Hanging Hill summit is by the transmitter at Avon Fire and Rescue Service Southwest Command Development Centre

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Start & Finish: Layby near Sir Bevil Grenville's Monument, Cotswold Way, Bath, BA1 9DD
Distance: 2.2 km (1.4 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 28m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Cotswolds Way
Other routes touched (cycle): N/A
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Bristol & Bath Map | Keynsham & Marshfield | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 155
Links: Bevil Granville, Sir Bevil Grenville's Monument, Battle of Lansdowne

Significance: High Point for the Unitary Authority of South Gloucestershire
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Beacon Batch
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Niver Hill
Historic County: Gloucestershire (of which Cleeve Hill is the County Top).
Elevation: 237m
Date “climbed”: December 30th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 25' 51'' N, 2° 24' 31'' W
OS Trig Pillar: TP3599 - Hanging Hill
Links: Wikipedia (South Gloucestershire), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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Hanging Hill is the High Point of the Unitary Authority of South Gloucestershire which was created after the abolition of the Ceremonial County of Avon. Having bagged 2 of of the 4 high points of the ex-Avon Unitary Authorities on a trip to the Mendips I was keen to get this one on the way back home. The 4th one, Dundry Hill, will have to wait for a future trip.

This high point can be bagged either on a short out-and-back or, as I did, a short circular. There’s free but limited parking off for the Sir Bevil Grenville's Monument on the road leading north from Landsdown. There were a lot of cars even on a cold winter day when when we arrived.

From the parking space follow the Cotswolds Way in a westerly direction along Beeches Cottages Road to the Avon Fire and Rescue Centre. The actual highpoint is in the grounds of the Fire and Rescue Centre, presumably under the large transmitter. The Centre was closed when I was there but you can get very close to it as the Cotswolds Way runs along side the perimeter fence.

Continue along the Cotswolds Way for another 500m to reach the Hanging Hill Trig Pillar. Along the way you’ll pass flags and information boards marking the site of the Battle of Lansdowne in 1643. After the Trig Pillar continue along the Cotswolds Way as it takes a sharp turn to the left now heading in a south/south-easterly direction. After another 500m you’ll reach the end of the field and the edge of some woods where you can leave the Cotswolds Way following a path through the woods back towards the main road. Take the path that cuts diagonally across the field heading north back to the parking area.

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Trig Pillar at the summit of Beacon Batch

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The County of Avon existed as a Ceremonial County between 1974 and 1996. It was comprised of parts of the former Historic Counties of Gloucestershire and Somerset and then, on abolition, split into 4 new Unitary Authorities. The high point of the County of Avon was Niver Hill North Top at 264m which is now the high point of the Unitary Authority of Bath and North East Somerset.

This post features 3 high points closely located to Blagdon Lake in the Mendips AONB:

• Niver Hill: the high point of the former Ceremonial County of Avon and the present-day Unitary Authority of Bath and North East Somerset

• Blagdon Hill Farm: the high point of the present-day Unitary Authority of North Somerset

• Beacon Batch: the high point of the Mendips AONB

All three high points could be reached on a long walk combining the Limestone Link, Mendips Way, Monarch’s Way and The Butcombe Trail, however we split it into 2 shorter walks with a 10 minute drive between them. First up was a short circular walk taking in Beacon Batch and Blagdon Hill.

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Beacon Batch and Blagdon Hill Farm Circular Walk

Start & Finish: Burrington Ham Car Park, Burrington Combe, Bristol, BS40 7TZ
Distance: 7.1 km (4.4 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 149m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Limestone Link, The Butcombe Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Cheddar Gorge & Mendip Hills West Map | Wells & Glastonbury | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 141
Links: Mendips Hills National Landscape, Mendip Hills (Wikipedia), Burrington Ham (Camp)

The obvious place to start this walk is the small parking area at Burrnington Ham on the north side of Burrington Combe road. If you’re really short on time and not bothered about Balgdon Hill Farm you can bag Beacon Batch on a 2.4km out-and-back from the parking area.

For the full 7.1 km circular walk take the footpath on the north-east side of the parking area that follows the Limestone Link to the east connecting with Luvers Lane. At the end of Luvers Lane take a right onto Two Trees (lane). Continue along Two Trees, heading south-east for around 600m and take a left onto Leaze Lane. The Blagdon Hill Farm High Point is 250m along this lane. There’s nothing to mark the summit but you get great views to the north over Blagdon Lake.

Continue east along Leaze Lane to the entrance of the farm and take the path on the right that heads south along field edges to the B3134 Broad Road. Take a right to follow Broad Road for ~300 metres then carefully cross over to the footpath on the south side of the road. Be very careful on this bit as it’s a busy road with no pavement but there is a small grass margin to avoid being on the road with the cars.

Follow the path as it zig-zags through fields in a southerly direction for just under 1 km to meet Rains Batch Road and the Butcombe Trail. Take a right and follow the road to the Wireless Station. Continue along the Butcombe Trail for another 1 km to the edge of the open space surrounding the Beacon Batch summit. Leave the Butcombe Trail to take a path heading north, north-west to the Trig Pillar marking the Mendips high point.

After the Trig Pillar take a northerly path the descend back down to the car park.

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Blagdon Hill Farm

Significance: High Point for the Unitary Authority of North Somerset
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Beacon Batch
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Beacon Batch
Historic County: Somerset (of which Dunkery Beacon is the County Top). Was also part of the former Ceremonial County of Avon (of which Niver Hill was the County Top)
Elevation: 242m
Date “climbed”: December 28th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 19' 1'' N, 2° 42' 47'' W
Links: Wikipedia (North Somerset), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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Beacon Batch

Also known as: Black Down
Significance: High Point for The Mendips AONB
Member of: Marilyns
Parent Peak: The Wrekin (according to Wikipedia although it seems unlikely)
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Lydeard Hill
Historic County: Somerset (of which Dunkery Beacon is the County Top)
Elevation: 325m
Date “climbed”: December 28th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 18' 44'' N, 2° 44' 27'' W
OS Trig Pillar: TP1472 - Blagdon
Links: Wikipedia (Mendip Hills, Black Down), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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Niver Hill North Top Out-and-back Walk

Start & Finish: Forestry England East Harptree Car Park, East Harptree, BS40 6DA
Distance: 2 km (1.2 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 27m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Monarch’s Way
Other routes touched (cycle): None
Pubs / Cafes on route: None
Map: Cheddar Gorge & Mendip Hills West Map | Wells & Glastonbury | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 141

Following the Beacon Batch and Blagdon Hill Farm walk it’s a 10 minute drive to the start of this shorter walk starting from the Harptree Car Park. From the car park entrance take a left onto Smitham Hill, then first right onto Nettwood Lane. Continue along Nettwood Lane until the farm entrance, then along the footpath, following the Monarch’s Way, along the edge of the field. The unmarked high point is in the south-eastern corner of this first field at the start of a row of trees. The boundary between Bath and Northeast Somerset and the County of Somerset runs along the field edge that you have just followed then takes a right angle following the hedge-line north towards the lake.

