Back of Beyond…

Sunday morning I had a really peaceful ‘lie in’, in my little spot in the woods, with just the river and birds for company…before setting off to explore further, where I was !

I soon was travelling along the shoreline of Loch Rannoch, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loch_Rannoch with lots of signs for ‘runners’ – I had stumbled across a ‘Marathon’ – Lochs and Castles, being ran around the shores of the Loch… not particularly large crowds of runners, mere stragglers really (with an Ambulance as the back marker !)… as I drove peacefully around them on the small narrow road… I saw signs for ‘Rannoch Station’https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rannoch_railway_station  – then end of the road…and so continued to it – a famous railway station, used many times in the past by hikers, keen to get into the deep of the mountains by public transport, the railway line going across Rannoch Moor ( a desolate place), where I parked off, and walked across the moor, for views across the hills towards the great mountains of Glencoe, on a raw brisk day !

Back to the station for a nice ‘cream tea’ at the welcome Cafe’, and then back to circling the Loch, and the still struggling runners ! and looking for somewhere to stay the night ..

At the top of the Loch, there were great views back along the thin Loch, and checking the map I also found a ‘Munro’ mountain to climb, that I’d not climbed before – Schiehallion 1083 metres high!http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/munros/schiehallion

I found another useful quiet woodland, and settled down for the night…

Monday morning I was up early on a bright fine day, ready for a brisk climb, and made my way to the car park at the foot of the mountain, it was quite busy considering it was a Monday – children on half term enjoying an ‘Adventure’ !

A fairly straightforward path, took me along a broad flank of the mountain, and up towards the summit ridge , which after a couple of hours I was nearing, into the stiffening ( but dry) breeze…and soon, the latest top I’d climbed –a quick 2,000 ‘ ascent !, and way off the regular path …

A quick food stop, and about turn, back the way I’d come, and to Wally, for a little more touring of the area, finding a special viewpoint – ‘The Queens View’ http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk/forest-parks/tay-forest-park/queens-view-visitor-centre (which Queen is debatable !)…and away for another night in the woods !