Stefan Durkacz

The thing about Scotland is that even the flat bits are hilly, and the populated bits relatively wild. The fun doesn't begin and end in the the Highlands, and most people even in the central belt have hill days on the doorstep offering solitude and wildness way beyond what can be found in the south east of England. Whether the days are short or the weather bad or the Highlands snowed in or you're worried about your carbon footprint and don't fancy a long drive north, there are always options close to home - sometimes very challenging options in the depths of winter. A series of little ranges are placed like steps across the central belt. Hamish Brown once walked from Abernethy on the Firth of Tay through to the Erskine Bridge on the Clyde, dropping gradually south west over the Ochils, Fintry Hills, Campsie Fells and Kilpatrick Hills. This trip could be extended at both ends - over the Sidlaws from Forfar to Perth in the east, and the Renfrew Heights from Inverclyde to Larg...

A respite. Wet and windy, but only intermittently wet and not quite blow-you-over windy. Plenty of cloud but shards of brightness make for dramatic conditions. Not wanting to drive too far but in need of a long walk, I headed for the Ochils. Ben Cleuch by the long scenic route, from Glen Devon. The first few miles follow tracks and trails through Woodland Trust property and commercial forestry to Glen Sherup and onto the ridge near Ben Shee. Yet again I saw a black grouse up here, this time flying low in an arc across the moor. Ben Shee North is upper Glen Devon. Wether Hill overlooks the lower reservoir. This hill is on the Tay catchment boundary. Up to Andrew Gannell Hill and the main prow of the Ochils, the crest of the great wave of upland rising sharply from the low lands around the Forth estuary. Right on cue the wind freshens and the clouds are torn away. Views open out to the south, fitfully and hesitantly. Kincardine and Clackmannanshire bridges beyond Gartmorn Dam Sunshine on...

Back from a long weekend in Scotland, the last until Christmas as the baby is due in September. It was a mixed bag, with an 8 hour round trip to Arnisdale on Saturday to climb Beinn Sgritheall followed on Sunday by a wonderful afternoon and early evening wander through the Ochils west of Glen Devon. The wind was the dominating feature of the weekend, closely followed by too much driving and an annoying cold I couldn't quite shake. The purpose of the pilgrimage to Beinn Sgritheall was to meet a friend who was down to his last six Munros. I wouldn't be able to join him for the grand finale on Mull in September but wanted to be there for at least one of his final few, hence this rather crazy arrangement. Myopic Munro bagging results in these situations where the driving outweighs the walking. Beinn Sgritheall is remote and brutally steep. It eschews the small talk and gets straight down to business with a relentless climb from sea level at Arnisdale to the summit. On a day of low ...