Central Belt - The Kelpies

In Scottish folklore, the Kelpies were shape-changing water spirits that emerged from rivers and lakes, often taking the form of horses. This old name has been beautifully embodied in modern times in two stunning metal sculptures of horses' heads located at the end of the Forth and Clyde Canal. The sculptures are made of steel, are 30 metres high and are known as just "The Kelpies". They pay homage to the work horses that made the canals possible by pulling the barges in days gone by. Since the Kelpies were completed in 2014, they have quickly achieved iconic status and have no doubt worked their way into the hearts of everybody who has visited them. They are so full of character and movement and seem so incredibly alive. I made my first visit to the Kelpies a couple of weeks ago. I felt oddly emotional standing there gazing up at them, in the same way as I do when I gaze adoringly at the Forth Rail Bridge, another Scottish icon.  My friend Graham and I had cycled there from home in Portobello along the Union Canal and then the Forth and Clyde Canal. Here's a few pictures from our journey.

We cycled across the city on the Union Canal, mixing with the morning cycle-commuters on the tow-path until we were free of the city.

The canal crossed two tall aqueducts. Firstly at Slateford where we looked down on city traffic and then above the River Avon where we looked down on the foaming waters below.

The verges were lush with grasses and wildflowers on a hot summer's day. People were walking, cycling, drinking coffee in outdoor cafes and tending their barges.

The Falkirk Wheel, a very clever modern boat lift, joins the Union Canal with the Forth and Clyde Canal. Just before it, we passed through a long dark tunnel. In the minimal lighting you could just make out the giant gouges in the rock from making the tunnel and the drippy, slimy walls. It was like an early Star Trek set.

We cycled downhill now as we joined the Forth and Clyde Canal and cycled down to sea level towards the Carron Sea Lock that enables a watery connection between the east coast of Scotland and the west. There were many locks on this section as the canal dropped markedly.

A couple of miles later, we stopped dead in our tracks as we got our first sight of the Kelpies. How stunning they looked from here, sitting beautifully in their landscape with the Ochil Hills as backdrop.

But even that first view couldn't prepare us for the drama of getting up close. We stood below and gazed up at the beautifully sculpted heads, rising into the blue sky and reflecting back the sun.

The Kelpies face east. I don't know why that direction was chosen but I love the inscription on a wall behind them that reads ... "stretch up your long necks to face the sun".

Fact File

My route: Used the Union Canal towpath from Edinburgh city centre to its conclusion at the Falkirk Wheel. Nice cafes on the Union Canal at the Park Bistro, just before Linlithgow, and at the Bridge 49 Cafe, right on the canalside just after Linlithgow. At the Falkirk Wheel continued down the hill to join the Forth and Clyde Canal and turned right/east. From here it's about 4 miles down to the Kelpies. Of course, from Glasgow you could use the Forth and Clyde Canal all the way.

Bennachie - Connections

It's funny how, even after a lifetime of exploring Scotland, you can still discover new places. New to me, at least. Bennachie was such a place. A random photo on Facebook planted a seed and the name stuck in my head.

Bennachie is what you might describe as a small massif dotted by several distinctive tops. It truly marks the end of the Grampian Mountains, as here they give way to rolling farmland. Bennachie is a short hop from Inverurie train station and that hop takes in a magical stone circle at Easter Aquhorthies.

Stone circles in the northeast of Scotland are the recumbent variety which means they have the largest stone resting horizontally, towards the southwest of the circle. The Easter Aquhorthies circle has retained all of its stones since it was built in the Neolithic period, 4000 to 5000 years ago. How incredible that we can still see the intact stone circle here today. It sits on a grassy knoll with a veiw of the surrounding farmland and with woodland behind, rustled today by the west wind. It was lovely to linger there in the warm sun, using my imagination to try to conjure up a hint of the ancient past. 

Bennachie lies west of Easter Aquhorthies and its most distinctive top, Mither Tap, forms a backdrop to the stones such that ancient people must have made a connection between them. My connection to Bennachie was a wonderful series of quiet back roads linked by offroad trails that took me around Bennachie in a circle of my own. The trails were wrapped up in green, lush woodland that dripped after the rain but every now and then they would pop out to a view of fields and farms.

