walkhighlands

Share your personal walking route experiences in Scotland, and comment on other peoples' reports.
Warning Please note that hillwalking when there is snow lying requires an ice-axe, crampons and the knowledge, experience and skill to use them correctly. Summer routes may not be viable or appropriate in winter. See winter information on our skills and safety pages for more information.

FREEDOM!!!

FREEDOM!!!


Postby Gordie12 » Fri Apr 16, 2021 6:08 pm

Date walked: 16/04/2021

Time taken: 6 hours

Distance: 31.7 km

Ascent: 469m

Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).

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 :shock:

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.

1.JPG
Mill Dam and the beaver damaged trees


2.JPG
Picnic spot at Loch Oisinneach Mor


3.JPG
I have no idea how many photos I have of this ruined cottage


4.JPG
Loch Ordie


5.JPG
Looking over Mill Dam to Deuchary Hill
User avatar
Gordie12
Wanderer
 
Posts: 2152
Munros:114   Corbetts:65
Fionas:30   Donalds:38+0
Sub 2000:35   Hewitts:37
Wainwrights:32   
Joined: Sep 6, 2012
Location: Nr Forfar

Re: FREEDOM!!!

Postby Fife Flyer » Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:10 pm

Nice one.
What a joy it was to get out, we have now kicked the Tumps into touch and headed NW to tackle Beinn Mhanach. Everyone we met had a smile on their face and were really chatty.
User avatar
Fife Flyer
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 2642
Munros:272   Corbetts:58
Fionas:39   Donalds:89+33
Sub 2000:130   Hewitts:2
Islands:5
Joined: May 15, 2013
Location: Guess?

Re: FREEDOM!!!

Postby litljortindan » Sun Apr 18, 2021 7:52 pm

A good training ground you've got there, I am sure the legs will return to normal service in no time at all. I'm quite fascinated by ruined houses too, wondering who lived there and what their lives were like. Well, there are a lot of them in Aberdeenshire.
I don't have any petrol left from September. Always keep the car exercised having got a flat battery during the easing of the first lockdown -AA guy said the Honda Jazz is prone to that if only driven five miles at a time.
User avatar
litljortindan
Ambler
 
Posts: 2378
Munros:153   Corbetts:67
Fionas:29   Donalds:1
Sub 2000:47   Hewitts:12
Wainwrights:10   
Joined: Dec 11, 2011

Re: FREEDOM!!!

Postby Gordie12 » Mon Apr 19, 2021 5:10 pm

Fife Flyer wrote:Nice one.
What a joy it was to get out, we have now kicked the Tumps into touch and headed NW to tackle Beinn Mhanach. Everyone we met had a smile on their face and were really chatty.


I'll miss your Fife adventures FF (a good read these last few months).
User avatar
Gordie12
Wanderer
 
Posts: 2152
Munros:114   Corbetts:65
Fionas:30   Donalds:38+0
Sub 2000:35   Hewitts:37
Wainwrights:32   
Joined: Sep 6, 2012
Location: Nr Forfar

Re: FREEDOM!!!

Postby Gordie12 » Mon Apr 19, 2021 5:18 pm

litljortindan wrote:A good training ground you've got there, I am sure the legs will return to normal service in no time at all. I'm quite fascinated by ruined houses too, wondering who lived there and what their lives were like. Well, there are a lot of them in Aberdeenshire.
I don't have any petrol left from September. Always keep the car exercised having got a flat battery during the easing of the first lockdown -AA guy said the Honda Jazz is prone to that if only driven five miles at a time.


Dead trees and ruins - not sure what that says about me............

Same walk again today and finally had to give in and fill the tank - diesel hasn't half gone up in price in the last 7 months :lol:

I was lucky with the car, I should have kept it ticking over during the down time and just by chance it was working fine when I went back to it.
User avatar
Gordie12
Wanderer
 
Posts: 2152
Munros:114   Corbetts:65
Fionas:30   Donalds:38+0
Sub 2000:35   Hewitts:37
Wainwrights:32   
Joined: Sep 6, 2012
Location: Nr Forfar

Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).




Can you help support Walkhighlands?


Our forum is free from adverts - your generosity keeps it running.
Can you help support Walkhighlands and this community by donating by direct debit?



Return to Walk reports - Scotland

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: lackie14, tdm900 and 57 guests