20 August 2023
The Kilpatrick Hills are under thirty minutes by train from the centre of Glasgow but despite being almost in the “backyard” they feel remote and wild in places.
I left Kilpatrick Station and, within minutes, I was off the main road and on a narrow private road used as a footpath heading steadily uphill. It seemed to be a popular route on a Sunday morning and there was a steady stream of people coming down as well as going up the hill. The Erskine Bridge (I had only seen before when crossing in the car) and River Clyde, increasingly far below me were in view.
The couple of miles to Loch Humphrey took quite a long time as it was virtually all uphill. I crossed the outflow of the loch on to a grassy and boggy track then path. That was when I realised I’d forgotten my gaiters so I took care to avoid the worse of the bog and mud.
A pleasant grassy ridge bypassed Little Duncolm. My target was the main summit of Duncolm: the highest point on the Kilpatrick Hills. I realised that I was on my own on the hill and all the other walkers and cyclists had clearly peeled off in alternative directions. I took the branch of the track passing over Middle Duncolm and had a short but steep descent before climbing to the trig point on the main summit.
Loch Lomond suddenly came into view together with the islands on the loch and the mountainous backdrop. To the east, I could see a reservoir and the Campsie Fells north of Glasgow.
From the summit, I retraced my steps to Loch Humphrey except that I went round Middle Duncolm rather than back over it. By the time I was back at the loch, some other people had passed heading towards Duncolm.
I branched off on to a track leading towards the Slacks and then branched again to walk up to the trig point (a popular spot) from where there are excellent views.
All that remained was to take the downward path (with more superb views towards the Erskine Bridge). I regained the track I had walked up in the morning and headed back to the railway station, where I was fortunate to only have a short wait for the train back to Glasgow.
At just under ten miles, this was a stunning walk with some excellent views.
Where's Kathryn? 