Retrace your steps back to the car park.

Niver Hill North Top

Significance: High Point for the Unitary Authority of Bath and North East Somerset
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Niver Hill
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Niver Hill
Historic County: Somerset (of which Dunkery Beacon is the County Top)
Elevation: 264m
Date “climbed”: December 28th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 16' 56'' N, 2° 37' 31'' W
Links: Wikipedia (Bath and North East Somerset), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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Significance: Parent Peak of Betsom’s Hill (Kent County Top) and Westerham Heights (Greater London High Point), Highest Point of the North Downs
Member of: Marylins
Parent Peak: Leith Hill
Nearest Higher Neighbour: Leith Hill
Historic County: Surrey
Elevation: 270m
Date “climbed”: December 3rd 2023
Coordinates: 51° 16' 44'' N, 0° 0' 45'' W
OS Trig Pillar: TP1536 - Botley Hill
Map: Sevenoaks & Tonbridge Map | Royal Tunbridge Wells & Westerham | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 147
Links:
- Wikipedia (Botley Hill, North Downs)
- Peakbagger (at Water Tower, at Trig Pillar)
- Hillbagging (at Water Tower, at Trig Pillar)

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I had only discovered Botley Hill recently when researching County Tops and routes in the area. It’s the high point of the North Downs, but doesn’t make it into any lists as the North Downs isn’t an AONB, National Park or similar. It’s taller than the nearby high points of Kent and Greater London, but is in Surrey so misses out to the 5m higher Leith Hill for the County Top. It’s a must-do though for high-point completists and more more interesting than both Betsom’s Hill and Westerham Heights, the high points of Kent and Greater London.

The Botley Hill summit is next to a water tower and transmitter and easily accessible by road. It’s also on the Vanguard Way, 1km north of its junction with the North Downs Way so can be bagged on a diversion from both. We bagged it on the same day as walking a section of the North Downs Way but drove to the Botley Hill summit after completing the walk.

The water tower summit isn’t the only significant point on the hill. There’s an OS Trig Pillar approximately 1 km to the east which was once considered to be the hill summit but is actually ~1m lower. We also visited this one as a drive-by after our North Downs Way walk.

Source: Legislation.gov.uk

For the absolute completists there’s also Botley Hill Northeast Slope. Peter Stone’s Peakbagger entry from March 2012 describes it as: “A 255 m slope feature inside a Reptile Zoo or behind adjacent Waylands House. Got as close as I could for a bona fide claim. However, perhaps a bit pointless and of historic interest only as this place is no longer the highpoint of Greater London since a boundary change ceded it to Surrey in 1993. Greater London's high point is now Westerham Heights, 245 m, a few km to the E and very close to Kent's top” .

The transfer between Bromley in Greater London and Surrey was actually on April 1st 1994, although the legislation had 1993 in the name. More information can be found in this article on legislation.gov.uk. The map to the right shows the southern tip of Bromley, previously the Greater London High Point, which moved to Surrey with this legislation.

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The Botley Hill Family

Botley Hill is the Parent Peak to:
- Botley Hill Trig Pillar and Botley Hill Northeast Slope
- Betsom’s Hill, the County Top of Kent
- Toy's Hill, the High Point of the Kent Downs AONB
- Westerham Heights, the High Point of Greater London and the London Borough of Bromley
- All Greater London Borough High Points south of the Thames plus Heston The Vale (Hounslow)

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View across the Thames Estuary from One Tree Hill

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Significance:  Unitary Authority High Point for Thurrock
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Langdon Hill NHN = Langdon Hill
Elevation: 116m
Date climbed: November 24th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 33' 5'' N, 0° 25' 19'' E

Route Start & Finish: Beacon Field Car Park, 1 Dry Street, Langdon Hills, Basildon, SS16 5LT
Route Distance: 8.1 km (5 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 143m
Subsidiary tops on route: Hawkesbury Hill (70m), One Tree Hill (80m), Old Hill (75m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 13
OS Trig Pillar: TP3681 - Hawksbury Bush
Pubs / Cafes on route: N/A
Map: Southend-on-Sea & Basildon Map | Brentwood & Billericay | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 175
Links: Wikipedia: (Thurrock, Langdon Hills), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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After a couple of quick drive-bys to bag the twin high points of Southend, I drove to the nearby Langdon Hills Country Park for a more interesting adventure. The high point of the Unitary Authority of Thurrock is a slope point near the top of Langdon Hill, cut off by the Thurrock/Basildon boundary. It can also be bagged on a quick drive-by but the 8km walk including the nearby Trig Pillar and One Tree Hill is much more interesting.

Start at the Beacon Field Car Park and take the footpath than runs along the right hand side of Dry Street. The footpath will end so you’ll need to walk along the road for a short distance. There’s no pavement but it’s a quiet lane and dangerous as long as you keep an eye out for cars. At 1.6km (1 mile) into the walk take a right onto One Tree Hill (road), then take the first footpath on the left. Follow the footpaths across the fields in a north-easterly direction, joining Hawkesbury Bush Lane. Take a right onto a footpath that enters Langdon Hills Country Park.

Instead of following the footpath that runs diagonally across the field, keep to the left hand side of the field and follow a small path into the woods, ascending up Hawesbury Hill. Here you’ll find the Trig Pillar hiding in thick undergrowth at the top of the hill. Any nice views of the estuary have been long since overgrown.

Retrace your steps out of the woods and take a left to follow the fence to re-join the footpath that started back at the gate. Follow this path in a south-westerly direction for 1km to reach One Trill Hill (road). Cross the road and walk through the car park to take the path up to the summit of One Tree Hill. There’s great views to the south on a clear day (which I didn’t have when I visited).

