Five members of Biggar Ramblers braved the elements to climb Culter Fell on 30th March. A horizontal snow shower greeted them as they arrived at the start point, but cleared as they began the steep ascent up Fell Shin passed the line of shooting butts. As the climb levelled off they took time for a short coffee break in the biting wind. As the group headed towards the first cairn the wind gathered pace and brought with it a hailstorm which cut into their faces. Visibility reduced but the path remained clear ahead, though the snow had drifted in pockets making progress with the bracing side wind quite challenging. Reaching the trig point (748m) after a little over 2 hours it was no place to linger in the cold. Besides the panoramic views theyd hoped to enjoy were hidden in cloud, mist and the continuing hail blizzard.
Saturday 16 April 2022
The team followed the fence line downwards south over Moss Law. Very quickly the sun appeared and lit up the snow capped peaks spectacularly behind and ahead of them. Lunch was taken when they reached the land rover track in the continuing sunshine, which remained with them as they followed the track alongside Culter reservoir back to the start point along King’s Beck. Despite the sun the temperature kept at or below freezing throughout the walk, but they were all well equipped for the conditions. The ramblers much enjoyed this challenging seven and a half mile circuit despite the wintry conditions on the fell, which is the highest peak in Lanarkshire. www.biggarramblers.org.uk