On my second day, I hid the bike and camping kit in the woods and explored Bennachie on foot. A narrow path climbed up through pine woods where every stem of heather had on it a big blob of cuckoo spit so that it looked as if it had been snowing. The path circled the rocky torrs and then climbed to the top of Mither Tap through the stone walls of an ancient Pictish fort. From the top, farmland stretched eastwards while behind me the bigger tops of the Grampians disappeared into low, dense cloud.

The highest top on Bennachie is Oxen Craig. As I walked there that low cloud now engulfed my hill. In this clagged-in world all I could see was the purple heather either side of the trail and all I could hear was the buzz of thousands of bees on the heather.

The low cloud brought a day of drizzle with it as I jumped back on the bike to explore further. I cycled more back roads through avenues of tall trees that kept the worst of the rain off. I pulled in at a Pictish symbol stone by the side of the road called the Maiden Stone. It marks the start of the Maiden Causeway, an ancient pathway that connects it to the Pictish fort on top of Mither Tap.  A little further on and I pulled up at another symbol stone, the Picardy Stone, one of the earliest Pictish stones ever found. Nobody knows for sure the purpose of these stones and they may have been grave markers or boundary posts. From the Picardy Stone I connected together more quiet farm roads to take me back towards Inverurie and came across another stone circle at Daviot, just a few miles away from Easter Aquhorthies.

It would be wonderful to see this landscape through the eyes of the people who lived here thousands of years ago to understand the connections they made between all of these places.

Fact File

Start/finish: Inverurie Train Station

My route:  From the train station I crossed the centre of town heading east and took the country road signed for Burnhervie. Just more than 1km out of town the road makes sharp lefthand bend - here I took the single track road that headed straight on to Easter Aquhorthies stone circle. I retreaced my route back to the road then turned left towards to Chapel of Garioch and continued west to the Maiden Stone. Just after here there is left turn for the Rowantree car park - I took this road and where it ended cycled straight on along a forest track. This pops out at a junction and I turned left to rejoin tarmac. Made a circle of Bennachie via the back road to Auchleven and then heading south on the B992 but turning east along the road called "My Lord's Throat". At the Don View car park I picked a forest trail that took me through to Greens of Afforsk and I cycled up the road to Woodend where I took the forest track into the hills to camp and then walk up Bennachie the following day. I retraced my rouye to the road and cycled up to the Bennachie visitor centre - the Turnpike Trail connects it with the Rowantree car oark and is a lovey route cycle, albeit a bit rough in the middle. I visited the Picardy Stone and the stone circle at Daviot by linking up the many quiet back roads in the area.

Tips: Bennachie visitor centre on the east side of the hill near Woodend has coffee and cake.

Monar - Cheesecake

Not being a car owner, I often have fun and a bit of a challenge getting to some Munros by bus and train. But the railway line between Inverness and Kyle of Lochalsh offers some rich pickings with good access to the hills on the south side of Glen Torridon and to the Monar Munros. It was to Monar I headed in May (yes, I'm a bit behind on trip reports) to bag several Munros, one with a beguiling but totally unpronounceable name. It's Bidein a' Choire Sheasgaich and it's more commonly known as Cheesecake.

Achnashellach is the train station that's closest. It's a request stop so you have to be sure to tell the guard that you want off here or, if you're joining the train here, you have to wave madly at the driver as he approaches to get him to stop the train. 

From Achnashellach, a walk up the road and then a trudge along the track of the Pollan Buidhe put me by the banks of the Allt a'Chonais. There were good camp spots here that made a perfect basecamp for tackling the first few hills - Moruisg above the lonely cottage at Glenuaig and the cosy pair of Sgurr Choinnich and Sgurr a' Chaorachain on the opposite side of the glen.  

If you should get caught out in bad weather in this area, the owners of Glenuiag Lodge have converted a shed beside the lodge into a shelter for hillwalkers complete with bunk beds, lighting and an electric heater. Mind you, the mattresses looked like they could tell a story or two.