After One Tree Hill continue heading in a south-westerly direction, cutting through Northlands Wood. The path will take a sharp right-turn to the north and start ascending Old Hill. You can visit the summit with a short diversion from the path, but there’s little of interest there. Continue to follow the path as it snakes around Old Hill, crossing over Old Hill Avenue and back into Langdon Hills Country Park. When you meet a bench dedicated to the Langdon Leggies Nordic Walkers take a right to follow a path that gently ascends through the woods back towards the car park.

When you reach the east-west path before the Beacon Hill field you’ll be at the Thurrock/Basildon border and the Thurrock High Point. The more interesting feature is the Beacon a few metres further into the field. From here walk diagonally across the field to the north-western corner to the Langdon Hill “summit” before returning to the car park.

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The county of Essex has, at time of writing, 2 Unitary Authorities: Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea. With a rare quiet week at work and a need for a geek-adventure based day off, I headed east to bag them both. First up: Southend which has 2 alternative options for its high point. It’s hard to say which is the most interesting as neither offers a great view or a Trig Pillar. Both could be bagged on a single walk or cycle ride but I did both as drive-bys before heading on to Thurrock for a more interesting adventure.

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London Road

Significance: Unitary Authority High Point for Southend-on-Sea
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Haddington Hill NHN: Sandpit Hill
Historic County: Essex (of which Chrishall Common is the County Top)
Elevation: 61m
Date “climbed”: November 24th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 32' 57'' N, 0° 37' 31'' E
Map: Southend-on-Sea & Basildon Map | Brentwood & Billericay | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 175
Links: Wikipedia (Southend-on-Sea), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

The first contender for the Southend High Point is right on the boundary with the Castle Point borough of Essex. The high point is by the “Welcome to the City of Southend-on-Sea” sign. Next to the sign you’ll also find a Rochford/Southend boundary stone and an old wooded post with an inscription that reads “Here grew the Burnt Oak, being the ancient bounds of the Manor of Southchurch, belonging to John Gregory Welch Esq. 1832”.

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Heath Mount

Significance: Unitary Authority High Point for Southend-on-Sea
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Haddington Hill NHN: Thundersley Hill
Historic County: Essex (of which Chrishall Common is the County Top)
Elevation: 61m
Date “climbed”: November 24th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 33' 49'' N, 0° 38' 5'' E
Map: Southend-on-Sea & Basildon Map | Brentwood & Billericay | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 175
Links: Wikipedia (Southend-on-Sea), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Heath Mount is a 5 to 10 minute, 2 mile drive from the London Road High Point. It’s at the entrance to Belfairs Woods off Woodside road where there’s free on-street parking. Nothing obvious to mark the spot. The spot is on the Southend Ring, a 24km trail circling the city.

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Ascending Shirburn Hill

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Significance: Highest peak in Oxfordshire (Historic County Top)
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Haddington Hill. NHN = Haddington Hill
Elevation: 257m
Date climbed: 24th August 2013 and 19th November 2023
Coordinates:  51° 39' 21'' N, 0° 56' 53'' W

Route Start & Finish: Christmas Common Road, Lewknor, Oxfordshire, OX49 5HL
Distance: 12.1 km (7.5 miles)
Elevation change: +/- 270m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Chiltern Way, Oxfordshire Way
Other routes touched (cycle): Chiltern Cycleway
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Fox & Hounds (8 km in)
OS Trig Pillar: TP0317 - Shirburn Hill
Map: OS Explorer Map Active (171) Chiltern Hills West, Henley-on-Thames and Wallingford
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir), Walking the County High Points of England (David Bathurst)
Links: Wikipedia (Oxfordshire), Wikipedia (Cowleaze Wood), Peakbagger, Hillbagging, Cowleaze Wood, Halifax LW579 51 Squadron RAF Memorial, Wormsley Estate, Christmas Common

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This is classic Chiltern walk with rolling hills, an Historic County Top, an OS Trig Pillar and an old English pub along the way. Timea and I had visited Bald Hill, the Oxfordshire Historic County Top, as a drive-by 10 years before but we wanted to revisit it as a part of a longer walk. With a friend visiting for the weekend and needing to find a great Chilterns experience so we headed off towards Christmas Common.

The guidance below will help you navigate but don’t use it as a fully accurate turn-by-turn guide. Always take a map and/or a GPX route and prepare well for the weather and terrain.

The best place to start the walk is at the free car park at Cowleaze Woods. At the start of the central trail from the car park you’ll find an information board about the nearby RAF Memorial. This tells the story of a Halifax bomber that crashed into the woods in March 1944 killing its 7 crew. From this board you can follow waymarkers to the crash site.

Follow these markers for 100m to reach a junction in the path then take a left. This is where you’ll leave the trail to the crash site to visit the Oxfordshire County Top. The unmarked “summit” is ~300m from the junction. It’s pretty underwhelming especially when compared to the present-day Oxfordshire County Top at Whitehorse Hill near Swindon.

After the County Top take the next right and follow paths that curve to the south to find the Halifax bomber crash site. Here you’ll find a memorial stone and a small information board. We visited soon after Remembrance Day so there were fresh poppies and wreaths around the memorial.

After the memorial find and follow a path that runs east through Cowleaze Woods and into the Wormsley Estate. When you reach a small road take a left then leave the road on a path on the right to ascend into woods at Highfield Shaw. Here you’ll take a right onto a path that will lead you down to the Chiltern Way. Take a right onto the Chiltern Way and follow it for 700 metres to a junction in the woods. Here leave the Chiltern Way and continue heading west, ascending through Charley Shaw to Christmas Common.

The Fox and Hounds at Christmas Common is a great place to stop for a rest before the final 4km. It’s a popular pub and gets very busy at weekends so it’s best to book a table if you’re planning to eat there.

After visiting the Fox and Hounds take a left and follow the Oxfordshire Way as it curves to the west, descending between Watlington Hill and Shirburn Hill. At the bottom of the hill the path becomes a road and you’ll pass farm buildings on the left before taking a footpath on the right. Follow this path, gradually ascending Shirburn Hill until you reach the field next to Christmas Common Road. The path crosses diagonally across the field towards Cowleaze Water Tower, however if you take a right half-way across the field directly to the hedge you can visit the Shirburn Hill OS Trig Pillar.

After the Trig Pillar head north to the gate in the corner of the field. Cross over the road to the Water Tower and follow the footpath back into Cowleaze Woods car park and the completion of the walk.

