UKH

Curly Wurly: the tangled together caramel strands in their cheerful purple wrapper make a chewy snack for any hillwalker. And the hill called Curleywee is exactly the same. Apart from not being coated in delicious low-cocoa-solids milk chocolate. Link it with the smooth, grassy Lamachan Hill and the even smaller, even ruggeder Mulldonoch for a lively and enjoyable outing above Loch Trool. But first you've got to get onto the things… Spruce plantations, and regenerating wildwood surrounded with a tall deer fence, defend the slopes above the loch. There is one route, devious but do-able, using the remains of a long-forgotten forest track through scrubby undergrowth. Bring a pair of secateurs, as a few snips will make things easier for yourself while helping keep this path open for future walkers. Once on the open hill there's scrambly outcrops, an airy ridgeline, and the chewy snack of Curleywee – "to be enjoyed as part of a healthy, active lifestyle."

12 miles, 19.30 km, 931m ascent, 6 – 7 hours. Newton Stewart

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