Crock (NO 226 632; 554m) and Hare Cairn (NO 242 623; 516m)
I looked at visiting Hare Cairn when I was at Backwater Reservoir last year, but decided it would be better approached from Freuchies, and that it would be good if I had my bike available for the purpose. So to Freuchies is where we headed this morning, for Mick to run/walk some laps of the forest, whilst I did a 5-leg outing, consisting of: bike, walk, bike, walk, bike.
Mick set out a couple of minutes before me, but I soon passed him as I pedalled off up the hill. I certainly can't claim to be an able cyclist, and I'm slow uphill, but even so I thought that I must have got well away from Mick by the time I reached my first stopping-point after 3.5km. It was thus a surprise to hear Mick approaching whilst I was still faffing in the transition between bike and walk.
Mick looked dubiously at where I'd parked the bike and asked what I was doing. I pointed at the broom that was obscuring the old, unmapped track that I was going to take through the relatively young forest, and confirmed that this was, in fact, the easy way up the hill - and so it proved to be. The old track has largely grown over with heather now, relatively young at the bottom, more woody further up, but it was still a straightforward route. With the track ending at the top of the forest, the final approach to the summit was harder going than it had been getting up through the forest.
I was back down at the bike in 35 minutes, and after another transition faff, I was ready to ride around to the east side of the hill to tackle Hare Cairn.
All of the bike legs proved to be enjoyable (even to this non-cyclist). Some of the inclines may have been uncomfortably steep, but none went on quite long enough to be unpleasant, and this leg featured a big downhill, which preceded the final uphill.
Putting the bike to one side again, I was temporarily paralyzed by indecision: I'd parked the bike at the end of a rough track that went off in one direction, but just behind me I thought I could see another track that aerial mapping suggested took a more direct line, but I also couldn't make out how far up the hill it might go. Eventually I had to conclude that standing still wasn't getting me anywhere, so I opted for the track that looked less direct, but I thought, from the aerial images, looked more promising.
It worked out fine, but once beyond its end the heather was deeper and woodier than would have been ideal - particularly as I refuse to learn my lesson about leg wear, so I'd opted for 3/4 length leggings and was once again scratching my lower legs to pieces.
This summit was a particularly fine viewpoint, over Backwater Reservoir and, beyond, the hills I'd visited last summer. I could also examine the hill I intend to go up tomorrow for the best looking route option.
After a few snaps at the trig point, I took a bearing and paced out to the location where the highest point is said to be (which really isn't discernible from any of the ground around it), wandered around a bit, then just dropped straight back down the hillside towards the bike, eventually picking up my outward track just as the terrain was getting a bit tricky.
Then all I had to do was to whiz back down to the car park - or not quite whiz down because someone has snuck some undulations in the way. Thinking back to my first hill-bagging outings on the bike, where I would inch back down the hill with the brakes on the whole time, I have gained in confidence, even with the big gaps between using the bike. Today I temporarily hit 40km/h on one of the final descents. Overall, I still would have been well behind the top marathon runners though!
After a really enjoyable outing (the combination of some warm sunshine, not-too-difficult riding, and far-easier-than-expected walks up hills), there was then something of a reversal of roles. More often than not it's Mick who finds himself hanging around car parks waiting for me, but today it was Mick who had the longer outing.
Zoom of the 'on foot' bits of my route:
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