Having seen the forecast I was keen to get out, but reports on the internet coming in saying East coast is better for the day and I really didn't fancy going that far. Others were suggesting Tinto and having flown it numerous times I have grown to be bored with it, so my attention drifted to the Ochils again where I'm totally transfixed with its topography.
Anyway have started using this windyty web site that gives you quite graphic pictures, and noted although winds were light, but were traveling in the wrong direction in the morning (Northerly) and switching later in the day SW and to the South eventually. suggesting it would be later in the day things would get going so plenty of time then.
Got in touch with Bob Gair just before midday and he reckoned it was going to kickoff slightly earlier, so I had to get my skates on, giving myself an hour to get to the hill and another 30 minutes to walk up to be on top for 2 O'clock.
I arrived late and the walk up was absolute torture (Realising I was so unfit) taking me 45mins to climb Myreton above the town of Menstrie. So I was on top for 2:30. On the way up watched both Tim Bridle and Bob launch noting that the lift was just out front of the hill. High cirrus and just a few cumulus forming way out front with a heavy haze looming and the new front closing in didn't bode well for the afternoon.
Anyway strapped in and launched and started working the front of take off and gradually broadening the search as I started getting lower then within 3/4 minutes bang into a thermal that took me up to around 3 grand. It was that thermal that always gets you off Myreton the yeasty smelling one that comes up from the whiskey distillery below. Then realised that the altimeter was set on meters so quickly calculating what it was in feet (Didn't want to start fiddling with buttons whilst in this thermal). Once up at that height was easy to maintain and I set off to the east to get re-aquainted with the Ochil's ins and outs (what works, what doesn't). Got along to Dollar and had a dilemma about going to the end and try heading across the flatlands towards Bishops hill cross wind with the major possibility of sinking out and landing around the Yetts"O" Muckett, or play about on the ridge and extend the flight.
I went for the second option and starting playing around with speed bar whilst going through heavy sink patches. Whilst going west above Tillicoutry on the front hills I got low (down to around 500m) when I picked up on the house thermal of the day that took me back up to 1100m and eventually drifting over the centre of the Ochils. Looking down I had great veiws of Glen Devon, its reservoir, dam, and windfarm. With the cold setting in and now numb fingers, I weighed it up quickly turned and made a run for it.
I was amazed the amount of height I lost on the glide (I was sinking like a brick), but at the end manged to squeeze through the one of the gaps between Core hill and Wether hill on the northside of the group with about 100m to spare. Finally landing on Northern slopes of the Ochils massif, and only 1km walk down to Blackford where Tim retrieved me. Turned out to be an excellent day when not much was expected. Sorry no pictures hands where too cold, I need a pair of those heated gloves the guys where talking about over Christmas!!!
So that's a first for me over the back at the Ochils and my first wee XC of the year.
Sean.
