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.

28 Hilly Miles

In an effort to condition our legs or more accurately our Coccyx (bum bone) for the long distance cycle trip we have planned for August we travel to the shores of Loch Katrine and Trossachs Pier where we hire a couple of bikes to test our levels of cycle fitness.

The challenge we have set is to cover 28 miles in 4 hours from the pier to Stronachlachar and return. Again the weather conditions are unforgiving on the outward 14 miles as it proceeds to rain like a cow peeing on a flat rock. Undeterred we press on through face on sheets of rain that make the road in front of us near impossible to view with both eyes open. The middle section of the challenge proves to be quite hilly as we need to disembark at some particularly tough upward climbs. Our struggle up these hills is not helped by the ill maintained gears continually slipping, resulting in bruised calves as the pedals repeatedly slip and return to the lower leg with a ferocity that has the air turning blue with profanities.

Reaching the half way mark at Stronachlachar in a respectable 1 hour and 50 minutes we take refuge from the driving rain in the welcoming tearoom at the pier and rehydrate with a couple of soft drinks before climbing back aboard our bikes and return via the route we have just travelled. The weather is a little kinder on the return leg and we manage to take in some of the beauty that surrounds this natural reservoir and again return in 1 hour 50 minutes to accumulate a total time of 3 hours 40 minutes for the 28 hilly miles complete.

Alighting from our ill maintained chariots at Trossachs Pier with no pain and little fatigue we take great confidence in completing the undulating circuit in such adverse and challenging conditions and look forward with excitement to our cycle around the Western Isles of Scotland next month.

People Have A Thing For Mountains!

People have a thing for mountains.

God has a thing for mountains, too. God chose to do some of his best work and made some stunning revelations of himself to people at high altitudes. On the tops of mountains, God made a promise to Noah, supplied a substitutionary sacrifice to Abraham for his son Isaac, talked to Moses through a burning bush, gave Moses the Law, participated with Elijah in a definitive showdown with false prophets, gave a glimpse of his glory in the Transfiguration of Christ, who later ascended to heaven from a mountain top.

So why do mere mortals climb a mountain?

George Leigh Mallory replied on being asked why he was climbing Everest in 1923 “Because it’s there”.

Our motivation for ascending the mountains is not for spiritual enlightenment or the fact that there is an abundance of them in Scotland nor is it derived from a wish fulfilment fantasy to climb every Munro in Scotland. Our simple motivation is derived from looking at the weather forecast and deciding which hill will endure our presence the next day. The choice of mountain can often be a head scratching conundrum entailing a trawl through various mountaineering websites rammed with climbing gobbledygook incomprehensible to anyone who doesn’t know the back end of a compass from a GPS system.

It is through this haphazard decision making process that we happen upon Ben Venue (pronounced Ben Venoo, gaelic = mountain of the caves). Rising proud from the wooded slopes of the Trossachs, Ben Venue is a rugged little climb. Dark cliffs and rocky knolls may suggest an air of impregnability, but the fortress-like defences of the peak's summit can be breached if you know where to look. There are two different starting points to choose from, we choose the longer path rising from Loch Ard. This route like some other ascents we have traversed recently throws up the bizarre anomaly of not being able to see the summit you are about to surmount. This method of ascent via a Google print out adds an extra spice to the climb as we continually guess which of the peaks above us will be our final destination. It also leads us up many blind summits which further add to the excitement of the mountain.

The weather today sees the mountain blessed with brilliant sunshine as we set off mid-morning in one of the hottest days of the year so far. The bottom quarter of the climb cuts through a mixed forest of beautiful deciduous trees followed by geometric blocks of commercial sitka spruce plantations which offer welcome cover from the burning sun. Eventually the route bears right for the final ascent to the bealach where a low fence is crossed by a stile and Ben Venue comes into view at last and our guess attempts about our final destination prove wildly inaccurate. Once across the stile the route takes on an alpine feel as the route to the summit lies enticingly ahead of us. We capture the summit just as ‘The Sir Walter Scott’ departs below on its afternoon sail from Trossachs Pier around Loch Katrine. Once the summit is attained we gaze admiringly around us as views open up of the Firth of Forth, the Clyde, Isle of Arran, Paps of Jura and to the north Ben A'an, Ben More, Stob Binnein, Ben Lomond and the Arrochar Alps.

Our retrace back down the hill is blessed by a large grey cloud which makes the descent an enjoyable trek that passes all too quickly allowing the sun to reappear as we hit flat ground at our start point.

Previous walks in this locale have made us aware of a spectacular waterfall and pool at Inversnaid which is situated by the north banks of Loch Lomond on the West Highland Way. Foresight and anticipation of extreme heat and a sweated brow have ensured that bathing costumes of a fashion have been packed in the car as we make haste to rest our weary limbs in the natural black eddy, fashioned by peat soaked water cascading over clashing rocks to form natures own hydrotherapy pool. The remote location of this organic spa ensures that we have complete seclusion as the sun slowly disappears behind the surrounding hills.

Ahh Bliss.

Shouldn’t every long hot day finish this way ;-)

Should Have Worn My Crampons!!

In preparation for Emma’s anticipated attempt at walking the 95 miles of The West Highland Way in March we decide to get in some serious training by walking the strenuous 16.75 mile circuit around Glen Finglas known as The Mell which is situated just above Brig O’ Turk in The Trossachs.

Before we begin the long and hilly circuit we visit the dam which has formed the Glen Finglas Reservoir and gaze in awe at the overflowing water as it topples over the top of the monolithic eyesore and wonder at the power that passes through its concrete fortification.

After a steep beginning to our walk we venture in to Glen Meann and climb to a high pass to circle Meall Cala known as The Mell. Beautiful woods and rushing streams are found in the glens, while the summit of the trail at 600 metres has a bleak mountain feel. The weather which was kind to us at the outset takes a rather sinister turn for the worse as we ascend to the highest point and for 2 miles we find underfoot conditions more suited for snow shoes and crampons as the path has a heavy overcoat of packed snow. Not to be deterred we press on through a couple of snow falls as we see clearer conditions below us as we descend in to the relative warmth of Glen Finglas and return to base in darkness having completed the circuit in six and a half hours.