The Wash out!
Vickers Wellington HX420 on Earsach Hill? Grumman
Avenger FN772 nr Skeroblin.
(Distance covered = 4.5 mile/Ascent =+300 m)
Day 8 of my 2017 Walking Holiday on Arran and Kintyre. I'd already lost a day because of poor weather, I was determined not to lose a second.
The weather wasn't too bad when I set off walking, it looked like it was going to be one of those days that go either way so I had my fingers crossed it would go the sunny way, I hadn't walked all that far when I started to get the feeling it was going to go the rainy way!
Forest Track towards Earsach Hill.
Less than a mile into the walk it started pissing down and it didn't stop until Saturday morning, this was thursday! Because of the incessant rain the only photos I took on this walk were using my waterproof gopro type camera, not quite as good quality as ones taken with my Canon DSLR but it would seem a lot better at capturing the mood of the miserable weather.
End of the forest track.
After about a mile the forest track ended and it was time to do battle with the conifer trees, it didn't help that they were young ones, so nice thick foliage all the way to the ground. Luckily there was a very overgrown track that I was able to follow up to an area of more mature trees.
Had to find a way through this lot!
While researching the locations of crashsites on Kintyre I had acquired a list compiled by an Aviation Archaeology researcher which included the Wellington crashsite on Earsach hill. The list described the crashsite as being just below the summit cairn but difficult to reach because of the forestry, it was spot on about the forestry bit!
An especially enjoyable bit of forestry to negotiate.
The going was a bit easier once into the mature trees which also provided a bit of shelter from the rain but once out the top of those and onto the open hillside it was not pleasant at all, with the torrential rain being helped in its endeavors to penetrate my waterproofs by some strong winds which were blowing it in all directions.
Approaching the summit of Earsach Hill.
Despite a good search around the grid reference I had for the Wellington crashsite I found no sign of it, particularly frustrating after enduring some awfull weather and awfull terrain to reach it. After my return home I received further information about this crashsite which included a different grid reference which would suggest that instead of being just below the Summit cairn of Earsach Hill it may be just below the trig point on Sgreadan Hill about 1km to the north east.
The summit cairn on Earsach Hill, just below which
I could find no sign of a Vickers Wellington crashsite!
Although very frustrating to find out after the event that I was quite
possibly searching in the wrong place, I was kind of pleased in hindsight
that I didn't have to walk another two kilometres across that hillside in
that weather, especially as there was no guarantee I would find anything
at the other grid reference either.
After failing miserably to find
anything on Earsach Hill I had a quick look for the crashsite of a Grumman Avenger which was very near to the road back to Campbeltown.
There was supposed to be a distintive crater at the site but my luck on
this day had been well and truly washed out so I found nothing at this one
either.
above and below:-Area where the 'Kintyre list' placed the Avenger crashsite.
