Fast cars, crazy cows and suicidal sheep.
Douglas C47 G-AMRB on Greenside Hill.
 (Distance covered = 5.25 mile/Ascent =+298m)

 An unexpected 'Dad's Taxi' run to Glasgow to a World Championships, but this time it wasn't my Daughter taking part in a Highland Dancing competition, it was my Son and his friend going to watch an Online Gaming World Championships. Never mind, it was still an opportunity for me to head off up the Hills to fill my day in.

The week before when I visited some wrecksites in the Lomond Hills*, the weather had been atrocious on the drive up, dark skies and torrential rain, the weather on this day was the same and when I parked up beside the very busy A760 it was still bucketting down.


Blueberry Esmerelda Muffin II parked beside the A760 Kilbirnie to Largs road.

The weather in the Lomond Hills had improved dramatically the week before so I was hoping it would do the same today and even if it didn't, it wasn't a great distance to Greenside Hill so I put my Boots on and set off back down the A760 to pick up a track that headed off up the hill. The 200yrds back down the side of the A760 was a little hairy to say the least as there was no path and very little verge so I had to launch myself into the hedge a few times to avoid being wiped out by fast moving traffic


Off the main road and out of danger, or so I thought.

Once off the main road there was a good track to follow up the hill through a cows field, this track held its own dangers however, in the form of a herd of frisky brown cows, who it seems had decided that to relieve their boredom it might be a good bit of fun to chase me. Every time they got a bit too close I had to turn around and walk towards them which made them run away, then when I resumed my original course they would come after me again. This process was repeated several times until I reached a gate out of their field.


Out of the mad Cows field, a line from the little bridge past the left side of the hillock took me in the direction of the crashsite.

Out the top of the cow's field the rain had abated and the sun was trying it's best to make an appearance. As there had been a considerable amount of rain I expected it to be very wet underfoot but the going was quite good, that is until I reached the next gate.


View back the way I'd came across to the Kelburn Windfarm on Blaeloch where a Fairy Firefly crashed***

Through the next gate up the hill, the going became a lot more interesting, with a mixture of bogs, hidden burns, large tussocks and very long wet grass adding to the enjoyment. The tussocks were so large in places in was possible to walk between them.


A bit tougher going across to Greenside Hill which is just visible on the centre horizon.

Just after passing through the muddy gate I noticed something odd in the bog across the other side of the fence, on approaching I could see four white legs sticking up in the air belonging to what I thought was a deceased Sheep. Just as I was about to resume my course one of the legs twitched.

This had to be the luckiest unlucky sheep on the Hills that day. Unlucky that it had become stuck, upside down in a bog on a very unfrequented Hillside in November, but very lucky that some nutter happened to be passing on the way to visit the crashsite of an Aircraft.
I couldn't help wondering if this sheep was any relation to the one I encountered in Alva Glen**.


My thanks for righting it was a swift kick on the shins as it made its escape.

There was no sign of the two burns that were marked on my map, I was going to use these to pinpoint the crashsite but the whole area where my grid ref indicated the crashsite should be was covered in long grass, reeds and hidden bogs and although there was burns present they were well concealed and indistinct. I must have spent a couple of hours wading back and forward through the vegetation without finding anything.


Near the top of ther Hill looking down to the area where the crashsite should be.

After concluding that there was nothing to be found in the area where the crashsite should be I set off to have a look where it shouldn't be and promptly found it about 200yrds to the northwest of my search area and well hidden by some reeds.

Above and below:- The area where the C47 burnt, the rocks in this scar are littered with pieces of molten alloy.

Above and below:--Pieces of the C47 found in the rocky scar

There are two distinct scars at the crashsite on either side of some long reeds, the rocky scar contains lots of pieces of molten alloy, glass and some other parts. The muddy scar on the other side of the reeds contains a few slightly larger pieces and numerous small fixings.


Above and below:-The muddy scar on the other side of the reeds.

next 6 photos:-Pieces found in the muddy scar.

Despite the neighbouring Hills having ominous looking clouds gathering over them Greenside Hill, where I was, continued to be bathed in sunlight and despite being November I accomplished the walk wearing only shorts and a T-shirt.It did become a little nippy later on though as the sun began to disappear behind Blaeloch Hill on the other side of the Glen.


Irish Law had some dark clouds loitering over it.


Looking over the crashsite towards Blaeloch Hill and the setting sun.


Someone has built a small cairn next to the crashite but it has now collapsed.


Because of the camera angle this photo looks like a scene from Disney's latest film
"Honey I've shrunk the Nutter".


Above and below:-Leaving the crashsite which is beside the small knick on the centre of the skyline above and arrowed below.

I don't like to brag too much about my good luck with the weather as one of these days it is going to run out, but it was very evident on this day as well as on my trip to Bishop Hill* the week before, on both days the weather was terrible on the drive up but improved dramatically as soon as I hit the hills, culminating in two very pleasant walks in some lovely winter sunshine.


A combination of me loosing altitude and the sun setting mean't a slightly nippier end to the day as the sun dissapeared behind Blaeloch Hill.

 


Off the Hill, the first field to negotiate was devoid of any mad farm animals.

Back down the bottom of the Hill I had to cross two fields to get back to my car, the only thing in the first one was the skeleton of an upside down sheep that hadn't been as lucky as my friend further up the hill, but the second one contained the herd of mischievious cows.


Almost back to the A760 in much nicer weather than when I set off.

My gang of friends were over the far side of the field as I passed through on the way back, so either didn't spot me, or couldn't be bothered to run across to the other side of their field to chase me, eiher way I was allowed to go on my way with only the last 200yrds along the side of the A760 to worry about.

*-Bishop Hill

**-Alva Glen

***Blaeloch