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I wouldn't normally post this walk on the open forum but today just seemed like such a special day with the travel restrictions being lifted.
It's been 6 months since the Covid restrictions were temporarily eased and I headed down to Yorkshire to walk The Dales Way and since then more or less every day I have walked 5 miles from and to my front door. I could have done some walks in Angus but for some reason I seemed content to just stay close to the house and as a result the tank of fuel I put in the car in September last year still has 150 miles left in it
Whilst I could have gone anywhere today I chose to just head over to Perthshire and do the hill tracks to the north of Dunkeld starting from Cally Car Park.
I was first in the car park at around 7:30am and for the first time in years there weren't at least 3 camper vans overnight parking.
Not a cloud in the sky as I took the main track to Loch Ordie then carried on on the less well used track up to Loch Oisinneach Mor where I walked to the far end of the loch to the point where the track splits for Ballinluig or Kirkmichael before turning back and stopping at my favourite picnic spot on the rocks by the side of the loch.
Dairylea cheese and strawberry jam rolls consumed and it was back down the track with my usual extended loop towards Guay before returning to the main track at Loch Ordie.
It was about 12:30 before I was back to the shore of Loch Ordie and the first humans were spotted (as is normal up here they were on mountain bikes).
By now I could feel the legs but this was no surprise as they have become pretty familiar with 5 mile walks rather than todays 20 miles (tomorrow morning could be interesting.........). Over the next couple of months I really need to put some mileage in my legs if I am to be ready for a decent long distance walk later in the year.
As early afternoon ticked on a few clouds appeared but it was still a great day and fairly warm when out in the sun. Getting back to the car park at 2pm it was the usual madness with cars abandoned all over the place and the car park full.
This is a walk I normally do twice a week from early winter through to late spring so in the last ten years since I started coming here I have walked in all sorts of conditions and in all weathers but today, having the freedom to walk here (after such a long time), it really was special.
Some photos of my day.
- Mill Dam and the beaver damaged trees
- Picnic spot at Loch Oisinneach Mor
- I have no idea how many photos I have of this ruined cottage
- Loch Ordie
- Looking over Mill Dam to Deuchary Hill