But it's Cheesecake that draws the eye and dominates the view in these parts. As I gazed south at its shapely lines, the afternoon sun illuminated the folds of its lower slopes while the pointed top was backed by gunmetal grey clouds.

A long walk over the remote Bealach Bhearnais put me on an ancient stalkers' path, its route marked out by cairns of stones, so old that they were now covered with moss and expertly camouflaged, contrary to their original purpose.

The quiet shores of Loch Calavie provided an easy ascent of Cheescake and its near neighbour, Lurg Mhor. This is the softer side of the hill and the ascent was straightforward, though the top was tight and pointed such that you wouldn't step back for that summit selfie for fear of falling off.

I walked out from Cheesecake to Attadale, another request stop on the Inverness to Kyle line that has a pretty little station right at the beach. I made a hot coffee in the shelter while I waited until it was time to wave madly at the driver to get him to stop the train.

Fact File

Start: Achashellach train station. Trains from Inverness.

Finish: Attadale train station. Trains from Kyle and Inverness.

My route: From Achnashellach I walked up the A890 (quiet out of season) to Craig and crossed the railway following a track that continues to Pollan Buidhe. Lots of camp spots further up the river and worth a wee detour to the Allt a' Chonais pinewood which is signposted. For Moruisg, I continued along the track to the cottage at Glenuiag and followed a stalkers' path above the cottage that zig-zagged up onto the plateau. The start was tricky to find but head up the left of the rockfall behind the cottage and there is a single rowan roughly where the path starts. Once on the plateau, it's a straightforward walk to Moruisg though you might take a bearing as the top itself is not visible at this point. The top is marked by a large, arty cairn.  For Sgurr Choinnich and Sgurr a' Chaorachain, I set out up the footpath to the Bealach Bhearnais which starts at the wire bridge at grid ref NH074466. It's a good path to the bealach. From the bealach the east ridge of Sgurr Choinnich is easily climbed - a path starts to the left of a strange stretch of drystone wall. The continuation to Sgurr a' Chaorachain is straightforward on an obvious path. I returned the bealach to descend as I'd left heavier kit there. I continued southwest over the bealach - the middle section is rough, boggy and pathless - then picked up an excellent old path that heads towards Loch an Laoigh and Bendronaig Lodge. Just before the lodge a path  branches to the left to Loch Calavie. An easy ascent can be made to the bealach between Lurg Mhor and Bidein a' Choire Sheasgaich from the track here and likewise easy acsents of both peaks can be made from the bealach. To walk out to Attadale I continued passed Bendronaig Lodge and kept on the track ignoring branches to the left in the forestry. This area is currently undergoing hydro work and the devastation was horrific. It will take years to recover so, to be honest, I wouldn't recommend this route until then.

Northwest - The Lochalsh Trail

I always said that I would never walk waymarked trails until I was too old and crusty for dragging myself up hills. Well, never say never. With a couple of spare days on holiday, I was looking for a wee wander in a quiet corner on the west coast and came up with the idea of the Lochalsh Trail, a 30-mile circuit from my starting point at Shiel Bridge.

I took a super path that starts beside the campsite at Shiel Bridge and climbs into the hills, zig-zagging over a wee pass before heading out to the pretty little bothy at Suardalan. It’s an aptly named spot, originating from the old Norse, Swarddale, combining sward (an expanse of grass) and dal (dale). It’s an open place with big views and winds that send waves of movement through the grasses.

Heading on from Suardalan, I followed a green, leafy track down into Gleann Beag. What might have been a wearisome few miles on tarmac was livened by the swathes of bluebells beside the road and the fascinating brochs, dotted through the glen. Brochs are stone roundhouses dating from approximately  2000 years ago. They are double-skinned and at Dun Troddan you can still climb the internal staircase.

At the bottom of Gleann Beag I popped out into the lovely wee seaside village of Glenelg and wandered round the coast to the Glenelg Ferry that crosses the narrows at Kyle Rhea to Skye. I wasn’t taking the ferry but I knew there was coffee and tablet at the honesty box at the slipway.

