The Black Hill

 

A new year, but I am still trying to capture the Pentland Hills.  Today I am featuring the Black Hill.  Even covered in snow it manages to look dark and menacing, at least compared to its neighbours.  Reasons for it appearing black?  The view across the water (Threipmuir Reservoir) reveals the northern aspect of the hill, which in the winter is deprived of direct sunlight.  The hill is covered with heather, subject to controlled burning to increase the diversity of habitat, and light snowfall fall straight through the dark shrubbery.  Having walked along it I can confirm that what soil there is is dark and peaty. 

Can you spot which one is The Black Hill ?

Trees and vegetation can make for a dramatically different microclimate as demonstrated in this picture. Snow in the fields to either side, warm and dry along this path!

Winter Wander

 

Today we ventured out to the Pentland Hills only to find half of Edinburgh had the same idea.  We were lulled into a false expectation as our Christmas Day walk was, surprisingly, all on our own. Today every roadside was lined with cars and council staff were putting either warnings or penalty notices on the windscreens of particularly badly parked cars. All the same there was room and more tranquillity once you ventured away from the car parks! 

  

The trees were oblivious of the hoo-ha but displaying a seasonal streak of snow on the windward side. 

Even the most gnarled shrubs take on a festive look.

Just to confound all expectations at this time of year the gorse is flowering in places around the district. We headed home under a dramatic wintery sky

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to all readers.

The Hills Have Ice

Taking a familiar route the scenery has been transformed by the low sun and the snow on the Ochil Hills over in Fife.

Gone are the flowers, aside from a few stubborn gorse, and the farmer's crop of wheat has gone into waterlogged/icebound hibernation.

 With nature drawing in its horns, there's not much to entertain at the macro level. But the scenery is at its most majestic.

PS Look no pylon!

An Edinburgh Circuit

 Yesterday we found the weather was good enough for our "town-country walk".  The view below would have our home in the middle of it - if it wasn't for the Craiglockhart hills in-between.

The walk is inside the Edinburgh bypass but feels like the countryside because of the Braid Hills. These are the foothills to the much larger Pentland Hills range which starts on the other side of the ring road and cast an evening shadow over Edinburgh's southern suburbs.  To the north is Edinburgh Castle Rock and Arthur's Seat and the accompanying Salisbury Crags, evidence of volcanic activity in a bygone geological era.

It is not all ridgewalking by any means.  There is farmland to meander through and woodland too at other stages of the circular walk around the perimeter of the Mortonhall and Braid Hills  Golfcourses.

A veritable escape from the hustle and bustle of the Christmas shopping (on Amazon).