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OTHER HIGH POINT IN OXFORDSHIRE

• Whitehorse Hill (261m) Oxfordshire Ceremonial County High Point, previously part of Historic Berkshire: Peakbagger / Hillbagging

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Navigating the bog near a misty Hill of Stake

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Significance: High Point for the Historic County of Renfrewshire, High Point of Muirshiel Regional Park
Member of: Marilyn
Parent Peak: TBC. NHN = Cruach nan Capull
Elevation: 522m
Date climbed: September 24th 2023
Coordinates: 55° 49' 45'' N, 4° 45' 28'' W

Route Start & Finish: Muirshiel Visitor Centre, Calder Glen Road, Lochwinnoch, PA12 4LB
Route Distance: 12.8 km (8 mile)
Route Elevation change: +/- 429m
Subsidiary tops on route: Misty Law (510m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): None
OS Trig Pillar: TP3902 - Hill Of Stake
Pubs / Cafes on route: Cafe at the Muirshiel Visitor Centre at start and finish
Map: Greenock, Largs & Millport Map | Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 341
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir)
Links: Wikipedia: (Renfrewshire / Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park / Hill of Stake), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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This was a day hike as a part of a 4-day Scottish County Top trip to bag Ben Lawers, Ben Vorlich, Ben Lomond and the Hill of Stake. It was our final day of the trip and, with the Bens ticked off, we just had Hill of Stake to complete.

The 3 Bens were similar walks: steep, high mountains on popular well marked paths. Hill of Stake is in a remote part of the Muirshiel Regional Park on a route with occasional paths that disappear into the boggy ground.

The first 4 km from the Visitor Centre is straightforward, following a well-signed track to the old mine. From the mine you can follow a path parallel to a stream in a south-westerly direction. You’ll need a compass or GPX route, especially in low visibility conditions as the path abruptly ends. By taking a bearing you can reach the Trig Pillar marking the lonely summit of Hill of Stake. From here you can either retrace your steps or, as we did, continue on an anti-clockwise route to also take in Misty Law.

Navigation to Misty Law is simple if you follow the fence from the Hill of Stake summit. You’ll also pass over East Girt hill with its summit marked by a small pile of stones. The fence follows a curve and we thought we could outsmart it by following a direct line to Misty Law. It was extremely wet and boggy so we soon returned to the fence line. Near the top of Misty Law you’ll need to cross the barbed wire fence but there’s an obvious place to cross where blue plastic tubing saves your crotch from the barbs. Once you’ve bagged the Misty Law summit return to this spot on the fence then take a north-westerly bearing to the confluence of Black Grain Burn and Raith Burn.

The main challenge of the walk is how to cross over to the northern side of Raith Burn. It’s a fast-flowing stream with narrow enough places to cross via rocks but very slippery. We sent Joel, the tallest member of the group over first. Not having his height and having a fear of slipping I decided against his chosen mid-stream rock and opted for a spot further down. All 5 of us managed to cross in different sections but somehow Joel managed to fall in having already crossed it.

After crossing the Raith Burn follow a path that runs alongside it for around 1 km before leaving it to take a bearing in a north-easterly direction to the bridge across the Calder Water. Once across take a right to follow the track back to the Visitors Centre.

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Other High Points in the Historic County of Renfrewshire

• Creuch Hill. 441 metres, Inverclyde Present Day County High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging

• Corse Hill. 376 metres, East Renfrewshire Present Day County High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging

• Cathkin Braes. 200m, Glasgow East Renfrewshire Present Day County High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging

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View over Loch Lomond on the descent from Ben Lomond

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Also known as: Beinn Laomainn (“beacon mountain")
Significance: High Point for the Historic County of Stirlingshire, high point for the Loch Lomond NSA
Member of: Munros, Marilyns
Parent Peak: Beinn Ime. NHN = Beinn Ime
Elevation: 974m
Date climbed: September 23rd 2023
Coordinates: 56° 11' 25'' N, 4° 37' 59'' W

Route Start & Finish: Ben Lomond (Rowardennan) Car Park, Stirling, G63 0AR
Route Distance: 12 km (7.5 mile)
Route Elevation change: +/- 913m
Subsidiary tops on route: Ptarmigan (778m)
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Ben Lomond Trail, Ptarmigan Ridge Path, West Highland Way
OS Trig Pillar: TP1283 - Ben Lomond
Pubs / Cafes on route: None on route but the Clansman Bar at the Rowardennan Hotel is near the car park
Map: Loch Lomond North Map | Tyndrum, Crianlarich & Arrochar | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map OL39
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir)
Links: Wikipedia: (Stirlingshire / Ben Lomond), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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This was a day hike as a part of a 4-day Scottish County Top trip to bag Ben Lawers, Ben Vorlich, Ben Lomond and the Hill of Stake. We were on our 3rd day of the trip and had already ticked off Ben Lawers and Ben Vorlich. Now for Ben Lomond, not the highest of the trip, but definitely the most iconic. Ben Lomond is the most southerly Munro, sits on the edge of Loch Lomond and is very close to Glasgow. As such it’s very popular and it can be hard to find parking spots.

We read that in the summer the police close off the road to the main car-park. We were there in late September after the summer peak but we also had to get in a parkrun as it was a Saturday. By the time we arrived it was 11:00 and the main car-park was full so we parked in the overflow instead. This has its advantage though as it’s free and has a direct connection to the Ben Lomond Trail.

We opted for the clockwise circular route, initially following the West Highland Way from the overflow to the main car-park then picking up the Ptarmigan Ridge Path that ascends on the western side of the mountain closest to the Loch. The weather was a bit grey but we still had great views down to the Loch as we climbed.

The different map apps that we had in the group gave different positions for the summit of Ptarmigan so we visited both just to be sure. After Ptarmigan there’s a steep final ascent to the Ben Lomond summit and the Trig Pillar. The summit is flat and, when we were there, fairly crowded with walkers stopping for lunch. After a quick break we continued the circuit, descending down via the Ben Lomond Way.

Near the Loch there’s a path junction with one route to the main car-park and another to the overflow. We took the route to the main car-park to have a celebratory drink at the Clansman Bar at the Rowardennan Hotel.

