Mar 15th, 2015

Author: donich_admin

Not for the fainthearted….

Well as promised today we set off to complete our high level circuit between Lochgoilhead and Drimsynie Beg, returning by our ‘new’ path the old Lochgoilhead carriage way.

It was a lovely morning, and R and I spent it barrowing tons of earth and sand as part of stage one of moving our greenhouse to its new location as part of the community hub for the village. After lunch we had promised ourselves a really good walk – and decided to ignore the fact that we were already a bit tired. By the time we set off the wind had got up a bit, and in spite of the sun it was bitterly cold (was supposed to have been -4 last night and there was ice on the pond this morning to prove it).

This is a long walk – around 12km. When we got up to the high track there were some Forestry Commission signs saying that the path was closed. I am going to have to admit that we always ignore these unless there is clearly work going on – so often they are entirely spurious and there is nothing wrong with the path at all. In this case, part of the path was being dug up due to a landslide, and it was a little bit of a muddy scramble – but nothing we couldn’t easily get by.

So far so good, we got back down to the small holding at Drimsynie Beg, but which time we were pretty tired and pretty cold. We said hello to a beautiful tabby cat who we thought for a while was going to follow us, and pushed on to the carriageway. This was the point where normally we would have walked along the road at Pole straights.

Well I had been told it would be muddy – but this path was something else at this time of year. R was sensibly wearing boots, but I was in trainers and very soon I had gone in right over the top of them. And then about 2km from home, disaster struck. The path ahead turned into a lake of mud with one slender log crossing it. So taking my life in my hands I successfully balanced across it and took a jump at the end to reach what I thought was dry ground. It wasn’t and I went into the mud up to the top of my legs. To give R credit he did not laugh, even though he must have been tempted.

After that by the time I walked home I was absolutely shattered as well as frozen cold and covered in mud. So the carriageway part of the walk is very scenic and atmospheric, plus avoids walking along the road, but is definitely not one for after heavy rain because the path is very waterlogged.

My trainers (which already had holes in them) are now going in the bin.