I was in the Sidlaw Hills, south-east of Coupar Angus, to climb three Tumps. The first two were accessed from a car park just off the minor road to the south-west. Vehicle tracks led to the south-east side of Northballo Hill then a firebreak consisting of some rough vegetation took me to a col. From there mountain bike trails headed through the fir trees and onto open ground where the trees had been felled. I visited a few high points as I couldn’t tell which was the summit of Northballo Hill.
I retraced my route back to the foot of the firebreak, crossed some wet ground and a fence to enter an area of rough grazing and gorse bushes. It was then an easy stroll to the mound marking the summit of Southballo Hill. From here I descended west, lower down pushing my way through some gorse bushes, crossed a couple of fences and a field to reach the minor road just south of the car park.
The third hill, Hill of Dores, was accessed from Laird’s Loch car park on the west side of the A923. A track led towards the loch but beyond an open gate I left the track, worked my way through the fir trees, to an open area where the trees had been felled. A couple of high points were visited as I couldn’t tell which was the summit.
- Total time – 1.25 hours.
- Total distance – 4.75 kilometres.
- Total height climbed – 205 metres.