I decided to make the most of the weather and go somewhere I ain't been since I left school - The Greenock Cut. The route of the infamous sponsored walk took us on part of the Cut and I have never bothered with it until now. Although the route is clearly marked with no maps required, I decided to have a browse at an OS map for the area. I'm glad I did. As it happens, if you deviate off the main path of the cut and go a wee bit 'off-piste' you can ascend a couple of hills which take you to one of the highest points in Greenock. The main one, Dunrod Hill, has it's trig point at 298m.
As it was me on my tod, there was no schedule. It was just a case of wake up and go when I was ready. After getting ready and putting some stuff in a bag, I reckon it was about 9:30 when I left the house and make my way up to Overton.
I kept the GPS on the iPhone on to log my route so I was able to get it onto the pc.
It wasn't long till I got to the fork in the road and took the path to the right that led up to Scroggy Bank. I was really surpised to see that there was a cairn contructed on it but what was more intriguing was that immediately behind the cairn were two giant telephone masts.
After attempting, and succeeding, to take a photo of me at the cairn, it was time to set off for the next hill.
Next on the list was Dunrod Hill. There were signs of a path for a good bit of the way up to a point. After this point, I was on my own but I headed in the direction I was going in an upwardly manner and eventually got sight of the trig point.
Unfortunately, my photo attempt on this one wasn't as good as the other one.
My plan after this one was to find the path that joins down to the Cornalees road. However, I decided to head up another hill while I was here. So a quick detour up to Hillside Hill and it was finally time to try and find civilisation.
It took a wee while to get my bearing but I eventually came across the path and followed it down. Surprisingly though, it led right into the middle of a farm during feeding time for the cows. What a racket they can make. Through the farm gate then it was a short walk along the road to get to the Cornaleees Visitor Centre. After a quick pit stop I grabbed my things and set off along the walkway. A wee while along the track, I noticed a guy atop one of the hills. What happened next took me by surprise. He jumped of with a parachute. I can honestly say I wasn't expecting that.
Following the path, I finally ended up back at Overton ready to make the long downward trip from Overton to the House.
The sponsored walk used to be one of my worst days at school. Being a fat kid, the idea of an all day hike was not appealing. how the tables have turned eh? When I was walking along today, there was one thing that I kept thinking. This is only a 20 minute walk away from my house yet is like another world. So, that was my Saturday. A 12km hike with a few local hills thrown in for good measure. As usual, you can view the full album using the below link.
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| 2010-05-08 - Greenock Cut |
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