Munros and Other Walks

Walks With Kids It was time for the post Christmas wee walk in the woods. The kids had spent the last few days indoors, mostly, so it was time to get some air. We parked back at Bothwell Castle, its a small car park, predominantly used by dog walkers. Again, we paid a visit to the castle. There was less building work going on inside so we were able to access most of the rooms. Path From Car Park To the River The Clyde Our walk, such as it was, consisted of walking away from the car park, following a path that led down to the river Clyde. We followed the river bank for a mile or two in the opposite direction of the castle. There are usually tracks that lead up through the woods and we found an outline of one of these paths near a set of flats which lead us back down to the large field at the far end of the castle.

Of late I have been using the Pentland hills, outside Edinburgh, to develop my map and compass reading skills. One of the planned days out started from Harlaw car park, which is located near the reservoir with the same name. The route card I had created had everyone heading up and over Harbour hill before a hike back around Black hill to the car park. After turning up to start the walk, the weather had turned to the point where it was difficult to see much due to the driving rain. The wind speed would have made walking tricky at higher altitudes.   Harlaw Car Park View from the Car Park On the March To the Farm The route started off along the mud track towards Harbour Hill. At the path junction, we took a left and headed the couple of miles to the farm Easter Kinleith. From there we followed the road back to Harlaw Car park. Wet Woods Harlaw House Harlaw Reservoir 

Back to Basics After 20 years walking and hiking outdoors it was time to improve on my map reading and  compass skills. To be fair my map reading skills were decent enough and I can pinpoint where I am on a hill quite accurately on a OS map. There are times were I have gotten things wrong, mostly because of the poor weather and visibility, but I've always managed to find my way back. My compass skills however are, to put it bluntly, not very good. This is an area I know I should improve on. So the opportunity arose to take part in a walk in the Pentlands, just outside Edinburgh, that work work on my map and compass skills.  Starting Point Route The walk began at Threipmuir Reservoir car park, just outside the small town of Balerno. The car park is a decent size but can fill up quickly. Although the car park is free there is a suggested donation of £2.  Elevation Profile From the car park, we walked down the single track road to a bridge that cross...

Product: Oboz Firebrand II Cost: £90 Supplier: Go Outdoors / Amazon A disclaimer before you may read the rest of the review. Just to be clear I haven't been paid for this review (chance would be a fine thing) and all the opinions held are my own. I've taken my time to to post this review. I actually bought these shoes just after Christmas last year. My wife had given me a gift voucher, the cost at the top of the blog being the retail price. This was also discounted as the actual cost of the shoes can be in excess of £110.  Oboz in action The reason for this is that I wanted to get quite a few walks under my belt before coming to a decision. A second reason is that I'm lazy. Anyway, to make this simple, I really rate these shoes.  The positives are that they are comfortable to wear and a great to use out while hiking. They have good treads so they grip well on wet surfaces, including algea covered rocks. They have breathable mesh sides so they keep y...

If your deciding to visit Dalavich or going to spend a little time in the area you are probably wondering what you can do while your here. Well below are a few examples of places to visit  during your time here. Tall Trees Trail Only a couple of miles from Dalavich is a lovely walk amongst some of the oldest trees in Scotland. The walk itself takes you along the shore of Loch Awe and up through the tall pine trees of McKenzie's Grove. The 3 mile walk can easily be done in about an hour.  Crinan Canal Walk The Crinan Canal is only 14 miles in length and so can be easily cycled or even walked in one day. There are numerous locks along the canal and it is a good chance to see the different boats that travel this route.  Ben Cruchan Hydro Station  A priority visit for anyone who is visiting the area would be to check out the Hydro Station. Located at Ban Cruchan, or to be more precise, under the mountain this tour will take you inside ...

Walking with Kids Although our trip to Northern Ireland was to visit relatives, we thought it would be a good idea to get out and do some simple walks. One of those was a walk from Bushmills to the Giants Causeway along a cycle track next to a railway track. The railway line Safety First The two mile hike would have taken us to the famous natural heritage landmark, although it should be noted that we stopped at the bridge that crossed the river Bush. River Bush  The walk is a pleasent one which is sandwiched between the Bushmills Railway line and the river Bush. More information can be found about this railway line at the bottom of this post. The track also crosses between a golf course, so a little care should be taken here. Building at Golf Course Bridge over the River A walk next to fields If we had a little more time I'm sure the kids would have been able to compete the 4 mile walk there and back. As it was we also wanted to have lunc...

Walking With Kids One of the good aspects about going on holiday is that it gives you an opportunity to try out new walks and see new sights. We had thought about  the best place for a walk, having just arrived in Northern Ireland the evening before. A rope bridge, a beach and a temple on the coast were all options before we realised that we were best keeping things local. Just as well since we had already made three mistakes, these were: The kids were still tired from the travel and getting to bed later than usual. We didn't bring the child rucksack due to space considerations The youngest one had got new wellies but hadn't tried them out yet. Benbradagh  The Road Looking at Sheep From the get go, the kids were sluggish and looked fed up. The youngest one struggled with the new wellies and wanted to be carried most of the time. Her slightly older sister was also having a difficult time, lack of sleep was taking an effect, that only  T.V. ...