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Paul & Yvonne xxx

Well, on Friday, for the first time since October 2020, the travel restrictions were finally lifted! We can now travel around mainland Scotland, though no overnight stays until 26th April. Previous to this we could only legally travel 5 miles outside of our local authority area, so when the unexpected news of the travel ban being lifted early was announced, I have to admit that I actually cried with relief. It’s been a long haul since October, so finally being allowed to travel a bit further was fantastic news.

We have really missed Loch Lomond, it’s not very far from us, but was outwith the area we could legally visit by 10 miles or so. We have been longing to get back out there both to hike and to canoe, so when Paul finished work at noon on Friday, off we went.

The days are long now, it stays light until around 8.30/9pm now, and the daylight hours are increasing every day.

The weather was reasonably warm for April in Scotland, although there was quite a chill when the wind picked up. Being a weekday, the car park at Balmaha, although busy, was not full, so we got a space with no problem.

First we decided to do the hike up Conic Hill. It was easily done at a leisurely pace in 2 hours (up and back). The gorse bushes were out in full bloom, covering the lower level of the walk in bright yellow.

As we continued along the path, climbing some steps for a fair bit, we passed an adder, just on the grass at the side of the path. Adders are the UK’s only venomous snake, and their bite has been known to kill small children and dogs, although the last known human death from an adder bite was back in 1975. That said, if you are bitten, it is advisable to seek medical attention as soon as possible, just in case! When in the grass adders are well disguised and we wouldn’t even have known it was there had it not been for the girl we saw taking a photo, so curiosity got the better of us, and we got a photo too…

Once you have got past the steps, it’s not too much further to the first great viewpoint, making this is a great walk for anyone who wants fantastic views over Loch Lomond without having to walk far. Otherwise, continue on up to the top of the hill for even better and more far-reaching views…

Once we got back off the hill, we headed to the beach and got our inflatable Intex canoe blown up and our picnic packed, ready to paddle round to Port Bawn on the far side of Inchcailloch.

As we set off out from the relative shelter of the beach at Balmaha, the wind picked up quite a bit, and we had a bumpy ride into wind until we reached Port Bawn. As we rounded the island there were even some “white horses” on the waves. However, our canoe was very stable and felt quite safe. We took the waves head on and just bounced over them, until it was time to turn into Port Bawn.

We made use of the picnic tables that are situated next to the beach, and had a well earned cup of cider with our food.

Next we headed up to the summit of the island, a short walk of around 20 minutes each way, with more fantastic views over the loch. In a few weeks time the island is normally carpeted with bluebells, but it was looking like they were a bit diseased, so we’re not sure if they will come out this year. Hopefully we’ll get back in a few weeks to find out. For now, the woods were coming up nice and green.

Fortunately by the time we were paddling back, and possibly because we paddled back the “other way” round the island, the wind and waves had calmed down a bit, so it was much easier going (just as well as our shoulders were starting to feel the results of our paddle out).

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Google maps has been handy during the lockdown travel restrictions. We use them to look for local green spaces that we haven’t explored before, and that’s how we found the Lennox forest.

The Lennox forest sits close to the foot of the Campsie hills, and you can see these hills, plus the further mountains of Ben Lomond and the “Arrochar Alps” in the distance, as you can see in the photos below…

We hiked on both the forest tracks and also through the forest. It was a sunny day, but bitterly cold with a very strong wind that cut through us. We found it warmer to walk inside the forest. That said, the path which started out very distinct gradually disappeared and we found ourselves glad that Paul had GPS on his iPhone or we could have been wandering for ages!

Back on the forest track, heading towards the ruins of Lennox Castle, we found this pretty little loch, just off the forest road. It was sheltered from the wind, so we got a nice reflection in the water.

After taking some photos at the loch, we continued on to the Lennox Castle ruins, where we found a sheltered spot to stop for our picnic lunch.

As we were headed home, we passed through Clachan of Campsie village and decided to stop for a quick look around. The tourist sign showed that there were waterfalls quite a short walk from the village, so we decided to head up and have a look.

It was quite busy, probably more so than usual with it being a public holiday. What saddened us (again) was all the litter that had been discarded next to the paths and the waterfalls. Most of it was empty beer bottles and cans. This is becoming such a problem now, it seems that too many people have no respect for, or appreciation of, their environment and the beautiful places we have on our doorstep.

We managed to get some photos (below) of the waterfalls minus the litter. There were some hardy people going in to a couple of the waterfall pools for a dip! That might have been refreshing on a hot day, but definitely not when it’s close to zero degrees!

Both of these places, being so close together, make for a great day out.

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Yesterday I turned 54. Getting older is something that has never much bothered me, only any opportunities missed or time wasted and my body not being as agile as it once was, but I’m always grateful for every year older I get – another year spent exploring (albeit mostly locally this past year) and time spent with loved ones.

Today we decided to walk the Drumchapel Way, as we hadn’t done this walk since May last year. It starts near my Mum’s, so we parked in her driveway, said a quick hello before the walk, and went in for a proper chat and a cuppa afterwards.

Although we are now into April, there are only a few trees and bushes showing signs of Spring, like the ones below. Most of the bigger trees are still quite bare.

