Hopetoun Monument - 26/03/2019

Elaine and I shared a day off and, with Tim away working, we decided to explore another tower, one which had aroused my curiosity since my arrival in Fife a couple of months before - Hopetoun Monument. I set about creating a route to incorporate the monument and we parked at Cupar Deer Park with the promise of a tea and scone at the end of our walk.

We headed north to Over Rankeilour where the huge Rankeilour House dominates the landscape. It was built by General Sir John Hope and it was his monument we were walking to today. Rankeilour House steading  has been converted to a retail outlet and Cupar Deer Centre.

Rankeilour House. NO3213

Tree at Over Rankeilour. NO3213

We wended our way through the grounds of Rankeilour House to a very straight path which led north to Westhall, our eyes ever on the monument ahead of us.

Hopetoun Monument from NO3213

How delightful it was to see the Blackthorn in blossom and, on this mild day, the Bumble Bees beginning to seek its nectar.

Blackthorn and Bumble Bees near Westhall. NO3213

I didn't really see anything to warrant a Geograph in this square, but knew I'd be passing through it again at the end of the walk, so hoped for a better photograph then.

At Westhall, we joined a minor road which led to East Hall.

West Hall Farm. NO3314

East Hall. NO3315.

North of East Hall. NO3315

After walking along the road for about a mile, we were glad to turn off on to a footpath signposted for Mount Hill.

Ascending Mount Hill. NO3315

It took us a while to find out how to enter the enclosure with the tower in it as the entrance is on the other side. We heard voices as we approached, but by the time we arrived at the Tower there was only one lady alone there, who we think was Polish. We had difficulty communicating with her, but, seeing the door of the tower open, we ascertained that her friends had gone up the tower and she made gestures which conveyed that she really hadn't wanted to go up herself.  We gestured that we too would like to go up, so we waited for the return of her companions, who gave us the key and said they'd wait for us. They also gave us a torch, for which we were very grateful. They were staying nearby, presumably with or near the keyholder.

We rushed up the tower, as fast as the 172 narrow, spiral steps would allow us and took in the breathtaking view from the top, waving to our comrades far below.

Hopetoun Monument. NO3316

View SW from Hopetoun Monument with the Lomond Hills in the distance. NO3316

View NE from Hopetoun Monument with Norman's Law in distance. NO3316

We descended and returned the key and torch to the Polish family and tried to engage them in conversation but our Polish is non-existent and their English was limited so our conversation was very short. We  were grateful to them for being there so we could ascend this seldom-visited Fife landmark. We felt sure Tim would be envious.

The memorial was built in 1826 in memory of the British soldier John Hope, 4th Earl of Hopetoun (1765-1823) and is 95 foot high.

But Mount Hill does not only boast this memorial; there was another pull to its summit in the form of, yes, you've guessed it, a Fife trigpoint. I was extra excited about this as it would be one of the two visible from Norman's Law, which I had already visited earlier in the year with Tim.

 

                                                                          Mount Hill trigpoint. NO3316

We now had to find our way back down the hill and soon found the track.

Forest track, Mount Hill. NO3216

We followed the track as it curved back into NO3316 where we sat with our picnic by the pond.

Pond in old quarry, Mount Hill. NO3316

My original plan to descend via a track on Fernie Hill was thwarted due to the lack of access. We had to make do with entering the field where we could and descending via a pleasant route down to Fernie Mill.

Fernie Hill. NO3215

Fernie Mill. NO3115

We were near Fernie Castle Hotel, which Elaine told me was a popular venue for weddings. Not passing the hotel, though I made do with an assortment of gates for my subject for NO3114.

Gate at Fernie Mill. NO3114

Dog Violets provided a glorious blaze of colour at Fernie Mill. NO3114

We now re-entered NO3214, The square I had not been able to photograph at the beginning of the walk. This time I chose a spinney as the subject for the square.

Spinney. NO3214

Another blaze of colour arrested our attention in the next square - what looked like a brand new tractor sowing potatoes.

Tractor near Letham. NO3114

A flock of Pink-footed Geese flew overhead as we joined the minor road to Letham.

Bridge over Ballangar Burn. Bow of Fife in the distance. NO3113

Once we had crossed the bridge we turned left, following a footpath back to Rankeilour House, where we retraced our steps to the Deer Centre and a welcome cup of coffee and piece of cake.

Number of new gridsquares: 10

Number of miles walked: 7.6

Number of trigpoints visited: 1

Number of steps climbed: 172

Walk worth repeating: Yes