County:  Renfrewshire

Nearest Town: Greenock

Difficulty: Easy

Time: 20 minutes

Height: 228m

This was a quick walk with stunning views. Originally, I was going to try and get a couple of trigs but I forgot to lift my walking boots when I left the house. I was wearing my approach shoes but knew that the ground was going to be boggy and uneven so thought that the sensible option would be to just do the one trig. I didn’t want to abort altogether as I was keen to try out my new Rab Elevation walking trousers. There is a small car park just off the B788, marked as Wallace’s Loup on the OS map.

Finding the Pillar

Head northeast along the B788. After passing the fenced-off substation building, jump the fence and start heading uphill. You should be able to see the pillar at this point. The ground is pretty boggy so watching your step is a good idea. Head up to the trig and enjoy the views!

The View

There is a fantastic panoramic view over the Clyde estuary, and on a clear day the hills and mountains beyond. Over the moors there are numerous points of archaeological interest including a Roman Fortlet. I wonder if it hoped to be a Fort when it grew up?

The Route

The Trousers

So… it’s time for my usual rant about trousers. I always find it hard to get walking trousers that fit – the ladies ones always seem to be fitted to the more boyish figure rather than accommodating hips or bums. (There is so much more choice in menswear anyway so if you have a boyish figure why would you not just get men’s trousers? Just me? Ok… they just have such snazzy colours.) If they fit over my hips the waist is too big. If they fit (in theory) my waist, generally they won’t get past my bum. In desperate need of a new pair of trousers, I headed to Go Outdoors. All the lovely Rab trousers were there tempting me, but I held out little hope. I picked up a pair of the Elevation trousers. Initially on trying them on I thought that it might be a ‘you shall not pass’ moment when it got to my hips. But once on, they fitted so well. Super comfy! Yes, they are basically the jeggings of the outdoor world… but who cares when you can be this comfy whilst still wearing soft-shell type material trousers with a pocket that actually fits your phone!