One less bog.
Supermarine Spitfire X4241 on Maddie Moss.
 (Distance covered = 5.5 mile)

 Another Westpark Monthly competition at Denny and I had a choice between 3 crashsites to go and visit.

I couldn't make my mind up whether to go and have a look for a Spitfire that crashed on Ben Ledi or to go back to Maddie Moss in the Ochill Hills and have a bit more of a search for the Spitfire that crashed up there. There was also a Cessna crashsite, also on Ben Ledi and a Whitley in Fathen Glinne. In the end I decided to go to Maddie Moss.


The western approach to King Seats Hill, not this small hill but the large one in the distance concealed in the cloud.

Last time I was at Maddie Moss I went via The Law and Andrew Gannel Hill so I could check out where a Cessna crashed up there*; this time I walked up the other side of the Glen following the western route to Kings Seat Hill from Tillacoultry.


View back across to Grangemouth, where the Spitfire that crashed on Maddie Moss was heading to. Other than the raindrop on the lens this photo doesn't show the torrential horizontal rain being experienced at the time.

I eventually chose to go to the Ochills as the weather was pretty nasty, so I didn't fancy Ben Ledi or Fathen Glinne as I had no fair weather experience there. Also the Denny competition was going to be finished by 3pm so I didn't really have enough time either. I also knew I would have a much better opportunity to do both the two on Ben Ledi and the Whitley in Fathen Glinne later in the year when the girls went off for the weekend to a competition in Disneyland Paris. I could drop them at Glasgow Airport nip up the road for the weekend then pick them up from the airport on the way back, ideal!


Maddie Moss can just be seen peeking out of the cloud on the left.

As I don't have a grid reference for this crashsite I didn't really stand much chance of finding anything and the poor odds were further reduced by the torrential rain, high winds and poor visibility. I still continued up into the gloom however as it was a chance to try out my new walking poles that I'd just bought and I was confident I would return home at least knowing where the crashsite wasn't located.


Maddie Moss is the area between King Seat Hill on the right, Andrew Gannel Hill on the left and Tarmangie Hill which is hidden in the clouds right distance.


Andrew Gannel Hill from the base of King Seat Hill.

Approaching Maddie Moss the clouds lifted a bit so I was able to have a bit search around with the binoculars with little success, as usual. I'd been told that a few years back a farmer had found pieces of Aircraft lying beside a bog in the Maddie Moss area, so as I could see a large boggy area at the Andrew Gannel Hill side of Maddie Moss I figured I'd start my search by checking that out first; it wasn't there.


Looking across Maddie Moss to Tarmangie Hill.


Skythorn Hill


Andrew Gannel Hill end of Maddie Moss. I briefly searched this area before the weather booted me off the hill.

My search for the Spitfire was over almost before it started thanks to the already nasty weather turning even worse. The cloud descended again and the rain became heavier and as the return back to Tillicoultry was going to be into the driving rain all the way I opted to beat a hasty retreat. I'd have plenty of opportunities to return and at least I'd managed to try out my new walking poles thoroughly and I had elliminated one of the many bogs from the enquiries.

*--Cessna crash in the Ochill Hills