Day-26 Fruits, ruins and new friends

Last nights pitching of the tent had been a soggy affair, by this morning after a rainy night in a pine forest the tent was bone dry, love the advantage of forestry camping!.
Following B roads under a clearing sky into Lockerbie I get the days provisions from a greggs bakery, have to love the two pound coffee and sausage and bacon roll deal! I certainly have done in the past and it's taken four weeks of walking to get rid of the resulting belly!.
Some towns I can walk through and get no end of interest from pedestrians, to Lockerbie I was an oddly smelling ghost! Not a flicker of an interaction, I suppose with the towns horrific history they have a reason, though I'd hoped they would have left that in the past... Time will heal.
Uphill at Hayrigg I met a lady in horse back who admired my quest, wishing she could do it on her horse, like me she mentioned the freedom to roam Scotland and also the sheer inability to actually get anywhere off road!.... Glad it's not just me!
Directly south still following the Annandale way, with its excellent signs! I'm foraging the hedgerows for the huge blackberries while watching the ever present Buzzards drifting overhead, heading off road at Glenholm I'm following farm tracks to the most amazing find of the walk so far, imagine an old Hall from a hammer house of horror movie, covererd in ivy right? Ruined? Well this one certainly is! Wide open to enter at your own risk.... To tempting not too!
The porch is huge big enough to accommodate a horse and carriage, impressive steps into the house, where all the floors and roof have collapsed and been cleared out, trees now take advance of the walls shelter showing how long this place has been decaying, on a sunny day like today it's incredibly peaceful here, and to see the most beautiful fireplace still fixed to wall and balconies now looking only onto a lost past its impossible to not get lost in my imagination!
Stepping away from here I'm lost in reverie, hard to imagine this overgrown land to have once been immaculate gardens! And the fields either side may once have been parkland as after half a kilometer I reach a road and the ruined gates to this house! From the map I can only guess the house was known as Milkbank after the river that I'm following.
Beautiful old lanes bordered by trees add to this halcyon feeling and passing the nearby Hoddom castle is really the cherry on top of the cake, to mix my metaphors!
Keeping with the river and it's fly fisherman I get to Brydekirk and swap banks catching up with a group of walkers (pic) from Liverpool rotary club! I Walk the last miles to Annan with these lovely folk, and will hopefully meet up with them in Liverpool!
FYI guys I should be there on the tenth of September! Fingers crossed we do meet up!

Day-25 Crossing an old friend

After last nights sunny views of the beef tub this mornings were a bit damp in comparison, but that's what non stop rain will do to you!
I got a bit lucky packing up in a dry spell, so getting off worked well, the Annandale way path cuts out a loop of road going up and over a soggy lump of hill, not a huge gain from dodging the traffic!. Straight off of the road again and down a long soggy (spot the theme here?) track into the valley, plenty of cows galloping up expecting to be fed... Sorry girls!
At the bottom of the valley I join a nice single track road that runs all the way into Moffat, one last was doing multiple school runs past me so lots of smiles and waving going on! I do like how strangers can bond like this! It's one of those little things that gets you through the day :-)
Into Moffat I stop at the right cafe for breakfast, not only does it say walkers welcome but there's a pic of two border terriers up as well!, got served by a pretty blonde girl who got way to much attention from an old Londoner who comes in every day... Think I see why! Lol
Provisions topped up and out of town passing various gothic buildings! Under the M74 and I meet an old friend/adversary!  the southern upland way! Distant memories of 2000 when I set out on what was then only my second long distance walk! How many miles I've walked since then!!!
Up hill and my brief filtration with the past is cut short as The Annandale way carries me away in a generally southern and definitely rainy direction! Keep having to check if I'm growing gills these days! Nothing fishy about me or the path or likely even in the murky Kinnel water river, up into Oldshields wood they are typing down the trees to stop disease in the Larches, so the usual forestry devastation is my surrounding until normal woodland swallows me, emerging onto a road I cross into normal farmland, it takes a while for it to sink in that I'm out of the southern uplands here, it's starting to feel English! With the beech trees thinning out and Oaks becoming more common, past a cow farm and the usual churned up fields, then east along a Lane, it's here I find today's curiosity two plastic chairs fixed to the fence called Nono's seat, complete with a visitors book and claims to have its own Facebook page!... I'll have to look it up.... I think?
South again and I'm into woodland called Speedlings flow and nearby Speedlings tower, but by this stage I'm just concentrating on finding a pitch, so into the woods and down for the night.

