Mar 11 2023
Lee Stream Road Ramble, Scorgies Farm
24 km from car park.
Hikers
There were 22 Hikers and trampers on this tramp as a large contingent were at Bannockburn on camp.
Morning tea break (photo and caption Jan)
The group stayed together until morning tea, when those wanting to go up into the hills went off with Jill Reid.
The remaining 11 hikers carried on up the valley, firstly on a stony Traquair Road until we came to Scorgies Farm.
Bridge at entrance to Scorgies Farm (photo and caption Jan)
Mosgiel Motor Cycle Club caravan – trampers heading up hill in background. (photo and caption Jan)
This was more of a farm track and much easier underfoot. It was a perfect tramping day, warm and calm and there was no mud (unlike the previous couple of times it has been done). We didn’t quite make the big shed as it had turned quite hot by lunchtime and the co-opted leader spotted a shady roadside spot and elected to lunch there.
Shady lunch stop (photo and caption Jan)
We could see the shed not too far away, so figured that was close enough. Had a chat with the farm manager as we started off back down the valley.
Almost got to big shed – in distance. (photo and caption Jan)
Returned to the cars by the same route, very hot by then, and no shade so it was a relief to get to the end.
Cold drinks at the Wobbly Goat completed the day.
Jan Y.
Trampers.
The combined group of hikers & trampers parked by Lee Stream on Mahinerangi Road and all walked along the valley, initially on Traquair.
Combined morning tea under Big Blue Skies. (photo and caption Pam)
After morning tea 13 trampers headed “to the hills”, enjoying the huge vistas on Michael Scorgie’s Lee Flat property.
Gentle flowing “Lee Stream”. (photo and caption Pam)
The long winding road ahead. (photo and caption Pam)
After a steep descent we crossed the Lee Creek – thank you Graham Thurlow for showing us how to correctly place feet and poles – very important if there is a large water flow!
Graeme giving instructions on river crossing. (photo and caption Pam)
– and put into practice. (photo and caption Pam)
We lunched by the Allendale homestead then crossed over Mahinerangi Road and looped through more of the Traquair property – lovely seeing the cattle grazing these hills.
Theresa having a well earned rest. Perfect seat. (photo and caption Jenni)
A very enjoyable 15.5 km walk. Many thanks for your assistance Graham.
Jill R.
After morning tea with the trampers, a group of 21 hikers carried on down the valley and on to Scorgies Farm. The first part over the farm land was a bit wet, but Ok to walk on. However, as we progressed further on the farm track, the muddy spots became more and more frequent. My contact had told me ‘the track was a bit muddy, but just skirt around these areas’. That was the understatement of the year – there was no bypassing the mud and we had to wade through which was heavy going. Got as far as a pile of baleage, and decided to call a halt. Probably only a km or so short of the big shed, which was our preferred spot for lunch, but mud was getting progressively worse. Some of the group lunched amongst the baleage, and the rest of the group headed up the hill a little to find a sheltered spot in the lee of the hill. Met up again and returned the same way (same mud!!) back to the cars. It was certainly a pleasure to get back on to the Traquair land (which constitutes the first few ks of this tramp) and onto their well maintained gravel road. One bonus – no one slipped over on the mud. Jan and Peter.
Trampers – Scorgies Farm.
Trampers’ route map. Courtesy Phil K.
After a combined group morning tea by Lee Stream, …
A great spot for morn. Smoko. (Gordon pic and caption.)
… 21 trampers headed for the hills!
Trampers break off from Hikers.Pretty steep. (Gordon pic and caption.)
We climbed up a face between magnificent rocks,
Hello Hikers down there. (Phil K. pic and caption.)
Looking down Lee Stream. (Helen pic and caption.)
walked over rolling hills bearing pockets of snow,
Hardy TRAMPERS in the snow today. (Margreet pic and caption.)
then, taking a more circuitous route than planned,
Down & up. (Gordon pic and caption.)
reached the normally small tributary of Lee Stream at the bottom of Roundhill.
Bit deeper,swifter and slippery than looks. (Gordon pic and caption.)
Today it was much higher than expected due to snow melt over the last couple of days. We decided it would be unsafe to walk through the creek – just too much water swiftly flowing over the slippery rocks!!!! Instead we enjoyed our lunch on rocky outcrops, looking across to the Allandale homestead surrounds,
Lunch in the rocks with leader Jill mapping out a change of direction.. (Helen pic and caption.)
then returned to the Lee Stream Track by a different route.