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View to the south-west on the descent of Ben Vorlich

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Also Known as: Beinn Mhùrlaig
Significance: High Point for the Historic County of Dunbartonshire
Member of: Munros, Marilyns
Parent Peak: xx. NHN = Beinn Ime
Elevation: 943m
Date climbed: September 22nd 2023
Coordinates: 56° 16' 27'' N, 4° 45' 18'' W

Route Start & Finish: Inveruglas Visitor Centre, Inveruglas Farm, A82, Arrochar, G83 7DP
Route Distance: 13.3 km (8.3 mile)
Route Elevation change: +/- 904m
Subsidiary tops on route: None
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Loch Lomond and Cowal Way, Three Lochs Way
OS Trig Pillar: TP1309 - Ben Vorlich
Pubs / Cafes on route: Cafe at Inveruglas Visitor Centre at start/finish.
Map: Loch Lomond North Map | Tyndrum, Crianlarich & Arrochar | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map OL39
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir)
Links: Wikipedia: (Dunbartonshire / Ben Vorlich), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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This was a day hike as a part of a 4-day Scottish County Top trip to bag Ben Lawers, Ben Vorlich, Ben Lomond and the Hill of Stake. After ticking off Ben Lawers we drove south to Balquhidder to stay at the Mhor 84 hotel ahead of tackling Ben Vorlich the next day.

It was during dinner at Mhor 84 that I realised that there was more than one Ben Vorlich and I had planned for the wrong one. Fortunately the correct one was only a 40 minute drive in the direction of our 3rd peak of the trip so we didn’t lose any time overall. Definitely a lesson learned for future trips as I soon found out that there’s also more than one Morven.

With a brand new route plan we arrived at the Inveruglas Visitor Centre for the start of the walk. We often follow Jonny Muir’s guide for the routes but this time decided to take a southern approach to Ben Vorlich instead of the northern route from Ardlui Station that he took.

From the Visitor Centre, head south along the Three Lochs Way following the A82. You’ll pass the Hydroelectric Power Station on your right. After ~900m leave the A82, still following the Three Loch Way along a track now heading west. This track runs parallel to the Inveruglas Water (stream), curving to the north to reach the dam at the southern edge of Loch Stoy.

At ~3km from leaving the A82 and 1 km before the dam you’ll meet a footpath heading steeply up to the right. This is a good place to take a break before the main ascent. Once on the path it’s a further 2.6 km climb to the cairn that marks the summit. You’ll pass the Ben Vorlich Trig Pillar shortly before the high point. For the descent retrace your steps back to the Visitor Centre. As with our Ben Lawers trip the day before, we had a lot of mist, drizzle and wind at the top but much better weather as we descended. Our slog to the top was rewarded by amazing views over both Loch Lomond and Loch Stoy.

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Other High Points in the Historic County of Dunbartonshire

• Earl's Seat, 578 metres, East Dunbartonshire Present Day County High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging

• Duncolm. 401 metres, West Dunbartonshire Present Day County High Point: Peakbagger / Hillbagging

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Descending Ben Lawyers towards Beinn Ghlas

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Also known as: Beinn Labhair
Significance: High Point for the Historic County of Perthshire, Council Top for Perth and Kinross, high point for the Loch Rannoch and Glen Lyon NSA
Member of: Munros, Marilyns
Parent Peak: Ben Nevis NHN = Aonach Beag
Elevation: 1,124m
Date climbed: September 21st 2023
Coordinates: 56° 32' 42'' N, 4° 13' 15'' W

Route Start & Finish: National Trust of Scotland Ben Lawers Car Park, Killin, FK21 8TY
Route Distance: 11.4 km (7.1 mile)
Route Elevation change: +/- 838m
Subsidiary tops on route: Beinn Ghlas
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Ben Lawers Trail
OS Trig Pillar: TP1281 - Ben Lawers
Pubs / Cafes on route: N/A
Map: Ben Lawers & Glen Lyon Map | Loch Tay, Killin & Kenmore | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map OL48
Guidebook: The UK's County Tops (Jonny Muir)
Links: Wikipedia: (Perthshire / Ben Lawers), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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This was a day hike as a part of a 4-day Scottish County Top trip to bag Ben Lawers, Ben Vorlich, Ben Lomond and the Hill of Stake. First up was Ben Lawers, the 3rd highest UK Historic County Top and the highest of this particular trip.

After a flight from London and a 2 hour drive from Glasgow we arrived at the National Trust car park at the start of the trail. The Ben Lawers Trail is well marked and maintained making navigation very easy. We also had good visibility on the day, although the summit was wet and very windy. The trek to the summit passes over Beinn Ghlas, a 1103 m Munro, followed by a small descent before a steep climb to the Ben Lawers Trig Pillar.

For the return to the car park you can either retrace your steps over Beinn Ghlas or take an alternative path to the west from the col between the two peaks. This alternative route rejoins the main Ben Lawers Trail by a fence at 2.2 km from the car park.

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Approach to Liddington Hill from The Ridgeway

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Significance:  Unitary Authority High Point for Swindon
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Walbury Hill. NHN = Milk Hill
Elevation: 276m
Date climbed: August 20th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 30' 41'' N, 1° 41' 40'' W

Route Start & Finish: Parking spots on Aldbourne Road (B4192) or on The Ridgeway (Road).
Route Distance: 6 km (3.7 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 98m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: The Ridgeway
OS Trig Pillar: TP0743 - Liddington Castle
Pubs / Cafes on route: N/A
Map: Cirencester & Swindon Map | Fairford & Cricklade | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 169
Links: Wikipedia: (Swindon, Liddington Castle), Peakbagger: (Castle / Hill), Hillbagging

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Liddington Hill is the high point of the Unitary Authority of Swindon within the Historic County of Wiltshire. The summit of the hill has the remains of Liddington Castle, a late Bronze Age and early Iron Age hillfort with a prominent Trig Pillar on the north-eastern rim.

Although the Trig Pillar is the highest position on the hill, the natural high point is a little to the south-east in a farmer’s field. There were crops growing at the time and robust fencing around the castle so I decided not to walk to the natural high-point. From the castle it’s hard to spot the highest natural position on a relatively flat summit so tramping through crops to an unmarked position didn’t feel right. At the time I was more interested in finding the remains of the WW2 decoy bunker on the route back to the parking spot. See this video on YouTube for more on the bunker.

Access to the hill is easy and the summit can be bagged in a simple out-and-back from Aldbourne Road or as a minor detour from the Ridgeway. There’s parking space for a few cars at the junction of Aldbourne Road and The Ridgeway (path). These were full when I arrived so I used a layby round the corner on the road called The Ridgeway to the north of the hill.