Day-24 following the Clyde

The first glance out the tent told me the weather had changed, no longer is the top of Tinto visible, this morning she is wearing a veil of clouds, moody and menacing!.. Tho no longer my problem!
Kit packed and away in quickly into Wiston and out again onto a rough farm track to the A73. A very quiet A road happily.
Through Roberton with a brief sit down in a bus shelter, carrying on past an old mound once occupied by a Roman Fortlet now occupied by trees and farm equipment.
A quick dodge east and over the Clyde then under a railway and I'm on what must have been the only road along the valley in the past, a tiny single track road, how things change!
By now rather dehydrated I go into Abington where I have a shop marked on the map, groceries bought and a hot chocolate from a machine being drunk as I sit outside on a picnic bench, along come two lejog cyclists a father and son team who are making up they're route as they go!
Nicely refreshed I head on to Crawford in bright sunshine once again the only person in this tiny road, a ruined castle is my first impression of Crawford followed by a ruined hotel and another shut for staff training, not my day for a good hot meal then! The high light of Crawford was a pet parrot who could imitate the sound of a bubble popping perfectly! 
Walking from Crawford the clouds gather and visibility diminishing with the onset of heavy rain i now have the company of the A74 (M) motorway to add to my displeasure! Not a pleasing companion! Especially for 8km!..head down and keep going time!.
Finally into woodland and the roar of the motorway recedes, along with the clouds, thankfully this gives the ground a chance to dry before I pitch the tent, I push an additional 7km further than planned, passing various signs saying 'no unauthorised access' I've become very adept at missing these signs in the last four weeks!. The extra push was so worth while, as with the sun still shining I reach 'the Devils beef tub' a great gouge out the land (pic) and for me the start of the Annandale way!..but that's for tomorrow.

Day-23 one for our Marion at work!

Knowing today was a short distance day I allowed myself another late start eventually getting away at eight am, traffic on the roads was pretty loud by this time but not heavy on the my route. Lots of B roads today once again under an unblemished blue sky :-), a gentle breeze took the edge off of any excess of heat so the walking was perfect! Twisting along a flattish valley by the river mouse water I reach Carstairs and all I can imagine is some cheesy second world war army chap complaining to a fellow called Carstairs..Think it may have been Terry Thomas?.
With no clarification to mind I wander through the sister village of Carstairs junction and on and over the Clyde, following this south I pass a pass Covington a village with claims about Robert Burns and also murdered covenanters! Today it has an ancient ruined tower and dovecote and not a lot else!
Thankerton the next village suffers a similar fate with both the pub and café having closed down! Glad I'd bought provisions at Carstairs.
Out the village and Tinto hill is my next aim, this has been in sight all day and seemed pretty imposing! With each step I'm thinking that this has to be the steepest hill/mountain I've climbed on this trek! Certainly made me puff! On one of the many rest stops I looked back north and I'm fairly certain I could see sterling castle! Three days earlier on my route! The panorama in general was huge with Glasgow visible, Falkirk, Forth, and various other places I couldn't name in sight, great to be able to relive my recent days.
Over Totherin hill and a push up to the top of Tinto,great 360 degree views from this second highest point on the walk at 2477 feet according to my gps..the plaque at the top claimed less but I think that was more accurate.
With my route heading over the top to continue south my path leads down an impressively steep slope must be over 50 degrees of decent, ankles and knees were complaint about this but at least with this angle the route downhill was short, with a bit of dithering at the bottom I find a sheltered spot for my tent and cook up dinner.... Chicken korma... Not bad for a little stove cooking!... Chats with home then sleep till Dawn.

Day-22 long haul!

