Burnhope Reservoir can be reached from Cowshill to the north or from Ireshopeburn to the east. The former is to be preferred if you don’t like having to stop your car to open and close gates as I learned by using the latter approach. After parking at the north end of the dam I walked back over it and on over some sheepy pasture to pass an old lime kiln by the junction with Causeway Road. Right here and up towards Colberry End. Just as the latter is approached a fence crosses the track which I followed SE-ish towards Three Pikes. The going here gets very rough, boggy and criss-crossed by groughs. There was a fair bit of snow on the ground and it was not a nice day but not quite cold enough to freeze the ground and tame the bogs. Splash splash. Squelch squelch. When the fence gives out there is a boundary stone and half a kilometre south of that after some more bog a cairn. According to the Nuttalls this is not quite the top which is a bit to the east of here. I found a tiny pile on stones more or less where they say to look and was happy enough with that. At which point it was time to retrace my steps over the bogs back to Coldberry End. An easy short ascent took me from here to the top of Great Stony Hill. Then easily down the track back to the dam.
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