Weather/Conditions: Reasonable enough, a bit of snow and slush underfoot. Cool and cloudy.
Distance/Ascent/Time: 6.8km / 560m / 2h 05m
Accompanying: Gordon and Fi

It's a funny thing, this being back in Glasgow. Funny that I don't have a room up north at the moment, it certainly makes being up there more awkward. I've had some hill trips and spent last week working on Bannan. I've been busy all things considered, but I've not been doing the back-to-back mountain days or much in the way of rock climbing. At one point I was rather close to the Arisaig project but that has lost momentum as I'm currently staying nowhere near it! Anyway, things are good. I was annoyed with the whole Corran room thing but ultimately I'm quite happy to be down because I get to see a lot of Ewen and Ethan!

I messaged Gordon this morning about climbing, but he said he was beholden to Fi and was going for a walk up Dumgoyne - meet at 1 at the car park? Ok, I'm up for that.



The Campsies had a little residual snow/slush on them and the skies were grey. So definitely wintry in feel. It's funny to be back on this hill. Its been long enough that I felt like a different person standing on them now to who I was before. Perhaps just broader in experience, attitudes but perhaps just my position in life.

Anyway, we went down the back side of Dumgoyne and onto the track leading to Garloch Hill. At Gordon and Fi's pace this was and easy rise until Dumgoyne looked small, and the grey/brown moors over to Earl's Seat were revealed. I don't think I stood right on the top-top of Garloch, but we went to the prominent cairn. It's a wee top of the Knowles anyway, so whatever. I just enjoyed being back up there. It has been a while! This was one of the first hills I ever felt the 'wilderness' on, back in 2007 when I was even still in school - wandering alone under blue skies and yellow moors with Mike Oldfield rattling around my head. I knew I'd enjoyed the experience in quite a deep way, and it made me pursue the mountains further. That wasn't yesterday either, and a lot has happened in the meantime.

Back to the day though, we went down the way we came, cutting beneath Dumgoyne to emerge on the original steep path down to the car. It was a good day and a nice stretch of the legs.