19:57:38, 08/05/18
Day 1
We got the train to Dumfries and a bus to Moffat to do a 3 nighter in the Moffat Hills. We got to Moffat at 2.30pm and our first day was a short walk.The cloud was low so we opted for the low level pitch option beside Birnock Water
Beefy approaching Blaebeck
The cloud capped hill in the background is Greygill Head. Our high level route option had been to go over there and onto Blue Cairn to pitch. We didn't see any fun in going up there in the clag.
Looking back at the track from Blaebeck
We’d had to backtrack near Blaebeck when we'd took the track on the wrong side of the fence
On the right track we descended to Birnock Water. It was wet, muddy, rough and not very pleasant terrain to walk on.
Birnock Water
We started looking for a pitch. The ground was very lumpy, very wet or had long grass on it and I wondered how far we would have to walk over the horrible terrain to find somewhere.
To our relief we found a flat dry pitch.
The MSR pitched beside Birnock Water
We got some water on to filter and put the tent up. We had a brew and some food and hoped the weather would get better for the rest of the weekend. No chance of a sunset with the low cloud, we had some wine and we were asleep by 9.30.
Day 1 was Moffat - Blaebeck - Birnock Water. 5.3km with 200m ascent
Day 2
We awoke to clag as low as the tent and our hearts sank. We had our breakfast then packed our gear away willing the cloud to lift. We climbed steeply up the hillside to Greygill Head over heather, bog and rocks. Tough terrain with camping gear. Viewranger was out to keep us on track, it wasn't easy to navigate in the dense cloud.
Beefy on Greygill Head
We covered more rough terrain until we reached the wall that led to Blue Cairn. We were amazed that a group of loud shouty people were out on the hills and we gave them ten minutes head start to let them get well ahead of us. We caught them up at Blue Cairn. Limpets even in the quiet Moffat Hills
We stopped for a break here behind the wall a bit further away from the noise. We had only covered about 2 miles but it felt like 5 with the roughness of the route. It was easy nav now we just had to follow the wall and later on a fence so Viewranger was put away and I used the paper map. I find it more rewarding using the map rather than relying on something telling you where you are all the time.
Beefy on Blue Cairn top after the loud shouty people had left
Next on the list was Swatte Fell
Beefy on Swatte Fell
Have you noticed Beefy has been eating a lot of pies?
It is his camera equipment in his chest pack
We kept hoping the clag would lift and it did keep promising to do that but sadly it stayed with us
Beefy on Hart Fell
This is 808m high and we felt the ascent in our legs by the time we got here. We were feeling a bit demoralised by now, putting a lot of hard work in and getting no reward of any views. Viewranger had to come out again when we came to a peat bog. I had heard of Rotten Bottom and I thought I had made a Nav error and we were there! But we were in between Hartfell Rigg and Stirk Craig as I thought. I dread to think what Rotten Bottom is like, I hadn't read about this bog on any of the info I'd looked at when planning the routes.
Beefy on Cape Law
Still no views but the end was in sight. Well the end wasn't actually "in sight"
We thought we would pitch on Din Law out of the wind behind the wall and that was the next hill along. We got some water from The Spout on the way, a nice name for a water source.
The MSR on Din Law
We found a slightly sloping pitch but it wasn't bad. We were really tired and we had a cuppa and a rest once we'd got the tent up. No sunset of course and we had our tea and some wine. We hadn't been that impressed with the Moffat Hills, the terrain is hard work and Beefy even said to throw the map away, we wouldn't be coming back
Day 2 was Birnock Water - Greygill Head - Blue Cairn - Swatte Fell - Falcon Craig - Hart Fell - Hartfell Rig - Stirk Craig - Cape Law - Din Law. 12.4km with 860m ascent and 340m descent.