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NEW ROUTE CARD: Glen Sherup Horseshoe, Ochil Hills

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The round of Glen Sherup is one of the better high level routes in the Ochils, an enjoyable mid-length circuit that takes in some decent summits, and offers a mix of forestry, new growth native woodlands, and open grassy hilltops with long range views. 

Read more at http://www.ukhillwalking.com/logbook/r/?i=1312

Post edited at 13:00
 Harry Jarvis 16 Dec 2020
In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:

I've always done it in the opposite direction. Perhaps I should try anticlockwise some day, but not just yet - given the weather we've been having, it'll be very boggy at the moment.

 Dave Hewitt 16 Dec 2020
In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:

Interesting, ta - it's a good circuit that for some reason seems to have become markedly more popular in the past three years or so. That can't just be because of the big Glensherup car park (parking in Glen Devon used to be tricky), as that was built quite a few years ago now. I'm rather hankering after these hills from the Devon side as they're currently beyond the legal driving limit from Stirling - the five-miles-beyond thing re the council area happily gets me from Stirling to Tillicoultry or Blackford, but not to Dollar and round the corner (although I recently walked to Innerdownie and back from Tillicoultry).

As the previous poster suggested, the circuit tends to be more often done the other way round, probably because the long gradual slope off Mailer's Knowe / Scad Hill can be a bit of a grind going up but is a stroll coming down. The route suggested also omits the pretty standard short way through the trees to/from Innerdownie. If doing it the way suggested, rather than "ignoring a couple of ladder stiles", cross the second one into the trees as this brings a path (getting slightly sitka-encroached at the top, but not too bad) which brings the big bend in the forest track pretty quickly - it cuts off a corner compared with going down further then in sideways.

Re the "little sheltered 'seat' built into the side of a crag" just west of Innerdownie summit, my understanding is that this isn't really a crag as such, rather a quarry (similar to the one at the top of Colsnaur), as the hut - which still has walls but no roof - was used by the men who built the wall along the ridge. I'm not 100% sure of the details but I believe the builders were the father and possibly uncle of the two Shand brothers, Willie and Graham, who appear at nos.82 and 83 in the list of Munroists. The Shands were Crook of Devon people.

The other way to finish if doing it anticlockwise is to stay on the outside of the trees right down towards Burnfoot then follow the good paths and tracks back to Glensherup via the old campsite etc - that's become my favourite way of finishing these days, particularly if just climbing Innerdownie and wanting to make a little circuit of it.

 Harry Jarvis 16 Dec 2020
In reply to Dave Hewitt:

> The other way to finish if doing it anticlockwise is to stay on the outside of the trees right down towards Burnfoot then follow the good paths and tracks back to Glensherup via the old campsite etc - that's become my favourite way of finishing these days, particularly if just climbing Innerdownie and wanting to make a little circuit of it.

Does that have good paths all the way from Burnfoot to the car park? Every time I drive through the glen I think that a riverside path would be just the ticket. 

 Dave Hewitt 16 Dec 2020
In reply to Harry Jarvis:

> Does that have good paths all the way from Burnfoot to the car park? Every time I drive through the glen I think that a riverside path would be just the ticket. 

Yes - although you need to follow your nose a bit as there are various junctions. Am just about to dash out for an attempt at Christmas shopping - arrrgh! - but will endeavour to describe said route when I get back.

In reply to Harry Jarvis:

Hmm, I don't think I had any particular rationale for doing it that way round, though I see it's been described clockwise elsewhere. Fife's enough of a mud bath at the moment, think I'll leave boggy hills for a while

In reply to Dave Hewitt:

Thanks Dave, I must have missed that shortcut: maybe didn't see it for the spruce (nasty stuff). I'll have to give the Burnfoot idea a go too.

Good local knowledge on that quarry thing!

I wonder if it's become more popular since the SMC Donalds/Grahams guide?

 Dave Hewitt 16 Dec 2020
In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:

> I wonder if it's become more popular since the SMC Donalds/Grahams guide?