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Approach to Coety Mountain from Forge Side Road

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Coety Mountain

Also known as: Coity Mountain / Mynydd Coety (Welsh)
Significance: High Point for the Welsh Principal Area of Blaenau Gwent
Member of: Marilyns
Parent Peak: Pen y Fan. NHN = Sugar Loaf
Elevation: 578m
Date climbed: August 19th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 45' 55'' N, 3° 6' 53'' W
Links: Wikipedia: Blaenau Gwent, Coety Mountain, Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Coety Mountain East Slope

Significance:  Unitary Authority High Point for Torfaen
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Coety Mountain. NHN = Coety Mountain
Elevation: 574m
Date climbed: August 19th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 45' 56'' N, 3° 6' 50'' W
Links: Wikipedia (Torfaen), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

For both peaks:

Route Start & Finish: Parking space before the cattle grid near Varteg Road Cemetery, Varteg Road, Pontypool, NP4, UK
Route Distance: 10.1 km (6.2 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 276m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): N/A
Other routes touched (cycle): N/A but NCN 492 passes very close to the start of the walk.
OS Trig Pillar: TP5042 - Mynydd Varteg Fawr
Pubs / Cafes on route: N/A
Map: Ordnance Survey OS Explorer OL13 Brecon Beacons National Park - Eastern Area Map
Links: Blaenavon, Blaenavon World Heritage Site

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Coety Mountain is the high point of the Welsh Principal Areas of Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen within the Historic County of Monmouthshire. The Blaenau Gwent / Torfaen border runs along the ridge of the mountain with the 2 high points very close together.

The quickest way to bag the high points is an out-and-back from the Whistle Inn Halt at the north-western end of Blaenavon. Instead I chose a longer circular route from the south-eastern end of town to include the Mynydd Farteg Fawr Trig Pillar. There’s a parking space for a couple of cars near the cattle grid by the cemetary on Varteg Road, or, if not available you can also park along Forge Side Road.

From Varteg Road follow Forge Side Road in a north-westerly direction until you reach a footpath on the left by an old access road to a mine. Follow the path to the left of the mine as it curves up the hill towards the south-east. At a path junction take the path that leads to the north-west and follow that for about 250m. There’s no direct path from here to access the top of the ridge so I found a safe spot and headed up through the bracken. When you reach the top of the ridge take a left to follow the path to the Trig Pillar.

After the Trig Pillar retrace your steps to where you reached the top and continue following the path for ~2.4 km to the top of Coety Mountain. Keep an eye on the GPS though as the path disappears before the summit. The top of Coety Mountain is obvious but you’ll need to follow the GPS to reach the East Slope which is the high point of Torfaen.

After the high points make your way down to a track that leads to an old mine. Around 100m to the north-west of the mine you can pick up a path that leads to the south-east. Follow this for ~3.6km until you reach the point where you left the path earlier to reach the Trig Pillar. From here retrace your steps to the start of the walk at Varteg Road.

While in Blaenavon it’s worth spending a bit more time there to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site attractions and the Historic Railway. I completed the walk just in time to take a ride on the old steam train that follows the track connecting the Whistle Inn Halt and Varteg Road. You’ll get a great view of Coety Mountain and Mynydd Farteg Fawr on the trip.

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Blaenavon's Heritage Railway

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Significance: High Point for the Welsh Principal Area of Newport
Member of: Marilyns
Parent Peak: TBC. NHN = Mynydd Twyn-glas
Elevation: 309m
Date climbed: August 20th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 38' 40'' N, 2° 51' 8'' W

Route Start & Finish: Cadeira Beeches car park, Usk Road, Llanvaches, Newport, NP26 3AZ
Route Distance: 2.6 km (1.6 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 37m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: N/A
OS Trig Pillar: TP6796 - Wentwood
Pubs / Cafes on route: N/A
Map: Newport & Pontypool/Casnewydd a Pont-y-Pŵl Map | Caerleon & Usk | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 152
Links: Wikipedia: Newport / Wentwood, Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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Wentwood is the high point of the Welsh Principal Area of Newport within the Historic County of Monmouthshire. The Trig Pillar that marks the summit can be reached on a 2.6km out-and-back walk from the Cadeira Beeches car park. There’s an even closer parking spot just to the east of the Trig Pillar accessible from the north/south road that connects the A48 with Usk Road. I was there early on a Sunday morning and there was plenty of room to park so I made this one a very quick drive-by on the way to the more interesting Coety Mountain.

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Pontsticill Reservoir and view to the Brecon Beacons

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Merthyr Common

Significance: High Point for the Welsh Principal Area of Merthyr Tydfil
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Cefn yr Ystrad. NHN = Pen March
Elevation: 531m
Coordinates: 51° 47' 25'' N, 3° 20' 6'' W
Links: Wikipedia (Merthyr Tydfil), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Pen March

Significance: High Point for the Welsh Principal Area of Caerphilly
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Cefn yr Ystrad. NHN = Cefn yr Ystrad
Elevation: 535m
Coordinates: 51° 47' 27'' N, 3° 19' 56'' W
Links: Wikipedia (Caerphilly), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

For both peaks:

Date climbed: August 19th 2023
Route Start & Finish: Red Cow Inn, Main Road, Pontsticill, Merthyr Tydfil, CF48 2UN
Route Distance: 6.6 km (4.1 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 284m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): Taff Trail
Other routes touched (cycle): NCN 8
Pubs / Cafes on route: Red Cow Inn at start and finish
Map: Brecon Beacons National Park / Parc Cenedlaethol Bannau Brycheiniog Map | Western Area | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map OL12
Links: Pontisticill, Pontsticill Reservoir, Brecon Beacons National Park

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This walk covers the high points of both the Welsh Principal Areas of Merthyr Tydfil and Caerphilly.

To start the walk I parked outside the Red Cow Inn at Pontsticill and followed the road down the hill to cross over Taff Fechan (river) to meet the Taff Trail. Cross the road opposite the water treatment plant to join a footpath that leads up the hill in a north-easterly direction. The path crosses under the Brecon Mountain Railway to meet a path junction at the 350m contour line. Take a right and keep to the path now heading south-east. At the 440m contour line, approximately 1.4km into the walk, leave the path and cross open land towards the high points. This is where I found it essential to follow my GPX track as it’s easy to get lost up there.

The route to the high point roughly follows the border of Merthyr Tydfil and Powys until you reach a dry pond that marks the Merthyr / Powys / Caerphilly county tri-point. The Merthyr Common high point is to the west of the pond and Pen March to the east. There’s nothing to mark either and neither feels like an achieved summit as the ground in Powys to the north of the border is higher.