Bit of a late start sees me negotiating tiny farm tracks and more elusive os map black dotted paths! These ones not too bad, after a longish drag uphill to Wester Shieldhill it's 9.30 and I'm really just starting this is where I push to finishing catching up with the first day I need to claw back from Alfies return home... Going to be a long one!
The whole of the rest of this mornings route is on road threading through curvaceous farm land, and rough boggy land with only the company of farm animals expecting feed and the chirp of flocks of birds to distract me, pleasant but fairly anonymous landscape after the mountains, by lunch i'm at Blackridge and the first food stop of the day and a chinwag with home.
A couple of kilometers and I'm in Harthill briefly then over Polkemmet moor with the tall slag heaps of past industry and new woodlands of the pasts replacement. Provisions purchased at Fauldhouse and the road south west takes me past more huge slag heaps, South East and over the A71 at Headless Cross who's name is far more exciting than the reality! Just a farm bearing the name.
Traffic dodging up to the top of Black Law hill and the impressive array of wind turbines in the picture at my count is 52!. Down hill to Forth for end of the day food and a further push of about 1km sees me past my planned stop and now only one day behind schedule. After a 20+ mile day I'm well happy! Obviously a big feed is needed now to maintain this then sleep :-)

Day-21 itchy feet

My planned half rest day got of to a good start with a lay in until 7.30 then a good fry up at the Yha, breakfast was shared with a group of cyclists heading to John O'groats aiming to raise money for the air ambulance service,a nice friendly bunch :-)
Having packed my pack before breakfast and with the sun shining the lure of using today to catch up with lost time was to great, so somewhat sensibly I wandered slowly off through Stirling old town admiring the architecture... A truly grand town!
Following my nose out of town and I'm in gently undulating farm land, with a far from gentle history, this is Bannockburn the site of a great Scottish victory against the English, though now from my position as I  wandered through it was impossible to tell if I'd not already known.
A slight rise took me into Cowie for lunch a massive portion of chicken and chips, Lovely! That's three good meals in a row now, I'm in danger of gaining some weight here!
Loaded up with provisions and out of town on a cycle track that eventually passes a castellated tower attached to more recent though ancient house.A few turns in the road and under the M9 and over the M876 and I find myself getting lost in a new housing development at Larbert, as always I only ever get lost in towns! Still a friendly bloke with his springer spaniel pointed me in the right direction before I'd gone to far wrong.
Now earlier in the day I'd received a message from radio Northampton who wanted to an update on the walk certainly with regards to Alfie having retired from the trek.. Nice to see they are reading the blog!. We had arranged a time to do the interview (2.10pm) and this coincided with me walking in Larberts suburbs so there I was sitting on someone's wall doing a radio interview as people walked past giving me weird looks! Odd!
Normality resumed and I'm wandering through the town, over the railway line that I'd travelled coming back from taking Alfie home. Feels a long time ago now!.
A few twists in the road bring me a sight I've wanted to see since the early days of planning my lejog in 2009, The Falkirk Wheel! What piece of engineering, transferring barges from one canal to another and using no more than 3kw (a domestic kettles equivalent) of electricity to achieve it! Pic
After a coffee break here I'm off and into Howierig woods to pitch the tent. This puts me just the kilometers behind where I wanted to be yesterday, this catch up plan seems to working I just have to keep the engines stoked!

Day-20 Who dares wins!

Away from my nights rest (!).... And relieving my unfulfilled stomach with snacks from a shop, I pick up a B road twice the size of most A roads in the north and far busier traffic didn't seem to expect walkers along here.What I didn't expect was the statue in the photo, a memorial for Sir David Stirling the man who founded the SAS! It's quite a memorial too,it lists all the men who have died in the service of this great brigade, a very grounding moment.
Back on the B road and I really know I'm out of the wild as the road joins a massive roundabout on the end of the M9 giving me a whole new set of concerns as I struggle to cross multiple dual carriageways that join here!, around and on the road to Bridge of Allan another victorian spa town with its posh coffee shops, I settle for a fizzy drink from Tesco!
From here my next target is in easy sight the impressive Wallace monument that towers above the valley perched on Abbey Craig,well worth the climb to the top though I'm puffing a bit.....Think I was trying to show off to the tourists! Hehe!,spectacular views back to the mountains as much as at the exquisite architecture!.
My crossing of the river forth was much less time consuming than its eastern equivalent in 2010! Hard to imagine it's the river that eventually forms the Firth of Forth!. 
Into Stirling now I head straight to the grand Yha building to start my 24 hour rest period. Night all

