Tuesday 17th July 2018. An ascent of Laght Hill 507m/96m, Cold Moss 628m/63m, Lowther Hill 725m/37m, East Mount Lowther 631m/75m and Steygail 573m/145m, Lowther Hills, South Lanarkshire/Dumfries & Galloway, Southern Scotland. 20.6km, with 1,200m of ascent. 8hrs 20mins.

I set off from home around 07:30 that morning, steeling myself for a long drive north on the M6 and M74. The weather forecast was not the best, but in some ways a covering of cloud would be a welcome contrast to what had become the normal in the UK 2018 heat-wave. Anyway, this was the only time when I could borrow my wife’s car for the day, with my own still in the repairs workshop following my crash.

I parked in a lay-by off the A 702 just north of Overfingland and set off south on the verge to join the Southern Uplands Way where it crossed the road south of this farm. I was to follow this trail (see at https://www.southernuplandway.gov.uk/) for most of the way on the outward leg of my hike. However, a short diversion was needed to gain the summit of the first hill of the day – Laght Hill. There was nothing to mark the top on the grassy plateau, but the highest point was not in doubt. I dropped steeply north-west to reach a narrow bealach. A stiff ascent brought me over Comb Head onto the summit of Cold Moss, another wide grassy plateau with no summit indicator.

I was now above the 600 metre contour, but there was still another steep ascent ahead, after descending to another narrow bealach. Lowther Hill is, frankly, a mess. A tarmac access road leads up to a large radar dome used for commercial aviation. To fit the rather bleak scene, the cloud got thicker with a threat of rain, though none came.

Here I left the Southern Uplands Way to contour round the head of the glen, down which the Enterkin Burn flows. My objective was East Mount Lowther, a fine shapely fell. Its name is rather odd as, in fact, it is the most westerly of the higher fells along the main Lowther Ridge. How it got so called is a mystery. The summit sports a rather worn viewfinder but, without its help, I could still name many of the cloudy hills to the west and south.

I returned to the bealach on the connecting ridge. My original plan had been to re-climb Lowther Hill, using its long descending south ridge to head for Steygail, my final objective of the day. Instead I resolved to descend the glen of the Enterkin Burn and explore it, as it looked to be a dramatic place, with the steep sides of the fells plunging down on either side. A faded path led down, mainly keeping to a line of pylons that marched down the glen. Where the glen turned south-west, I crossed the trickle of water and, using sheep-tracks, climbed up a corrie to the connecting bealach between Mount Lowther and Steygail.

The ascent looked rather daunting, as the angle of the grassy slope was around 60 degrees. A lot of zig-zagging brought me, puffing, onto the summit plateau. East Mount Lowther provided another shapely aspect from this place. I was soon on the un-marked summit.

My plan was to contour round to join the descending north-east ridge. All went well at first. I picked up an ATV track that was heading in the right direction. I reached the top of a steep escarpment, over which the ATV track plunged, to descend to Upper Dalveen farm in a series of zig-zags. The farm appeared almost below my feet, and my appearance in their line of sight set the dogs barking. Dogs are not aware of the Scottish Access Legislation, so in a little bit of a panic, I decided to work my way south along the steep edge to descend further along. This was a bad plan. The ground was precipitous in places, and cut through with steep gullies, full of scree. I negotiated several of these, needing careful footwork in places.

Eventually I reached a dry stream-bed in a gully that descended at a somewhat more accommodating angle. I decided to try my luck. I made good progress at the start, but had to take to the adjoining steep bracken-covered slopes where the stream, in normal conditions, would have plunged over rock in a series of small cascades. I must say I heaved a sigh of relief when I reached the base of the Dalveen glen. It had all been rather too challenging for the end of the day.

My walk was not over yet. I climbed up to join the A 702 road on the other side of the glen. A long tiring plod on the road verge of over five kilometres brought me back to my car. It was nearly 9:00 pm, and a four-hour drive home awaited me.