My original plan for this walk was to include the Trig Point at the summit of Cefn Yr Ystrad. It was now late in a full day of high-point bagging, getting cold and the route to the Trig Pillar was boggy. I decided to leave Cefn Yr Ystrad for another day, return to Pontsticill and rest for more high-points the next day.

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2 Peaks and a County Tri-point

Map base = Esri Topo

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Penlle'r Castel

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Significance: High Point for the Welsh Principal Area of Swansea
Member of: Marilyns
Parent Peak: TBC. NHN = Garreg Lwyd
Elevation: 373m
Date climbed: August 19th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 46' 2'' N, 3° 56' 15'' W

Route Start & Finish: Parking spot at junction of 2 small roads at marker 48 of the Gower Way
Route Distance: 1.3 km (>1 mile)
Route Elevation change: +/- 55m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): The Gower Way
OS Trig Pillar: TP5000 - Mynydd Bettws
Pubs / Cafes on route: N/A
Map: Swansea/Abertawe Map | Neath/Castell-Nedd & Port Talbot | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 165
Links: Wikipedia: (Swansea / Mynydd y Betws / Penlle'r Castell), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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Mynydd y Betws is the high point of the Welsh Principal Area of Swansea within the Historic County of Glamorganshire.

It’s a misleading name as the Swansea high point is at Penlle'r Castel, an historic ruin on the summit of Mynydd y Gwair. There’s a nearby Trig Pillar called Mynydd Betws and, according to the map I was using, another summit called Mynydd y Betws with an elevation of 341m. I decided to bag them all just to be sure. My plan was to do them in a circular walk from the start of the access road to the farm near the Trig Pillar. It was wet and windy when I arrived so I decided to bag the Trig Pillar and the 341m peak first, then drive closer to the path to Penlle'r Castel.

The best place to park for access to Penlle'r Castel is at a path junction by marker 48 of The Gower Way on the east side of the hill. If you’re driving there from the south you’ll likely come up the Rhydypandy Road. This passes very close to the western side of the summit shortly before a sharp bend in the road and a steep descent. There’s no safe parking space here, so continue down the hill, then take a right at the first junction to find the parking spot at Gower Way marker 48. Note that the road junction you will have just taken is the tri-point of the counties of Swansea, Carmarthenshire and Neath Port Talbot.

From the parking spot follow the Gower Way to the remains of Penlle'r Castel. My map had the 371m point a little further to the south-west so I continued along the path, almost to the Rhydypandy Road. Retrace your steps to return to the parking spot.

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Tair Onnen Trig Pillar

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Also known as: Tair Onen (Pantylladron)
Significance: High Point for the Welsh Principal Area of Vale of Glamorgan
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Craig y Llyn. NHN = Garth Hill
Elevation: 137m
Date “climbed”: August 19th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 27' 24'' N, 3° 23' 17'' W

Route Start & Finish: Parking space near entrance of ConeMasters Limited, St Hilary Offices & Depot, Tair Onen, St Hilary, CF71 7UA
Route Distance: 1.2 km (>1 mile)
Route Elevation change: +/- 5m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: N/A
OS Trig Pillar: TP6301 - Tair Onen
Pubs / Cafes on route: N/A
Map: Cardiff & Bridgend / Caerdydd a Pen-y-Bont Ar Ogwr Map | Vale of Glamorgan / Bro Morgannwg | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 151
Links: Wikipedia (Vale of Glamorgan), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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Tair Onen is the high point of the Welsh Principal Area of Vale of Glamorgan within the Historic County of Glamorganshire.

This High Point can be bagged with a very short walk from the parking space near entrance of ConeMasters Limited. From the parking space walk south and cross the A48. Don’t take the footpath over the stone wall that’s immediately opposite the junction. Instead cross through the gate into the field on the right and follow the left hand edge of the field heading south. When you reach the solar panel farm take a right and follow the path following the northern edge of the solar farm. You’ll soon reach the highest point of the path where you can cut into the field to bag the Trig Pillar and county high point. Fortunately there were no crops growing when I was there but be careful not to damage anything during growing season. Return to the parking spot via the same route.

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Approaching the summit of Garth Hill

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Also known as: Mynydd y Garth (Welsh), The Garth
Significance: High Point for the Welsh Principal Area of Cardiff
Member of: Marilyn
Parent Peak: TBC. NHN = Cefn Eglwysilan
Elevation: 307m
Date climbed: August 19th 2023
Coordinates: 51° 32' 36'' N, 3° 17' 40'' W

Route Start & Finish: The Taffs Well Inn, Cardiff Road, Taff's Well, Cardiff, CF15 7PR
Route Distance: 6.2 km (3.6 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 260m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched: N/A … the Taff Trail runs past Taff’s Well Station
OS Trig Pillar: TP3324 - Garth
Pubs / Cafes on route: The Taff’s Well Inn (start), The Gwaelod-y-Garth Inn (600m in)
Map: Cardiff & Bridgend / Caerdydd a Pen-y-Bont Ar Ogwr Map | Vale of Glamorgan / Bro Morgannwg | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 151
Links: Wikipedia: Garth Hill / Cardiff / Taff’s Well, Peakbagger, Hillbagging

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Garth Hill is the high point of the Welsh Principal Area of Cardiff within the Historic County of Glamorganshire.

With all of the English, Welsh and Northern Irish Historic County Tops in the bag, I had now turned my attention to the modern day counties and Unitary Authorities. The Wife was away and I had a free weekend in hand so I drove to Cardiff for 2 days of bagging the High Points of the South Wales Principal Areas. I had already bagged Werfa (Mynydd Llangeinwyr) on a separate trip back in 2019, so I had 8 to complete in this trip.

After spending the night in Cardiff and ticking off Cardiff parkrun I headed north along the a River Taff to the small village of Taff’s Well. Taff's Well is a village in the south-east of Rhondda Cynon Taf, about 6 miles (9.7 km) north of Cardiff. It is known locally as the "Gates to the Valleys". The village is named after the River Taff, which flows through it, and the warm spring within Taff's Well Park. The spring is the only thermal spring in Wales, and is thought to rise from the carboniferous limestone. The water is tepid, with a temperature of around 18 degrees Celsius. Taff's Well was a popular spa resort in the 19th century, and people would travel from all over the UK and Europe to bathe in its waters. The spa closed in the early 20th century, but the spring is still a popular local tourist attraction.