Day-19 karma at play

Walking into the campsite took me a kilometer off route last night, it also put me within a hundred yards of my route! The problem being ten meters of the river balgie blocking my route, chewing over this problem with Hugh a chap I'd met walking into the site with his wife last night, he gives the ideal solution with the use of his canoe!
So many thanks Hugh :-)
Once again the crossing water thing left me a bit pale...I'm told! Still well worth it, across some rough farmland and onto the cycle trail again, as ever running smooth and easy over the landscape with pleasing views of Loch Lubnaig in the morning sun (!) one view I certainly didn't expect was to meet a young lass walking from Callandar in her party frock and carrying two heavy looking handbags! Poor girl did look a bit tired to say the least! So passing on some rations was the least I could do! Think that glucose drink helped :-)
Continuing along to a place called Stank (it didn't) I met another lady who was accompanied by a border terrier called Leonard! Lovely to fuss one, though it did bring home how much I miss Alfie :-/
The trail goes through a holiday park and consequently a few people were around jogging, cycling etc.. Leaving the holidaymakers to their exercise and heading into sun dappled woods beside the river my company is back to the usual little birds I've still to identify! (note to me!!!)
With one step I'm out of the woods and utterly blown away by how flat the land had become! No mountains ahead gave me a very weird albeit relieved feeling, the pressure should be off now, the hard graft of mountain walking is done, at least until I'm back in England.
A chap with his dogs passes me and donates a fiver, thanks!.
One thing I'm noticing quickly is how further advanced the local flora is here, in the mountains and only a few miles back the rose bay willow herb is only just in flower, here it's in seed! A remarkably different climate. Into Calandar for lunch and a huge fried breakfast is devoured quickly! Provisions purchased and I'm on the road once more via a tiny B road to Buchany, plenty of black berries here to gorge on making a change from all the tiny raspberries I've been nibbling on for the last few weeks!
Onto the main A road to Doune and into the village where I get a room in a very sub standard B&B... I was going to slate them here but I'll refrain at least I got my battery pack charged up.

Day-18 yours truly!

Up early today with the morning sun and blue sky (Yes sun!) changing the world around me from yesterday's cloudy view, such a view too this area is beautiful, and one I'll return to one day to explore in comfort.
A quick wander into town and scarcrows are everywhere! Apparently it's scarcrow week.... Just like JP and I found around Jedburgh in 2010 though still no idea why it's done!
A few groceries from the co-op and meths from an outdoors shop (who showed absolutely no interest in the trek! Anyone else found this in outdoors shops?) leaving town to the south west a bridge crosses the Drochter falls stunning even to my water wearied eyes, kindly two cyclists took the pic of me by the water, nice to prove I exist! Lol
The path out of town and indeed all day is on a Sustrans cycle path so good easy going! Initially walking through woodland I'm startled out of a reverie by two cyclists. I never can hear them as they draw close!, this was a father daughter team who I kept catching up with! Not sure if they are dawdling or I'm quick today?
The track crosses the A85 which it's been following and joins an old railway track, nice smooth and level! This runs high over Glen Ogle and is busy with cyclists and walkers fit about 5km until Lochearnhead where I met a couple of ladies who donate five pounds to the charity... Thank you both.
The path soon leaves this bit of railway and drops down to a viaduct repaired in memory of a cyclist who died on the dread A9.
Pushing on for a late lunch at a hotel (as I'm still not eating enough!) I gobble down some beautifully cooked fish and chips! Perfect for the push into Strathyre and my stop at the local campsite. Night all :-)

Day-17 fed and flying!

