Emma Takes A Tumble

We travel to the heart of the Trossachs this week and the picture postcard village of Callander.

The Trossachs are often painted as a "Scotland in miniature", an area of lower mountains and lakes extending west and south from Callander to Aberfoyle, and interestingly reminiscent of the English Lake District. Whether the Trossachs would have achieved their fame without the influence of Sir Walter Scott is debatable; but while for some they are just the foothills of the real Highlands, for others they remain the most attractive part of Scotland.

Callander forms one of the main gateways to the Highlands. It sits at the eastern end of the Trossachs and at the southern end of the Pass of Leny, and is an ideal base for those wishing to explore the area. Sir Walter Scott and William Wordsworth both favoured Callander and it lays claim to Rob Roy, Scotland's answer to Robin Hood. Our motive for this visit is not to savor the romance or history of the locale but to use it as a starting point in our continued quest to gain full fitness for our forthcoming cycle excursion around the Western Isles and also the 14 mile cross-country Race the Train foot race that Eric has entered in North Wales on August 15th.

The route today takes us from the Callander through the forested Pass of Leny and along the western shore of Loch Lubnaig towards Strathyre village. The trail distance between Callander and Strathyre is signposted as nine and a half miles which we would mean a return journey of 19 miles which is perfectly feasible for Emma on the bike but would prove to be a tad ambitious for Eric in running shoes. With this in mind, comprise is struck and we decide to run/bike for one hour along the track before returning to Callander.

The weather could best be described as changeable (four seasons in one day) as we set of at a good pace in a cooling light drizzle. We quickly find a good pace and rhythm and begin to eat up the miles along the old rail route beside the River Lenny. The steady ascent of the track proves to be an easy work out as we make seven and a half miles on the one hour mark. Strathyre from this vantage point looks tantalizingly close and we resolve to come back in the near future to complete the full route. The return via the same route is mostly downhill and we rejoice in the comfort of free-wheeling a steady descent in near perfect running/cycling conditions. Alas this tranquil mode is interrupted when Emma takes her hand of the handlebars and her eye of the track resulting in an alarming tumble from the bike as we reach the final 2 miles. Thankfully there are no broken bones or sprains but the fall alerts us to the dangers of being complacent to the dangers of speed and naked flesh against tarmac.