Taff’s Well Station is an obvious place to start the walk but as I was driving I managed to save 1 km each way by parking on the road outside The Taff’s Well Inn. From here there’s a path that crosses the River Taff before climbing steeply up to Main Road. Take a right onto Main Road and then, just in front of The Gwaelod-y-Garth Inn, take a left up Route des Alpes road. Continue up Route des Alpes, gradually ascending for 1 km until you reach a path that takes a sharp right hand turn towards the north-east away from the road. Continue up the path and curve round to the north-west to the trig pillar at the summit.

For the descent retrace your steps to the start but take a few moments, 1km from the summit, to visit the cliff edge view over Taff’s Well and along the Taff Valley toward Cardiff. Shortly after the view-point there’s a path leading directly down to Route des Alpes road. I decided to take this rather than the longer route I came up with. It turned out to be very steep and, after a lot of recent rain, very slippery. I got down but mostly by sliding down on my arse grabbing hold of any heather I could find. It’s definitely a shorter route but not necessarily quicker and, if I were to do it again, I would avoid it in favour of returning via the same route I had come up on.

One peak completed … now on to Tair Onnen in the Vale of Glamorgan.

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Lost village of Dode

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Significance:  Unitary Authority High Point for Medway
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Botley Hill. NHN = Detling Hill
Historic County: Kent (of which Betsom’s Hill is the County Top)
Elevation: 172m
Date “climbed”: August 12th 2013
Coordinates: 51° 20' 43'' N, 0° 23' 55'' E

Route Start & Finish: Holy Hill Wood Car Park, Holly Hill Lane (North Downs Way), Gravesend, DA13 0UB
Route Distance: 4.5 km (2.8 miles)
Route Elevation change: +/- 78m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other routes touched (walk): North Downs Way
Other routes touched (cycle): N/A
OS Trig Pillar: TP3974 - Holly Hill
Pubs / Cafes on route: N/A
Map: Maidstone & the Medway Towns Map | Kent Downs | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map 148
Guidebook: N/A
Links: Wikipedia (Medway), Peakbagger, Hillbagging, Lost Village of Dode

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Holly Hill is the high point of the Unitary Authority of Medway within the Historic and Ceremonial Counties of Kent. We bagged it on a short walk that also takes in the Holly Hill Trig Pillar and the lost village of Dode.

The Holly Hill Car Park is open during the summer and is very close to the Trig Pillar. We chose to keep this to the end of the walk and headed up to the high point first. Not sure why the Trig Pillar and High Point are in different places. Turn left out of the car park onto the North Downs way and follow it for 250 metres then take a footpath to the right heading east. When the path enters into a large field take a left and follow the tree-line on the left hand side of the field to the top of the hill. The high-point is near the large tree in the corner of the field. There were crops growing at the time so we kept to the field edge which may have been a metre or 2 from the actual high point. There’s no obvious peak or anything to mark the summit.

Retrace your steps to the North Downs Way and follow it north but keep to the main track rather than take the right hand turn when the North Downs Way diverts to the east. When you reach Wrangling Lane take a left and follow it in a south-westerly direction. You’ll shortly pass the entrance to the lost village of Dode.

The lost village of Dode is a small hamlet in the North Downs of Kent, England. It is thought to have been abandoned in the 14th century due to the Black Death, a devastating plague that killed an estimated 30-50% of the European population. The only remaining trace of the village is its Norman church, which was built in the 12th century. The church has been restored and is now a popular wedding venue. It’s private property and the gate was locked at the time so we settled for some photos at the gate and continued along Wrangling Lane.

Keep on Wrangling Lane as it curves to the south and gradually ascends up to White Horse Road. Take a left onto White Horse Road then take the first footpath on the left to take you into Holly Hill Woodland. Keep to the paths following the easterly edge of the woodland and you’ll arrive at the OS Trig Pillar, an information board and a great view across to central London. The car park is a further 250 metres from the Trig Pillar.

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Significance: Unitary Authority High Point for Portsmouth
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Butser Hill, NHN: Butser Hill
Historic County: Hampshire (of which Pilot Hill is the County Top)
Elevation: 122m
Date “climbed”: July 22nd 2023
Coordinates: 50° 51' 29'' N, 1° 6' 43'' W
Map: Meon Valley, Porstmouth, Gosport and Fareham (OS Explorer Map): Sheet 119
Links: Wikipedia (Portsmouth), Peakbagger, Hillbagging, Fort Southwick

Fort Southwick is the high point of the Unitary Authority of Portsmouth, within the Historic and Ceremonial Counties of Hampshire. The high point is on private land on a track up to a small reservoir but it’s easily accessible over a gate from Portsdown Hill Road just to the west of the old fort.

Fort Southwick was built in the 1860s to defend the landward approaches to the naval base at Portsmouth. The fort is a large, triangular structure with a dry ditch and a number of caponiers (small, projecting defensive works). It also houses a water storage tank and a spiral staircase that leads to the underground tunnels.

Fort Southwick was disarmed in 1906 but was retained as a barracks. It was also used by the army to train soldiers how to capture and hold a fort. In the Second World War, the fort was used as a headquarters for the Admiralty and as a communications center.

Today, Fort Southwick is mainly used as an NHS park and ride for Portsmouth and a used car dealership. There’s an OS Trig Pillar inside (TP3238 - Fort Southwick) but inaccessible except with special permission. Trigpointing logs indicate that permission is very hard to get.

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Significance: Unitary Authority High Point for Southampton
Member of: N/A
Parent Peak: Butser Hill, NHN: Telegraph Hill
Historic County: Hampshire (of which Pilot Hill is the County Top)
Elevation: 82m
Date “climbed”: July 22nd 2023
Coordinates: 50° 57' 0'' N, 1° 24' 16'' W
Map: New Forest Map | Southampton, Ringwood, Ferndown, Lymington, Christchurch & Bournemouth | Ordnance Survey | OS Explorer Map OL22
Links: Wikipedia (Southampton), Peakbagger, Hillbagging

Bassett Avenue is the high point of the Unitary Authority of Southampton, within the Historic and Ceremonial Counties of Hampshire. Most people will have passed right through the high point when approaching the city along the A33 Bassett Avenue having come off the M3. The high point is at the junction of Bassett Avenue and Bassett Health Avenue. Not much to see here so best done on the way to something more interesting

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