The rain decided to ease by 10:00am
, so we thought we would take the duo out for a canter through the Trossachs. This wheeze was partly prompted by correspondence between exiled Mr Duncan and I and Mr Pickford (Smudge) and I.
Roadworks were cluttering up the A85 west and the A9 was closed due to an 'Incident'!
A polis euphamism for some poor soul's demise on that part of the road.
So we headed west with Sally and The Boy Bros via the back roads to Crieff, Muthill, Braco, Doune (Where renowned Scottish pistols were made and a good exhibition, until the Dunblane incident and a vociferous minority closed things down!
), Thornhill and Aberfoyle.
Aberfoyle was bathed in balmy, but hazy, Spring sunshine and warmth, a few House Martins had arrived and after a visit for the waterworks (age!), we ventured off, up the Dukes Pass. 'Interesting surfaces' is the polite way to describe the conditions. The local litter pickers out in force clearing up, ready for the Whitsun assault; mountain cyclists appearing at speed from the side shrubbery, tour buses and a few loonies on pocket rockets. Therefore, gentle bend swinging was the order of the day. We stopped on the northern side above the southern side of Loch Achray.
We then carried on round the western end of the loch to have a splendid lunch, of sphagetti bolognese and a pot of tea at 'The Brig O'Turk Tea Room', wine is available, as is a good Cullen skink through to a Sirloin steak with all the trimmings or bacon rolls and percolated coffee!
Remember Andy?
After blethering with the proprietor, some of the 'locals' and some of the litter pickers refuelling after their toil, we watched both swallows and house martins catching 'beasts' and then heard a cuckoo, 1st of the year!
Off down towards Callander, but turned right rather than entering the 'tat' of the town and headed alongside Loch Lubnaig toward Strathyre and Loch Earnhead. On over Glen Ogle where the 'debris flows' were about 4 years ago, when 50 people were stranded and had to be rescued by the 'Big Yellow Birds'. It's all tidied up now and the scars on the hillside have grassed over, only the new culverts give the game away and Sally and The Boy were both in good form up here, when given 'the head'. Past the food stop caravan at the top, beloved by motorcyclists (Venison burgers, bacon, and a sunny fried egg with mustard and tea. Very good, if you are passing!
), then down to the Lix Toll and turn right for the gallop along to Killin. The Killin SYHA hostel was sold off for developement and now lies forlorn, with the slates and sarking removed and the inside gutted
, a sad end for a fine old Edwardian house, with fond memories for many, of meetings, greetings and learning about life!
This road past Ben Lawers is a stotter, watch out for the narrow bridges, the odd dodgy surface, wayward ewe, tourist and feckless financier from Edinburgh (this is their bolt hole from the pressures of 'business'!
) and you end up in Kenmore. Home of a very large 'pile' called Kenmore Castle, which is undergoing renovation into an American golf course/time share complex. We sat outside the Post Office and consummed 'Double Choc and caramel Magnums' and watched the world go by. Walked back to the bridge over the Tay River as it flows from Loch Tay and took this atmospheric image.
Back on the bikes again, and down to Aberfeldy and the traffic lights. Turn right at the traffic lights and head up past the 'Birks O' Aberfeldy', made famous by the Robert Burns poem and now planned to be used as the source of water for a hydro-electric scheme for Aberfeldy. Then out over the top through the Griffin Forest, where a big windfarm is about to be erected, through Amulree where the old Wades bridge is being superceeded by a new bridge will cut out the 90 degree turn onto a single track bridge!
Down through the Sma Glen, which again is a grand canter if things are quiet and the ewes aren't wandering about
afore turning off down Glen Almond and back onto the A85 and home.
We are very fortunate living here, with this sort of scenery within 10 minutes riding and this wee cherry blossom image taken in Kenmore, sums up the peace of the day after a grand run.
Hope you enjoy the pictures and don't find the ramble troublesome, all the best, Bill.
