A wander around Buchanan Castle on a cold, crisp Sunday afternoon.
Exploring Blaquhidder’s Old Kirk and graveyard.
It’s not just Rob Roy’s grave that’s interesting.
Just after starting our walk along the shores of Loch Lomond from Milarrochy Bay, we could see an ominous snow cloud coming our way across the loch. Less than ten minutes into our walk we decided not to take a gamble and swiftly head back for the car. It was a good choice to have our tea/coffee with shortbread from the comfort of our warm car while the snow and wind whirled around.
About forty minutes later, the snow had cleared and we were back out for our walk and to enjoy the never tiring views.
I couldn’t resit taking yet another picture of the famous oak tree against the backdrop of the passing storm clouds and the slowly re-emerging winter sun.
At the end of our refreshing walk we even got to see yet another memorable sunset at Milarrochy Bay.
A wander round the High Kirk of Campsie and graveyard in Lennoxtown.
A magnificent sunrise after we got our first real snowfall of the year.
Another wander through St Machan’s graveyard.
Magnificant views to Glasgow, Slackdhu and Strathblane on the way down from a late afternoon walk up Dumbreck on New Year’s Day.
We went out for a drive to Loch Lomond and a walk along the shore from Milarrochy Bay.
For a change, we decided to take a scenic drive through the Trossachs and up to Loch Katrine for a an afternoon wander along the loch shores.
Loch Katrine turned out to be extremely quiet, with only a handful of cars from walkers parked in the massive car park. Unlike to usual hustle and bustle with busloads of tourists, the firmly shut tourist shops, cafe’s and boats looking more like a recently abandoned ghost town than a tourist hot spot.
We wandered out and back along the slightly uninspiring tarmac road along the North shore of the loch on what turned out to be a very bleak day. The Scots pines on the South shore and the winter colours of steep slopes of Ben Venue providing some interest.
The SS Sir Walter Scott is a small steamship that was built in 1899 at Dumbarton that has provided pleasure cruises and ferry services on Loch Katrine for well over a century. The steamer is the only surviving screw steamer in regular passenger service in Scotland and is named after the writer Sir Walter Scott, who set his 1810 poem Lady of the Lake, and his 1818 novel Rob Roy around Loch Katrine.
I wholeheartedly agree with David Ritchie, who took the below photograph of the SS Sir Walter Scott back in 2006, that recent restorations have unfortunately ruined the steamer’s looks.
The SS Sir Walter Scott in 2006, courtesy of David Ritchie
We hardly go for a walk at Loch Ardinning these days as it is virtually impossible to park and extremely overcrowded due to the reserve being a top hotspot for walkers that is within Covid lockdown restrictions from the city.
On a late afternoon we decided to take a punt and headed up for a walk late afternoon after most people had left or were on their way back.
The walk up onto Muirhouse Muir was well worth it with the stunning views of the Slackdhu Craggs above Strathblane bedded in the warm evening sun.
A walk along the shores of Loch Lomond from Balmaha or Milarrochy Bay has fast become a regular afternoon outing for us during Covid lockdown. It is surprisingly quiet at Loch Lomond, especially in contrast to the extremely over crowded walking hot spots closer to home that are within about 5 miles of the city.
This is one of the big benefits of living in a remote corner of Stirlingshire that is more akin to the city, meaning we can head up to Loch Lomond and even as far as Crianlarich and Killin without breaking the lockdown rules.
After a refreshing walk along the East shore of Loch Lomond from Milarrochy Bay, we enjoyed the start of the sunset from the warmth of our car with a cup of tea/coffee. Just before the sun disappeared behind the horizon, we went out to admire a fabulous sunset and the amazing red glow on the bare trees along the shore.
The photo of the sunset with the silhouette of the famous oak tree is perhaps my best photo of the year.