Monday 12 January 2015

A Speyside "double" - the last drop


After descending from Meikle Conval to the bealach (col) separating the two hills, it's a short and straightforward climb to the summit of Little Conval. Near to the summit itself are the remains of a hillfort, the visible remains are tumbled walls and the hint of a trench.  The date of the fort is prehistoric, but uncertain beyond that; one thing won't have changed at all though - it would have been a windy spot!




The view to the west from the summit is into the heart of whisky country and right below the hill is Benrinnes distillery, one of many I could see from here.





The trig pillar on Little Conval is about 100 metres north and below the summit itself, a position which has a much wider view than the domed top of the hill.  There's a good view of Ben Aigan a few kilometres to the north, and I hoped to climb that hill later in the day......





...but first I had to get back down to my starting point in Dufftown.  the path I took skirts the top of the golf course and requires some picking through rough ground and a wood lower down, a better option would probably been to have gone back down to the bealach separating the Convals and to have taken the track following the pylons to the road.





But no matter, I was back in Dufftown for lunchtime and savouring the last drop of the view of Little Conval from the town.

3 comments:

  1. Good to the last drop, Ian! I've meant to ask you, are these prehistoric hillfort sites indicated on OS maps? Is there a resource that gives locations. I'm sure, at times, we walk right by them not knowing what to look for. They are truly fascinating, really gets the imagination going! Warm wishes. Duncan.

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  2. Thanks Duncan :o) The hillfort sites are indeed marked on OS maps but not in an overly obvious way- look for the word "fort" in a gothic typeface (or "castle" for older ruins, "standing stones" or "stone circle" for really old stuff). Once you've got the location, searching the RCAMHS "Canmore" website is really informative and there are other web resources. Once you start looking for the forts, they are really quite numerous :o)

    Warm wishes

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    Replies
    1. Roger that, Ian, thanks so much. I've just looked at an OS map - found some! Once again, much appreciated. Duncan.

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