Scottish Hill Rally Club Hills and Glens Tour 2009
9th & 10th May
Perth Mart Saturday 9th May saw twenty six participants in nine 4x4s and four marshal vehicles ready for the off at due time of one minute intervals on a cool but dry morning.
The tour is run to in part to aid RSABI, a charity dedicated to persons involved in working the land.
A 50mm raised Suzuki Jimny was a repeat performer and featured in the event window stickers at standard height, plus a mixture of 90s, Range Rovers, Discos, Mitsubishi Shogun and a Ford Ranger made up the tour.
I confess a mistake in the description of the very first road sign turn at Methven, due to a PC cut and paste not corrected. Not a good start, but all eventually arrived at the ford and start of the first off road section. A bit of marshal driving back was involved, as one participant took a different route any way, as he ‘knew where he was going’! Radio traffic and mobtel solved the problem when it was confirmed where he was.
Campbell Sharp set out an observation exercise using cut up number plates positioned at 26 positions, just for fun and to keep speed down on the first off road section through Little Glenshee. He failed to find them all afterwards and this was borne out by the winning score being 21 by the rather nice G4 Disco. Yours truly only managed barely double figures! Thank you Campbell as you could not participate in the rest of the Tour.
Marshal vehicles were Stuart’s Disco, Diana’s Disco, Neil’s 90 and Phil’s LR110 (Saturday only). Dave’s LR110 suffered gear selection problems on the final recce for the event, requiring repair, so he travelled with Diana, thanks.
Section one was 4.75 miles varied with gravely bits interspersed with slippy mud ruts. Why are the biggest puddles at the gates? We saw a red squirrel run along the nearside track for some metres before it seemed to dive into a rabbit hole. It was well away from woodland, which I hadn’t seen before.
A road section to Aberfeldy brought us to Urlar Section of 5.4 miles.
Very steep tarmac to the farm then typical hill track climbing past a pretty shooters’ bothy to the headwater of Urlar Burn, a picturesque lochan at the track end but mind the electric fence! A few new tracks off the main track since last time. This track was due for resurfacing and it was a moot point if it would be started, preventing our Tour, however, we made it just in time!
A long downhill to through Kenmore to the entrance to Drummond Forest and next 10.1 miles off road section. We had to avoid the East end of the forest as nesting capercailzies were there. This section therefore had junctions arrowed. The first part of the section was quite overgrown but provided stunning views of Loch Tay. We discovered previously windy weather had felled a large fir branch across the track, but a strope was produced, attached to a nice LR and pulled to one side sufficient for all to pass. This stage was exited North of Fearnan.
The route led to Innerwick in Glen Lyon with ample opportunities to photograph this interesting glen. Innerwick provided a picnic and toilet stop prior to the final section for the day.
Innerwick to Loch Rannoch is 7.5 miles of the most challenging track so far. One vehicle did not do this section as the passenger would not enjoy the exposure of narrow tracks etched into a 45 degree slope!
Continuously steep uphill with a ford at the top and several deep cross track drainage ruts were negotiated with only a few scraping noises and clenched teeth, a stop to regain breath, through the substantial boundary gate into Rannoch Forest and bonny views to the North, with steady drop on forest tracks to the Loch.
This whole section was marked with red flags on canes for the Scottish Six Day Motorcycle Trial which was scheduled for the prior Thursday, but locals said it had not passed.
A short trip into Kilvrecht campsite for those who were camping. If you were quick you had your tent up before the rain came in scattered showers. Had a chat with the camp forester who had been to Knockhill today where he said it had rained continuously. We felt for our comrades at Knockhill with the Club caravan on publicity business.
We were the only marshals that went to The Post Taste in Kinloch Rannoch for dinner, very nice with a very well behaved childrens’ party in progress as the hotel ‘does not cater for children’ some tourist industry! Campers cooked their own it seems.
Sunday started at 10 a.m. with an RVs at Kilvrecht then to Trinafour, 8.5 miles into Errochty estate track, a tight right turn down the grass to cross Errochty Dam, the highest dam wall in Scotland!
Weather was sunny and warm in it, encouraging LR sojourns down the loch edge tracks and a communal picnic stop at the bridge. Stuart had recced the track beyond here and decided it was not suitable to proceed due to a wash out and no space left to turn round. This merely prolonged the sociable picnic stop until an exit via the SSE track to the road.
Final off road section started a few miles West of Trinafour at Tummel Forest entrance being 15 miles, the longest of the Tour following the McRae Stages Rally route. Well done the forest staff maintaining the track so well considering how cut up I’ve seen it after a rally. This section had junctions arrowed. Typical forest tracks? No! Superb views of Beinn a’ Ghlo, long canyons of logs, obsolete community reconstructed buildings completed a rare section through Allean Forest to Queen’s View.
Final stop in the Forest Car Park with a belated prize (a milk chocolate Bounty) for the competition being presented by Stewart to a pretty girl completed the day.
Everybody seemed to enjoy the Tour and enquired, “next year”?
Thanks to: ‘Chief Eveything’ Stuart Fleming without whose effort and expertise this Tour would not have happened, marshals Diana Baines, Phil Dickie and Neil Hutton
I did a few maps, missed a print error, recced a bit, stapled a few arrows, opened and closed a few gates collected a few posts and enjoyed the trip in Diana’s disco.
Onward to the Perthshire!
Dave Duff. THISTLE 3
Hills and Glens Tour
