Desperation December!

...search for the sun...

16th Dec, 27th Dec, 30th Dec & 6th Jan

We've had a particularly poor run of weather and this selection of pictures shows we were stir crazy for exercise in the great outdoors.

(16th Dec) Loch Ard provided a short afternoon trip - 

it was very atmospheric, all the ice melting and dripping - an unseasonable dragonfly being the highlight of our day.....

(27th Dec) One week later saw a walk on the West Highland Way from Milngavie to the Beech Tree at Dumgoyne.

It was cold - the photo below shows an overnight covering of snow on the Campsies.

 Popular choice today, with both walkers and cyclists

 Beyond Easter Carbeth, views toward Ben Lomond open up.

The stile has now been removed-it's now a hole in the wa'.

No views today, too misty. 

Quiet bit of path, apart from chatter.....

 Squidgy in places

Photo pose on path - pink seems popular?

We headed on for coffee and cakes in the Beech Tree.

'Dodgy Doggerel' enticing walkers to spend cash!

No more low level walks for us - we need height and views.

(30th Dec) The following week the forecast was better 'in the east'  

The Ochils beckoned

David promised a quick round of The Law, Ben Cleuch and 

Andrew Gannel Hill.

Good paths, dry conditions and little wind;

a promising start

 The 'contour line' of cloud on the hills was very marked.

Below it benign, above it vicious wind and rain.

We were drookit and freezing.

Good walk though, Ochils deserve more visits by us,

not just because they are lower.....

 Will we ever see the sun again?

(6th Jan) Another week passed and saw us choosing the 

flattest most sheltered cycle path we could find.

Crap weather again.

Alloa to Dunfermline cycle path - route NCN764

26 mile round trip, well surfaced and easy.

Highlight of the day was Corrieri in Bridge of Allan.

Waterproofs were essential for the very windy and wet conditions

 Good company always makes it seem worthwhile

Moray Clubbers at various times, Graham, Dee, Bill, Alison, Elizabeth,

Roni, David, Ron & Andy

On the trail of the lonesome pine

Garadhban Forest,

West Highland Way

10th December

It was only two days after Hurricane 'bawbag' had passed through Scotland, leaving a trail of destruction, the worst winds we have experienced for over 10 years.

In the calm after the storm, a walk on the West Highland Way over Conic Hill would give us exercise before the Christmas food excesses.

It's a club tradition to wear appropriate silly headgear on a Christmas walk. The girls qualify.

Andy looked the part for a festive remake of the 1979 film 'Alien' - with Santa bursting out of his chest....

 ......'see you Jimmy' Graham, and 'Elvis' Bill, looked just as bizarre.

It was very misty and murky with no chance of views, but we were our usual happy chatty, nonsense talking group, as we strode out along the forest track.

It wasn't long till we came to a fallen tree or two....none of us had thought about this.

It was fun for a while but the detours became harder and harder as we sought out safe routes.

A staggering amount of timber had been blown down, shows the strength of the windstorm.

 Andy pretending to be superhuman, or perhaps a tree hugger?

 Our route was interesting to say the least.

Single trees were just as difficult to get around as you couldn't easily clamber through them.

Fallen timber wasn't just on the WHW forestry track. Deep in the woods hundreds of trees had been blown over.

Some had just snapped -

- to fall right in our path.

To continue to Conic hill and Balmaha was going to take a long while - a decision was made to loop back to our start point.
It wasn't only conifers that had fallen, some natural wood as well, 
but still difficult to get through!

Conifers are relatively shallow rooted - this shows the root spread of a large tree.

 We were getting weary of constant bushwhacking. 

Do you think 'Elvis' modeled for the Forestry Commission sign? Scary....

An eerie scene - the lonesome tree in the mist -
giving a feeling of surveying battlefield remains.

Studying the info board at the start of the track we couldn't believe how short a distance we had covered - all of 4 km in two and half hours.

Web advice a couple of weeks later stated:
  “A route diversion is in place at Garadhban Forest on the approach to Drymen due to fallen trees blocking the Way. Users are advised that other parts of the route may be impassable due to storm damage. A full inspection is under way, in the meantime please take care and avoid taking unnecessary risks.”
I think we were some of the first to discover this!

We ended up the day at the Clachan in Drymen, for a bowl of soup.

With all the devastation in Scotland after the storm - why did we choose a forest walk today? ! 

The would be wood walkers were;

Dee, Roni, Elizabeth, Graham, David, Ron, Andy, Bill and Gordon.

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Stephen's Footstep Challenge

Long Distance Charity Walk – Glasgow to Inverness

(Kelvin Way, West Highland Way & Great Glen Way)

In aid of Macmillan Cancer Support and Maggie Centre, Inverness.

30^th April to 9^th May 2011
Total 185miles

  

Stephen, from Ardross in Ross-shire is a friend of David's, and has recently marched the 185 mile combined stretch of the West Highland and Great Glen Ways.

The former social worker was moved to undertake the walk because his wife Pat was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour.

The walk is raising funds for MacMillan Cancer Support and Maggie’s Centre in Inverness. Over £5000 has been raised.

Scottish band Skerryvore, have recently released a charity single in support of Stephen MacKay’s big Highland Trek to raise money for cancer charities.

Please support his magnificent effort by buying Skerryvore's 'On the Road' single on itunes with all proceeds going to the charities and also by donating on JustGiving.

Stephen was joined on his walk for all or part of the route by James (Jim) Morrison, Phyl Campbell, Edward Haynes, David & Alison Downey, Alison & Jonathan Ness, Pat Masterman, Claire, Megan & Rachel Gorst , Sonja Dejik, Suzanne and Bjorn Otepka-Jasobsen, Sandra (Sandie) & Eilidh Mcleod, Rev Ewan Gilchrist, Andy & David Turnbull & Adam Davidson

Stephen sends a big 'Thank You' to Kenny Kane, manager of Skerryvore & Catalyst Events Agency Group for all the band's assistance in helping to raise funds (including releasing the Charity Single 'On the Road') and raising awareness of Stephen's Footstep Challenge; including attending his send off in Glasgow, joining him entering Inverness and walking with the group to Maggie's Centre where they entertained everyone with a short set. 

Check out the bands Website, it is worth a look, the band are Magic!

Who do you recognise in the video at 3:38?



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West Highland Way - Autumn Colours

Killearn to Gartness - A quick breath of fresh air

Sunday 12th October

This was more of a 'blast' of fresh air as we scooted round our route in record time.

It was late afternoon and the sun shone brightly, it was very pleasant.

As it was late in the day, we had the track to ourselves.

The autumn colours were fab, just don't get too close to the thorns.....

A skein of geese flying toward Endrick Mouth on Loch Lomond were very vocal.

We sped on to Gartness, the path getting narrower.

Haws are important for wildlife in winter, particularly Redwing, Fieldfare and Waxwings; the birds eat the haws and disperse the seeds in their droppings.

Good to see a heavy crop.

Althought it was tempting to pick them, we left the sloes.

Back up the steep Gartness hill into Killearn.

(it is steep, but looks flat in the photo.)

A smashing circuit, all 5 miles of it!