The Lochalsh Trail now enters one of the loveliest corners of the country as it follows the coast round to Totaig. A narrow path meandered through bluebell woods above the sea and above the woods I was excited to see my first sea eagle.

The trail dropped to the beach and crossed the shoreline at Camas nan Gall where the view opened up to the flat-topped peak of Dun Caan on Raasay to the north. I pitched the tent here, on a sward of green grass between the woods and the beach, and watched the sun sink, casting its peachy glow over the hills.

Next day the trail rounded Ardintoul Point and then climbed up briefly in deep forestry before emerging above Totaig where a grassy knoll opened up views from Skye to Kintail and the backside of Eilean Donan Castle. From the pretty little cottage at the road end at Totaig, it was a long plod along the road back to Shiel Bridge. Thank heavens again for the millions of bluebells that  lined the way and livened the walk.

Fact File

All the photos on Flickr: click HERE.

Start/finish: Shiel Bridge

Transport: Citylink Glasgow to Skye bus

My route: I took the path that heads south from the campsite following the Allt Undalainn and crossed the pass to the ruin at Bealachasan. Crossed the dear fence and then followed the edge of the fence to the south to join a forest track that goes to the bridge at NG889173. Immediately after the bridge on the right a small path heads to Suardalan. An obvious path continues south from Suardalan and then swings west into Gleann Beag (ignoring the path east to Kinloch Hourn). Walk down Gleann Beag and turn right at the bottom for Glenelg. Continue through the village and opposite the village hall a footpath heads to the left – follow this to the far side of the bay and continue along the road towards the Glenelg ferry. At the back of the car park above the ferry a gorgeous footpath starts and heads round the north coast of the peninsula to Totaig – where it enters dense forestry the route is marked by red and white tape. At Ardintoul Bay I followed the OS map which showed the route heading round to the last cottage and continuing as a footpath. I didn’t find that continuation but scrambled up through bushes and joined a path coming in from the right so I’m guessing the footpath actually starts from the main track that heads back over to Bernera. At Totaig it’s a walk along the road back to Shiel Bridge but it’s quite nice and there’s almost no traffic.

Tips: Campsite and wee shop at Shiel Bridge; wee shop and hotel at Glenelg; showers for a donation at the village hall in Glenelg. There is a local bus that goes up the Totaig road to Letterfearn on request which you could use to cut out the road walk at the end – run by Macrae Kintail.

Knoydart - Paradise

A May time meander across Knoydart, one of my favourite areas of Scotland. And an overdue visit to my favourite spot in Knoydart - Sourlies. All of this in one of the best spells of weather for years.

Sourlies is a distant place on a remote peninsula. There's only a small bothy there now but nearby ruins and a hidden graveyard hint at a time when there were more people here. I trekked into Knoydart from the train station at Glenfinnan, the arches of its famous viaduct providing a doorway to six days of paradise. 

My calling points, if you can call them that, were Sourlies, A'Chuill Bothy, Barrisdale Bay, Kinlochourn and another lovely wee bothy, Suardalan. The approach from Glenfinnan uses the tight pass of Mam na Cloiche Airde, a rough rocky place softened by the sparkling waters of its twin lochans. 

The first view of Sourlies from here is way down below. The bothy nestles on a shelf of green grass between the lower slopes of Sgurr na Ciche and the pebble beach at the limit of the sea loch, Loch Nevis. It sends a long finger of sea deep into the hills here and when the tide is high and the sun is out, it fills the contours of the land with water that's a dazzling Mediterranean blue. 

Ringed plovers nest on the beach, scraping a shallow nest among the pebbles, and cuckoos fill the air with the unmistakable sound of early summer.

I left Sourlies to the north, walking into the "wild interior" of Knoydart along the beautiful, rugged glen of the River Carnoch. When the tide is out you can leave Sourlies by walking along the beach and over the salt marsh which is covered with sea pinks in early summer. But if the tide is high you have to climb over the headland. The advantage is that up here you can look down on the water as floating clumps of seaweed cast their shadows through the see-through sea to the sandy bottom. 

There are otters and wildcats in Glen Carnoch - I've seen their prints in the wet sand. 

