Walk Report 
 April 2021 





Due to the Covid restrictions in place over the past year or so, club walks have been confined to relatively local hills. This year the locations for walks have included Daer Reservoir, Lowther Hills and the latest location, the southwestern end of the Pentlands. The enforced restrictions have, nevertheless, given the club members an opportunity to become familiar with, and enjoy, some closer-to-home hills that may not have been  considered in the past. This latest outing was another good example.

            Starting from the lay by at Tarbrax road end on the A70 (Lang Wang) the group followed the track east towards the first hill of the day – Henshaw Hill – following very closely the line of the Watershed of Scotland. The track was marked by well spaced out  marker posts, placed along the route by Friends of the Pentlands and these proved a useful guide where the track was very sketchy. Thankfully, the good dry spell of late meant that the boggy areas were more manageable than they would have been a few weeks earlier. After passing over Sargeant Law the group turned south up steep slopes onto White Craig where extensive views were to be had in all directions.

            The return route was along the ridge formed by Darlees Rig as far as Harrows Law although a slight diversion was taken to find the grave of a well known Carluke/Lanark local known officially as Simon Foster MacDonald Lockhart, 25th of the Lee – the Lee being of course Lee Castle. The grave is not marked on any maps, making it difficult to locate, and is sheltered within a lovely dry stone wall enclosure.

            From Harrows Law a route was plotted to join the network of paths which criss-cross a fenced off part of the Lee and Carnwath Estates and leads out to the A70. These well surfaced paths were a much welcome road to walk out even if they were a bit of a zigzag. A short stretch of the A70 had to be negotiated before reaching the cars.

            Although travel restrictions have now been eased a little, the next scheduled walk at Coulter Glen on May 16th, will still go ahead. It is hoped to include a short ceremony to erect the plaques for Brian and Alex at the “Birthwood Rowan” as part of this walk.