On the way back to the cars. (Helen pic and caption.)
Distance walked : 16 km. – Jill.
GPS of route. We walked 12.66 km. Walking time 2.56 hrs; Fastest 4.6 km/hr; Slowest 3.95 km/hr.
I now title this tramp Lee Stream Road Ramble. The route is an actual road at each end, connecting Mahinerangi and Black Rock Roads, joined by a paper road in the middle, having reverted to a barely discernible track across paddocks marked only by occasion ditch crossings, with one actual bridge over a more sizeable Lee Stream tributary.
26 Hikers parked outside the Mahinerangi end of the road, to be surprised by this notice on the gate.
The mind boggles. (John pic)
At this stage of course, the road was well paved.
Start (John pic)
With a winter 9.30 a.m. start and quite a bit of a drive up SH87, the leaders stopped us early for morning tea on the following slope.
An iPhone Panorama attempt of the tea break, not a patch on John’s much better pixelated lunch one. Apologies to the ones I caught bending over.
Paddocks were still saturated from frosts and rain. Today was astonishingly warm with a drying wind, but not enough to even begin to dry the ground out. Ditch crossings, although well gravelled (under the mud, if you could find it), were atrociously, extraordinarily, slipperarily muddy. Not everyone got through without a fall.
Mud, glorious mud. Here you can see only the beginning. Down at the ditch crossing, it was hard to get through without a fall. There were several of this ditches to negotiate. Paddocks were sodden. (John pic)
Here is the bridge separating Traquair from Scorgies’ Stations.
The Bridge (John pic. Hey! Well done, John.)
We trudged on, and on. A kilometre or two short of the end, about half a dozen of us had had enough and made their lunch stop there, leaving the rest of us to go on to the big implement shed. Its contents were well splattered with bird droppings, but each of us managed to find a seat acceptable to them.
Lunch panorama (John pic. A much better panorama.)
Or if you prefer it, here is a video John took of us.
Retracing our route we found to be just as muddy, we several of us knowing we had done one of the longer tramps that the Hikers attempt. It was a good day out. While the rest of the country seems to have suffered heavy downpours, we benefited from the warmth of the storm’s margin. Thanks to Arthur and Barbara for thoughtful careful leadership. – Ian
4. 23/11/2011. Hikers. Lee Stream Ramble, Scorgies Farm. Easy. Leaders: George, Fred.
Permission.
Great farmland trip. Turn down 1st Mahinerangi Rd. Cross Lee Stream and park car park up other side. RH. Thru gate. Meander along well formed road on true right of stream. Lunch at Hay barn en route. Return same way.
The threatened rain did not spill, the intimated sun did not shine, the breezes didn’t waft, but twenty four trepid trampers (hardly ‘intrepid’ on this straightforward walk ) turned out to enjoy
the calm reaches of Lee Streem (sic: an in-joke for the “boys and their toys” fellows ), and the pleasant pastures, and beautiful big barn of Scorgie’s Farm. Well, not quite straightforward, as, after arranging ourselves on tiers of a rocky outcrop for morning tea (see photo), and crossing a decrepit bridge which leader George kept promising us would collapse just for us, there suddenly appeared, blocking our way, a vast vale of choumollier and turnips. A pincer movement was deployed and we eventually fought our way to the battle front again.
An early morning tea is rightly followed by an early lunch, and what better restaurant seats than the dry hay bales, pallets and timbers and butcher’s chopping block of the large, open barn where the smell of hay was incense to the nostrils of country wanderers.
Mushrooms were unfortunately not on the menu though Doug had picked enough for a good tasting.
Our return was by the same route, except that we skirted the western front of the turnip ground this time.
The various pedometers all seemed to tell us that we had traversed circa 15kms of this fertile and well-kept farm, (without seeing a single human movement), and several remarks were heard to the effect that if the speaker were to want to buy a farm, this would be the one. The only sad note to the day was at the carpark meeting point where we observed a minute silence for the passing of Mary Maxwell earlier in the week. – Bob
Great farmland trip. Turn down 1st Mahinerangi Rd. Cross Lee Stream and park car park up other side. RH. Thru gate. Meander along well formed road on true right of stream. Lunch at Hay barn en route. Return same way.