What did surprise us though, was that a few bluebells had already emerged. This is very early. The bluebells normally peak in May, and the Garscadden woods is a great place to see them carpeting the woods, but the 4th April is an early start. Only a few were out, however, so they weren’t so easy to spot.

What really saddened and angered us, though, was all the rubbish left lying around, and patches of the woodland that had been set fire to, either deliberately or perhaps by accident (maybe small fires lit by people who didn’t know better, that got out of control). This type of behaviour has always been a problem in our country, and especially in the cities. People showing a lack of respect for their environment, unable to relish and appreciate what we have. However, it seems to have escalated to a much bigger problem since Covid and the lockdowns. Below are a couple of photographs of the destruction and mess that we passed during our walk…

We continued our walk as far as the water tower at Cleddans Burn, from where we backtracked our route on the lower paths. (The last time we did the full loop, but we weren’t that impressed by the last couple of miles, so we said that when we did it again we would backtrack at this point). The water tower sits at the top of a small hill, and can be seen from quite a few miles away. From the tower, you also get good views out to the Kilpatrick hills.

We spent the rest of the day catching up with family – my brother’s birthday is on Tuesday, so that’s two lockdown birthdays for both of us. Let’s hope when the next ones come that lockdowns will be a distant memory…

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Happy Easter to all xxx

Yesterday (Easter Saturday) was our first canoe paddle of 2021. We headed up to Cadder Wharf, which is on the Forth & Clyde canal, not too far from us.

We can launch just up the hill from where we live at Maryhill Locks, which means we don’t have to drive, but the section of the canal from Cadder is (in our opinion) nicer.

We couldn’t have asked for better weather, and there were lots of people out and about – some on paddle boards, a couple in narrow boats, walkers and cyclists. It was an almost cloudless day, with blue skies and sunshine.

We launched from the jetty at Cadder, nice and easy, no wet feet and paddled up to the Stables pub, where we would normally go for a drink or some lunch. With pubs being closed due to lockdown, we took a picnic and sat on the jetty to have it.

Next we decided to continue on to Kirkintilloch marina, just past the unusual “V” shaped bridge. We paddled in for a quick look, and at that point, turned around and headed back.

Here are some photos…

On our way back we noticed these signs on the side of the canal, which made us laugh…

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Happy Easter everyone!

I’d like to thank two of the Facebook groups I’m in for recommending this country park when I was asking about new local walks we could try during lockdown.

We initially went with the intention to have a wee paddle in the first reservoir, nearest the car park, and then do a walk. However, when we arrived it was quite windy, and as our canoe is an inflatable, we decided to do the walk first.

It’s a lovely walk, that gets better after the first reservoir. The path was good, no mud, it was paved or gravel all the way, lined by grassland, trees and shrubs.

After the first reservoir, we stopped to take photos of this waterfall, which was right next to the path, and flows into a burn (which we think is man-made) and connects the reservoirs.

Shortly after, we passed under an arch of this railway viaduct at Waulkmill Glen reservoir.

The reservoir was made in the mid 1800s and the draw-off tower in the photo below is a listed building.

Next to this reservoir, there are some steps just off the main path. You can hear the rushing water of a waterfall. At the bottom of the steps are some more old buildings, but we have failed to find out exactly what they were used for. One is referred to as “the dungeons” on a chat group I found, although they aren’t actually dungeons, of course. The small building below, was opposite, but we’re not sure what it was used for.

We picked our way down through the trees to find the waterfall, which wasn’t far. It was a little slippery going down, but probably much worse after rain.

The gorse bushes were in bloom, particularly around the far end of Waulkmill reservoir, which made for some nice photography.

Finally, on our way back, we passed these two toads mating on the side of the path. From standing, we almost mistook them for dog poo! Probably just as well, as they will have been less likely to be stood on!

When we got back, the wind had dropped and there were a few people out on the reservoir in canoes and on paddle boards, but by then it was nearing tea-time, so we decided to leave that for another day.

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This is a long shot, and I have posted on some Facebook groups to try to find an answer to this….

Back in the early 1990’s (92 or 93 I think), we went to Skye for 5 days with some friends. There were four of us.

I saw an advert for a bed & breakfast in the Independent newspaper, and I booked it for us.

When we arrived, we were all quite unsure about whether we wanted to stay. It was certainly rustic, but also quite creepy (a Devil’s skull thing and some weird paintings on the walls, a tree trunk coming up through the lounge, with steps nailed onto it to make stairs up to the two bedrooms we were staying in, lots of dust as if no-one had stayed for months (if not years) and no door on one of the bedrooms!

I remember we had to park the car on the roadside or a lay-by, and walk a little through some woods to get there (maybe 100-200 yards, maybe more…)

Anyway, we hardly slept, as we were all young at the time with vivid imaginations, and found it a bit scary. Ever since, every time I look at one of the photos I took, I try to remember where it was, but not one of us can, not even any idea which part of the island it was.

The place was so unique that if anyone reading this has stayed there, I’m sure you would recognise it, so here goes…. apologies for the dreadful quality photos, they are very old!

If anyone has any idea where this was, please comment! Thanks!