A stiff pull at the head of the glen puts you on the route to Barrisdale Bay and then the stunning path along the shores of Loch Hourn to the little hamlet at its end, Kinlochourn. It's 22 miles from the nearest A-road and the tarmac ends here, making it the longest dead end in the country.

A beautiful walk from Kinlochourn through bluebell woods and empty terrain takes you through to the pretty little bothy at Suardalan, sitting out on its own on a grassy knoll surrounded by fields and hills. It's a beautiful and peaceful place. 

A little pass then cuts through the western end of the ridge on the south side of Glen Shiel. I've always thought of it as being quite Alpine in character - a zig-zag narrow path, the mountains all around and cattle grazing on the green grass of early summer. 

The noise and bustle of Shiel Bridge were a sudden jolt out of the paradise of the last few days. But days like that stay with you forever.

Fact File

All the photos on my Flickr site.

Start: Glenfinnan railway station

Finish: Shiel Bridge for Citylink bus between Glasgow and Skye

My route: From the train station I walked north up Glen Finnan passed Corryhully Bothy and then through Gleann Cuirnean towards Strathan but turning west before the buildings to pass A'Chuill Bothy. Crossed the river and joined the path heading west through Glen Dessary and then through Mam na Cloiche Airde. There is a river crossing at the top which can be tricky after rain. The path then drops to Sourlies. From Sourlies I followed the path north up the River Carnoch and climbed out of the head of the glen to join an excellent stalker's path that crosses over the Mam Undalain and descends to Barrisdale Bay. There's a bothy here as well and informal camping. I took the path along the south shore of Loch Hourn to Kinlochourn which is a stunning walk. There is a wee tearoom at Kinlochourn. Just passed the hamlet heading east on the road there is a sign to the left marked for Corran. I took this path but continued through to Srath a Chomair on what's commonly called the pylon route as you are following the pylon line to Srath a Chomair. From there I took the route heading northeast to Suardalan Bothy (a lovely wee bothy) and then headed east to the bridge over the Glen More River. At the other side I took the track to the right and where it ended I continued up the side of the deer fence to reach a stile over the fence. This put me at the ruin at Bealachasan. From here I took the path that passes over a small pass south of Sgurr Mhic-Bharraich and then descends to Shiel Bridge.

Clackmannanshire - Teleporter

Concealed in the Clackmannanshire countryside is a secret little cycle path that connects Alloa with Dollar. Secret perhaps to you and me but not to the people who live close by for it's a well used route. It's called the Devon Way and runs for seven miles, mostly using the bed of an old railway line. 

The route is bounded by trees and hedgerows which in May are bursting with spring greens and birdsong. And when there's a breeze, there is a blizzard of blossom. Above the trees the steep Ochil Hills rise to the north. I agreed with my dad when he said the Ochils seemed very distant when we started in Alloa but over the few miles to Dollar, they had really closed in above us.

So flat and easy and pleasant was the route that we seemed to be magically whisked to our destination in no time at all, oblivious to the world beyond our tunnel of green. I'll therefore always think of the Devon Way as a kind of teleporter.

Fact File
Start/finish: Alloa train station.
Route: exit the train station and turn right. There is immediately a pedestrian bridge over the railway - this is the start of the Devon Way and is signed for NCN767/Tillicoultry although it goes all the way to Dollar. At the end of the route it's worth going into Dollar for a view or walk up Dollar Glen. We returned by the same route to Alloa. Except for one very small hill, the route is flat and easy and all off-road.

Borders - Minchmoor meander

The Minchmoor is an old drove road in the Borders hills that connects Traquair with Selkirk. Since cycling it last summer, it's a place that's stayed in my imagination for its quirkiness, its history and the open, airiness of its landscapes. So I was back there at Easter, walking its route with friends Graham and Andrew. 

From Edinburgh we took the Borders railway to Galashiels and jumped onto a bus that was heading back to Edinburgh. We only stayed on it for a few stops of course and stepped off in Innerleithen. There was time for coffee and cake outside in the sun, enjoying the outdoorsy vibe of this mountain bike-mad wee town.

