainer to get a wee room in Peebles with the BEST shower and everything dried out.
I feel in a completely different place this morning with only a few days left down here.
Could someone switch the rain off now…..
Today’s forecast looking similar

Tuesday Day 22
105 Ba****ck Knowe
106 Windlestraw Law
107 Whitehope Law
108 Dundreich
109 Bowbeat Hill
110 Blackhope Scar
110/141

First off today I cycled up the Glen from Innerleithen to take in the three hills of Ba****ck Knowe, Windlestraw Law and Whitehope Law. Straightforward morning till caught in a heavy thunderstorm on summit of Whitehope Law. I ran away quick……
I returned to my bike and cycled up through the woods at top of Glen Tress to just below the wind farms. I’m sure they were not here 3 years ago or maybe it was even mistier than I remember….
Three more hills up here, I headed for Dundreich first, having to fight through the woods to get up to wind farm. It would have been a bit easier to cycle into wind farm. A lovely big peat bog eventually brought me to the summit then retraced my steps to Bowbeat Hill which is in the middle of wind farm.
Note to self: get some up to date maps…
It felt like a long walk from here out through the far side of wind farm across and up the bog to Blackhope Scar in a heavy rain shower but no thunder this time. A long trudge back to bike then the fun.
A very fast downhill cycle all the way back to Innerleithen.
The skylarks are giving way to curlew and the hills are full of cloudberry flower.

Monday Day 20
No hills
Still 104/141

This morning I found it tough to leave ma wee campsite and hung around chatting to Moira and Ian before leaving around 11 - a stop in Hawick at the supermarket saw ma wee bike laden down and it was one of those days when I felt it. I got slower as the day went on and stopped a lot so gave myself a wee shake and booked into accommodation in Innerleithen. Ready to go again this morning - just have to wait for brekky……

Sunday Day 19
103 Windy Gyle
104 West Top Cairn

Left ma wee tent up at campsite in Denholm this morning and cycled east with a tailwind. I was running out of food and prayed I could find a shop somewhere on the backroads. I was delighted to find a fantastic wee community run shop in Morebattle. I wasn’t in a hurry to leave. Lovely wee village!

I then carried on down the Beaumont water to Cocklawfoot and headed for Windy Gyle with a good breeze blowing. I arrived on the summit to find a group having a very fancy lunch courtesy of Fell’s Kitchen, a combo of guided walks and gourmet food. If I hadn’t been at that wee shop I would have bitten their arm off to have some!
West Top Cairn is a bizarre wee top on Cheviot. I wasn’t convinced I must be in the wrong place until I checked the hill bagging site. It seemed a very long way from Windy Gyle for a wee bit of moorland on the border! I made my way back toward windy gyle and down to Cocklawfoot ready for the cycle back. By now it was 530.
The morning’s pleasant cycle was not so comfortable en route back as I was now straight into a strengthening head wind.
Very happy I had left ma wee tent up at Ruberslaw site when I returned about 9 in time for some food and a shower before collapsing.
Just woke up this morning with some heavy rain, definitely not in a hurry to leave.
Enjoying some chat with Moira and Ian from Australia before starting ma wee cycle to Innerleithen…..
Pleased with getting the three outliers done in the last couple of days…..