Geo-Trips :: Meikle Balloch
Strath Isla
A walk from Herricks, Fri, 2 Apr 2021 by Anne Burgess
We set off from the little car park at Herricks to walk widdershins round Meikle Balloch, but after passing the forest quarry we took a road to the left that we had not walked before. It brought us to the summit area, from which we enjoyed the genuinely panoramic view. We descended by a steepish path to rejoin the road and return to Herricks.
Click the blue circles to see a photograph taken from that spot and read further information about the location. The blue lines indicate the direction of view. There is also a slideshow of this trip. ( )
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Herricks Burn
There is a burn there, inconspicuously flowing under the tall trees on the left.... more
Gap in the Forest
The gap was probably made by forest harvesters, but it wasn't recently.
Forest Quarry
There has been little change here since [[[6415453]]] was taken a year ago, except... more
Forest on Meikle Balloch
A clearing beside the forest road on the edge of the plantation.
Forest Pool
A pool beside the road drains via a recently cleared ditch.
Waymarker Post
The signpost indicates where the track to Coachford leaves the route round Meikle Balloch.
Open Forest
It looks as if this area has been felled and allowed to re-seed itself.
View from The Balloch
The name The Balloch is applied to a subsidiary summit of Meikle Balloch that... more
Track to the Summit
The track up to the summit of Meikle Balloch is clear and mostly dry underfoot but... more
British Soldier Lichen (Cladonia cristatella)
There were several patches of this lichen among the heather.
An Unhappy Pine
This pine tree shows the effects of exposure to the prevailing wind, which is from... more
Pool on the Path
A nice puddle always makes a good foreground for a photograph. Fortunately it was... more
Deergrass (Trichophorum germanicum)
These hummocks of grass are Deergrass.
View from Meikle Balloch
While the foreground is all in this square, it's the view that draws the eye. In... more
Approaching the Trig Point
To the left of the trig point is a heap of crushed rock that looks as if it is... more
Triangulation Pillar
The triangulation pillar, or trig point, is at 365 metres above sea level, one... more
Ordnance Survey Bench Mark
This is bench mark No S7049.
View from Meikle Balloch
Meikle Balloch is a classic example of a 'marilyn' - a hill with at least 500 feet... more
Triangulation Pillar on Meikle Balloch
Looking back from the trig point to the road we walked up. On the right is the... more
Horn Gow
I don't know what Horn Gow is, but the map says it is here. I don't think it... more
Path Surface
I don't know who is carrying out work on the paths, but they are doing a lot. Not... more
Path on Meikle Balloch
This is one of several paths that converge on the summit area of Meikle Balloch.... more
Larch Flowers
This is another welcome sight in spring. The flowers are very complex, and close... more
Path on Meikle Balloch
The path here is just coming down to the tree line and entering the forest.
New Track
Compare this with [[[6660981]]], which is exactly the same spot. We think that the... more
Forest on Meikle Balloch
To be more accurate, there's really only a thin line of trees, the plantations on... more
All images © Anne Burgess and available under a
Creative Commons licence 
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