Just south of Innerleithen we picked up the Minchmoor as the line of its old road cut across the fields and started to climb into the blue above. The Southern Upland Way, a long distance walking route, joins the Minchmoor here and we would use it over two days to walk back to Galashiels. 

A steady climb put us on top of the ridge that we would follow eastwards. There were some undulations but mostly we were up and staying up. The top of the climb is called Resolution Point and its marked by a sculpture and arty circles created in the heather. It's an interesting spot, the area being part of a project to increase the black grouse population here.

Just beyond Resolution Point, we came to the Cheese Well where it was said that travellers in days gone by had to make offerings of cheese to the fairies here to ensure a safe passage. We didn't have cheese, at least not since we'd eaten our lunch at Resolution Point, but we did leave some coins which we placed on the marker stone. On a hot day, we were also glad to be able to fill our bottles here with the cool spring water.

This wonderful route meandered now along the top of the hills, making us feel like we were on the roof of the Borders. The sense of space and the expanse of the view was wonderful. It was such a quiet place as well, we hardly passed anybody all day and the busiest spot was the top of Minchmoor Hill where a few mountain bikers had escaped the lower, groomed trails of the biking centre below.

We walked on into the hot afternoon, stopping at one point to marvel at Wallace's Trench. We had read about it on the train journey down. It's an ancient defensive trench, protecting against attackers from the west, the way we had walked. Given how the old trench is, we were perhaps expecting to see some shallow markings in the heather that might indicate where it had been. We were impressed therefore to come across the trench pretty much intact and 5 or 6 feet deep, cutting right across our route and extending a little way down the hillside. 

We walked on and on, through woods and over the gentle undulations of the ridge. We knew we had gone a fair distance east when the Eildon Hills came into view far ahead of us. We'd enjoyed a walk there just a couple of weeks ago so it was interesting to see them from a new angle.

By late afternoon we were nearing the end of the ridge and the climax of the day's walk, the Three Brethren. These huge stone cairns date from the 16th century and mark the boundaries of the three estates that meet at this point - Buccleuch, Yair and Selkirk. They're a stunning feature on what's already a beautiful spot.

Weary wanderers now, we dropped off the ridge and followed a path down the Philiphaugh Long burn to find a camp spot. Before the sun dipped behind the ridge, we sat outside drinking tea and cooking a hot supper. I surprised the boys later with a hot pudding of chocolate brownie and custard. It was the final act of the evening as the sun sank and we wrapped ourselves up in our sleeping bags. I think we were all pretty much asleep by lights out.

The following day was another cracker and we climbed back up to the ridge to rejoin the Southern Upland Way into Galashiels. The route was lovely, initially dropping down to Yair through springtime woods full of birdsong and then crossing the Tweed to make a gentle climb over the next series of low, rolling hills.

The path struck out across fields which were criss-crossed with drystone dykes. I loved the crossing points for walkers which were not the traditional gate but a series of stepping stones laid into the walls themselves. We must have used a dozen of these on the short leg into Galashiels.

After a final pull up a wee grassy hill, we were suddenly looking down on Galashiels. We ended the trip as we started ... with coffee and cake before catching the train home.

Fact File

Start: Innerleithen. Train from Edinburgh to Galashiels. The bus interchange is right opposite the train station and the Edinburgh-bound bus stops at Innerleithen.

Route: We walked south out of Innerleithen on the B709 for about 2km. Just after Traquair there is a quaint three-way junction at the war memorial - turn left here to join the Minchmoor and the Southern Upland Way. The route is signed now all the way to Gala and stays high across the tops. It's worthwhile making the short detour to the Minchmoor viewpoint which is signed from the main route. This, Resolution Point, the Cheese Well and Wallace's Trench won't be missed as they are right on the route. The Minchmoor high level route ends at the Three Brethren. We dropped down to the right here to find water and a camp spot then retraced our steps next morning. From the Three Brethren we stayed on the Southern Upland Way through to Galashiels. It was a lovely walk through springtime woods down to Yair then over gentle open hills into Gala.

Tips: Nice coffee shop on the main street in Innerleithen opposite the junction for the B709. And nice coffee shop in Gala immediately behind the Interchange.