After yesterday's big feed up and rest I'm back to myself, though caution plays a big role at the start of today, so slowly I start walking out of the campsite and over a bridge that looked faintly nordic, then onto the main trail south and slightly west through Rannoch forest.
Following a ravine carved into the hill by Allt na Bogair (stream) uphill with steep drops into this impressive feature, made all the more so by the still constant rain and churning waters below.
Once out of the pleasant damp woods I'm walking amongst smoothly rounded hills etherically draped with wispy clouds and of course sheets of rain! This limits the view no end but I'm used to that here! Over the top of Lairig Ghallabhaich which with this title I assume this to be an old drove road which leads me down through more forestry commission wood's to Innerwick where I stop in the church porch to change maps without getting them soggy, glad I did as they proudly show off a bell here that's reputed to be 1200 years old, it certainly looks it.
With the weather improving I make a very welcome and unexpected find the Glenlyon post office and tea room!, hot tea and carrot cake on the solidly built wooden veranda was quickly shared with around ten cheeky chaffinches! A very amusing bunch!.
The weather holds on the way south up and out of the Glen all 7km of ascent on a steep smooth tarmac single track road (Alfie would have approved!) pretty waterfalls that I'd normally enjoy to my right and traffic coming from front and back, at one point a car pulls up next to me for a chat, heads of ten yards, stops then the driver gets out to give me some shortbread biscuits! Very nice :-)
Passing the shielings (livestock pens now no longer in evidence) that my original plan had been to stop at I head east with black clouds gathering over the rugged mountain ridges around me. Naturally and to form this meant more precipitation, straight down and heavy! Hey Ho!
With the road going south past lochan na Lairage with its forbidding dam looking like a grim granite castle, another car pulls over offering me a lift! Politely declined they gave me food instead!.... I must be looking really needy today!
With the dam receding in the distance and a stunning albeit cloudy mass of mountains ahead none of which I can name! I start the long decent into the valley of Loch Tay still getting rained on of course, passing a shepherd in just a fleece jacket I realise damp is the natural state for anyone in the hills hereabouts. I may be going local. The road along loch Tay is uneventful leading me to  High Creagan campsite charging £5 for the night and giving me a good finish time in fresh sunshine allowing me to dry last nights damp from the tent. Another great day! (quote JP)

Weds 20th the wall

Woke up tired, never a good start, but off I went, into Kinloch Rannoch to the shop, food for a day and a half purchased and a coffee for a boost.
Plodding out of town with loch Rannoch in all its beauty on my right I'm sitting back and enjoying the view, pace is at best ok. By ten I'd only clocked up three miles and I was exhausted. Looking at the food in my pack and the distance to walk at the pace I'm managing, well to say the least the numbers didn't add up!
So swallowing my pride and swearing at everything, while knowing I'm doing the right thing I turned around back to Kinloch Rannoch.
Which is where I am now making use of the WiFi in a cafe while eating a huge jacket spud with chilli the start of rebuilding my energy.
Point to note mobile coverage for O2 here is non existent and it seems that the WiFi in the cafe works along similar lines...... :-/
You know I said I'm stubborn? Well after getting in more provisions I wandered off again not to far I know I've got to rest, but far enough to know I won't be walking any track tomorrow that I'd walked today.
Had to get a positive start tomorrow ;-)

Day-16 sunshine again! Tues 19th

My first glance out of the tent was to a pure blue patch of sky! Think that was the only patch of blue as by the time I'd packed away the familiar grey was back!
Still the road goes on, and with a quick cup of garage coffee I march off south along the A9, this section has a good cycle track so no need for traffic dodging, just let the feet do  what they must and enjoy the view of the Drumochter pass, with its interestingly named mountains, Boar of Badenoch and The sow of Atholl amongst others!
Shortly before Dalnaspidal lodge I see more Balfour men at work using heavy machinery to break up the old pylons that I've seen laying in fields like old dinosaur skeletons since Strathpeffer. Turning south west at the lodge towards loch Garry I meet an old chap off fly fishing who donated £5 to the charity! and with this good fortune sunshine is also finally with me, and such timing! With sunlight twinkling on the loch it's a balm for my rain battered self! The loch is only about 4km long and about half way is building with plaque proclaiming the construction of the Garry tunnel....? Some research is required for this one as no tunnel is visible.
Passing a small waterfall, which in any other walk I'd have taken interest in, but I'm about done with cascading water for a bit! ;-). The track stops here and for once the black dotted line on the map corresponds with a visible path past Meall Doire, over a stream and a good track between two hills leads me through a herd of highland cattle and calf's, downhill the track splits with me heading south east as a heavy squall hits, quickly passing I met a game warden just off to pick up two fresh kills, at this point midges reappear after not being a problem since before Garve! That was a great break from them, but this is the Highlands and your never going to avoid them for long!.
Downhill and into tarmac I'm heading east to Kinloch Rannoch and upon the advice of the game warden the Mcdonald hotel... Extremely nice hotel just a bit out of my price range at £120 for the night! Still they did let me pitch at their marina.... Bit high class here innit! (mum!).
And that's where I'm writing this with a stunning view east along the loch towards the sharp peak of Schehallion, last seen on my trek north in 2010.