Kilmahog

Kilmahog guards one of the key routes into the Highlands.

In New Zealand's South Island, the way south into Dunedin is guarded by 2 hills the more northerly of which is called The Kilmog.

In the 1950s and 60s The Kilmog had a fearsome reputation.  The route over The Kilmog was a gear grinding, radiator boiling, slog, particularly for underpowered Austins and overloaded trucks.  Many young rugby fans travelling south in old bangers to see a Ranfurly Shield (rugby) match at Carisbrooke had a story about breaking down or boiling the radiator on the Kilmog. 

By the time I was tackling it in my little Vauxhall in the late 70s bits had been straightened, cuttings made, passing lanes added in the slowest uphill stretches, and these days it is motorway standard and modern cars spin along with careless ease.  No one would dream of wondering if they might not be better to tackle it in reverse! (That's another story from the youth of my grandfather who hacked about the colonial roads of SI in a beat up model T Ford, and had tales of needing to climb some hills in reverse because even low gear couldn't handle it.  Mind you model T's had a planetary gear system and low gear could wear out.... making reverse your better option.)

I can't say for certain that Kilmog is a contraction of Kilmahog, but I had to visit it anyway. I had a pleasant walk along a cycle route developed on the embankment of a dismantled railway and along the way enjoyed a view of the Falls of Leny. 


(Scotland has a lot of water. I come from a country where water sluices off mountains, surges down streams and rivers, and cascades through rapids so crashing fresh water has a certain basal appeal. I'm contemplating a post just about waterfalls.)

This part of Scotland has a fantastic cycle route network. A lot of it is on closed down railway lines and on forest roads. Many towns and villages are connected by cycle routes that don't use public roads.  They appear to be popular and well maintained.

An engineered fence strainer post. Possibly a bit OTT but evidence of the creativity and ingenuity of humankind. Kilmahog was once a centre of water powered industry - woolen mills mostly.  Scots also have a proud history in engineering so I guess the strainer post shouldn't have been a surprise.

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