Walk of the week: Ben Cleuch

Published on Sunday 27 February 2011 11:26

In January 2006 I climbed Glas Maol, thus achieving a long-sought target of being on top of a Munro on every day of the year. That same month I also went to Ben Cleuch, the highest point on the Ochils, and five years later there I was again, on the last day of January 2011 … a windy, cold, cloud-covered day when only the masochistic or driven individual would be prepared to struggle to the 721m/2365ft summit trig point. There had to be a good reason.

My good friend, Dave Hewitt, also had a goal; this time to be on top of Ben Cleuch on every day of the year – 31 January was the sole outstanding day so, regardless of the weather, he just had to go. On such a dreadful day it was surely a tribute to Dave that ten friends were also prepared to share in the celebrations. Jimbo and I felt honoured to be included in that number.

Jimbo and I opted for the easy stepped start from Mill Glen, just one of a series of attractive glens that give a wide variety of good ascent routes to breach the southern Ochils escarpment. However, with a starting height of only 150ft from Tillicoultry, the actual climb of 2200ft can rival that of many a Munro.

The entrance to Mill Glen, leading to the small car park (map ref 914974) at the west end of Tillicoultry, is well signposted from the A91. Tony, another mission-bound walker, was already there.

The route

Follow the path that crosses to the west bank of the burn and skirt the east side of a quarry. The stepped path climbs by the burn, crossing and recrossing many times by footbridge, and all the while in what is a defile rather than the more open aspect normally associated with a glen. (Cleuch means gully or defile).

Continue to the junction of two streams, the Daiglen and Gannel burns, reached by a slightly awkward slabby descent. Normally, on a day of adverse weather, this would be a good turning point, well before reaching the moorland plateau.

A footbridge leads over the Gannel Burn from where you climb north on the spur of land between the two burns. The obvious grassy path ascends to the Law at 638m, marking the start of the frequently windy plateau, from where it may be hard work battling to the summit. The path goes north-west over gently rising ground, following a fence to the summit; a bleak, exposed and often boggy moorland stretch of one mile … a distance that may appear to be much further on a misty day.

We had timed our approach well, arriving five minutes before the 12.30pm rendezvous indicated by Dave, to meet a huddle of walkers who had come up from Alva. Right on cue Dave appeared out of the mist, thus completing a campaign of just less than 25 years, including the notoriously problematic 29 February. The 366 dates had been just a fraction of Dave's overall total of 869 ascents of Ben Cleuch. Not that Dave was the first to complete such a calendar round … that was probably Tom Bell a decade before.

There was not a lot of hanging about by the cairn and thoughts of a post-event calendar featuring naked hillwalkers were quickly dismissed.

After a dram and a piece of Tessa's fine cake, we all departed in our different directions. In the spirit of "now that we are here we might as well do more", we extended our return by heading eastwards, following a slight path by a line of fence posts to Andrew Gannel Hill. It is then a gentle descent, north-east at first, to join the old trade route from Blackford to Tillicoultry. This stays above the Gannel Burn and gives a quick and easy return, latterly by stepped path, to the car park. We headed back home, stopping only for a late light lunch.

The facts

Map Ordnance survey map 58, Perth to Alloa

Distance 6 miles

Height 700m

Terrain Steps leading to grassy slopes with worn paths

Start point Tillicoultry

Time 3 to 4 hours

Nearest town Tillicoultry

Nearest refreshment spot Mona's Coffee Shop, Pool of Muckhart

This article was first published in The Scotsman, 26 February, 2011