The Cairn Table Loop


Forum » Walk Reports » Scotland

By Chris Mac on 14/09/15 at 11:50pm

Date started:05/07/2015
Distance:9.2 km or 5.7 miles
Ascent:405m or 1329ft
Time taken:3:20
Naismith:2:31

We decided it was time to bag another local hill and I opted for Cairn Table south of Muirkirk and just over an hour away. After consulting WH it looked fairly straightforward and with the reward of a war memorial, cairn and of course the view once we reached the top.

Starting from the car park next to the racetrack in Muirkirk we thought the "red route" to the summit and down the west side looked more interesting than returning down the same path.

The start of the walk takes you south over farmland and past ruins and the local sheep:

Before long the path appears and seems to snake up the hill next to a wall/fence:

The next part if very boggy though and we had to take a few small detours to get round massive puddles and find the path again:

As the path rises you escape the bog and it's easy going up a large path with a few small steep bits.

Looking back towards Muirkirk:

One of the steeper sections:

Onwards we go and we've covered a bit of distance so far:

The summit is soon in view along with the pyramid shaped memorial:

Come on...

...just another steep section to go and we're almost there:

Now we're talking! :D

The war memorial at the top of Cairn Table... looking awfully like... a stone jobby! :lol: Sorry...

The final stretch to the summit, easy going:

That was fairly quick and didn't take much effort:

There are two cairns at the summit, this is looking east towards Tinto Hill:

The view west where you can make out Arran far away in the distance:

Time for another trig point pose... :roll:

Summit cairn 2 calling summit cairn 1, come in cairn 1! Darned wind... :D

Summit info point:

The way we came up, now to find the western path back down...

After a snack and a couple more pics of course!

The path is down the other side of the memorial:

And she's away!

Looking back at the summit of Cairn Table as we take the western path back down:

It's a nice view going down this way:

The path continues towards the burn...

Then gets a bit bushy...

And you are back in the realm of the sheep once again with the path following the river round to the north:

A bird of prey entertains us on the walk back as it hunts for dinner, speaking of which this is working up an appetite... :D

The walk along the river is a nice one:

The way we came down:

The track winds round and goes north back towards Muirkirk racetrack with Cairn Table visible on the right as you walk along:

We reach the kilns of TarMacAdam!

Time for a well earned break:

Follow the old road round past the racetrack and then you're back at the car park and the path where you set out from:

So nothing spectacular but an enjoyable walk all round with only a few others met on the journey. A nice, remote bit of the country with some great views of the surrounding area for a sub-2000 hill.



WalkLakes recognises that hill walking, or walking in the mountains, is an activity with a danger of personal injury or death.
Participants in these activities should be aware of and accept these risks and be responsible for their own actions.