Out for a canter today with Sally and the Bros. Back roads from our place out to the Sma' Glen and then out over Glen Quaich; stopped at the top to watch the grouse all displaying. Also spied the "Big Bird" eyeing up a grouse for lunch! Came on down to the Kenmore junction having navigated belligerent Italian camper vans, coming up the average 9% hill (with 20% in places) past the passing places!
Ignored the potential Kenmore stop for lunch and followed the main road along the north shore of Loch Tay to Killin, following a 6 legger timber lorry with a 6 legger trailer, fully loaded!
OK top speed was not what Sally and the Bros are capable of, but the skill with which the rig was driven down a road barely wide enough for a lorry and car to pass in places was worth the ride. The final descent into Killin being very entertaining, over the single track bridge at the Bridge of Lochay Hotel.
Stopped in Killin for the piece and then rode the A85 to Crianlarich and turned left (A82) to go down to Loch Lomond, fair old bit of tourist traffic, but a steady run and the road improvements at Pulpit Rock have taken away that bottleneck. Tarbet was heaving with coaches and punters trying to get a trip on the boats across to Inversnaid, so we pressed on down to Balloch, turned left and escaped the traffic going to Glasgow by taking the A811 and then the A81 to Aberfoyle. Beware we chose the wrong ice cream vendor 1st time, opposite the Aberfoyle butcher deli (of steak and Stornaway black pudding fame, the chicken curry pie is also
) and the quantity of ice cream measly. So, went east up the street to the wee sweet shop and had another of twice the size, made from double cream, for the same price!
Very tasty!
Filled up at the Aberfoyle community owned and run petrol filling station and then came home via the backroads, through Thornhill, Doune, Braco, Muthill and Kinkell Bridge.
A 175 mile canter and a couple of dossers at the end of it. Back to the workshop on Friday, as the weather breaks!
Good health, Bill