Yes, quite likely. Insofar as I have any kind of a theory about it, that's it. There's also been an increase in people missing out Whitewisp, which is sad to see but seems to be a function of the recent (and wrong) trend for folk to only count the main Donald summits and to miss out the subsidiary Tops - very much not in the traditional spirit of the list. It's become quite common to see people post reports on walking sites that (a) indicate they're doing the Donalds and (b) moan like mad about them, especially the subsidiary Tops. Basically because so many people are now in a rush to see their name up in lights - and I always think that the obvious answer is to say that if you really don't like doing something, eg the Donalds, then don't do it. It'd be like me moaning about eating peanut butter. I don't like peanut butter, so if I repeatedly went online and moaned about eating peanut butter then there would be a very obvious and simple way to resolve the issue. (Sorry, off on a bit of a hobby-horse grumble there.)

 Dave Hewitt 16 Dec 2020
In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:

> Thanks Dave, I must have missed that shortcut: maybe didn't see it for the spruce (nasty stuff). I'll have to give the Burnfoot idea a go too.

I probably more often use it in ascent than in descent, but it's handy in either direction. Have just looked up some notes - takes me about ten minutes (walking) going up the way between leaving the track and exiting on to the ridge at the stile. There's a path all the way (starting on the left side of the burn if heading up) and although it can be squelchy for a short stretch about halfway it's pretty good generally and the young trees higher up are less of a hindrance now than a few months ago as someone has given them a bit of secateur treatment.

Talking of Burnfoot options, it's a pity there's no pavement between the big Castlehill reservoir layby and the Burnfoot road, as another good short round is to go up Innerdownie from Burnfoot then down the mown path on the Quey side before a stroll out to Castlehill. Or continue on from Innerdownie to Whitewisp then down the Campbell/Quey side, same basic idea. When I do this I usually get the road section out of the way first - takes about ten minutes and isn't ideal but doesn't last long. Plus the mown paths are better in descent as they're a bit spongy. Actually, the eastern branch of the path - the one that comes down direct to the Quey dam - seems to be growing back in somewhat. I was on it again a couple of months ago and it didn't seem to have been mown this summer, whereas the regular western branch is easy to follow.

 Dave Hewitt 16 Dec 2020
In reply to Harry Jarvis:

> Does that have good paths all the way from Burnfoot to the car park? Every time I drive through the glen I think that a riverside path would be just the ticket. 

I've now done this often enough (almost always in descent, heading north from the Burnfoot end) that I might be slightly fuzzy on the details as I sort of do it on autopilot. If coming down the ridge towards Burnfoot, pass Polly's bench then at a signed junction I think there are two options that work - left (staying higher for a bit) or carry on down - the latter is simpler/shorter. Could also probably go right down to Burnfoot itself and along the riverbank, but I use one of the tracks to cut the corner. Stay on the near side of the Devon when you reach a bridge that crosses opposite Borland, after which there's a nice stretch of old track initially past a cottage.

In due course the track approaches Glendevon House but just before there look for a branch doglegging down to the old caravan park. Walk across this - some of the old taps and hookups are still there - and it becomes another nice old riverside track that reaches the back exit of the car park. Sorry for being a bit vague - I could show you no problem on the ground - but it's a nice way to finish. I took a friend along that way last year after Innerdownie - she's not really a hill regular or looking for anything too arduous and she was fine. Is perhaps easier to follow in reverse on a first visit, just walk out of the "wrong" end of the car park and keep going.

(Sorry, I'll shut up for a while now - didn't mean to hog the thread.)

Post edited at 20:05
 girlymonkey 16 Dec 2020
In reply to Dave Hewitt:

> The young trees higher up are less of a hindrance now than a few months ago as someone has given them a bit of secateur treatment.

I am pleased to hear this, I thought about it myself at one point but never got round to doing it. I once got one of their branches right in my eye as I was running down there.

Agreed, it's a nice wee shortcut. I also like the Burnfoot finish.

 Harry Jarvis 17 Dec 2020
In reply to Dave Hewitt:

Very many thanks for this - I shall investigate. 


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