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Autumnal Achray

PostPosted: Sun Oct 11, 2015 9:44 pm
by denfinella
Autumn colours but summer weather on Wednesday last week - perfect for a wander in the Trossachs. We parked at the car park for Ben Venue around mid-afternoon for a variation on walkhighlands' Achray Water bridge circuit.


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Wee Ben A'an looking fine from near the car park. We still haven't climbed it - waiting for the forestry work to be completed!

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A runner overtakes us, probably off for an afternoon race up Ben Venue, directly ahead:

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Following the Ben Venue signposts takes us to a track along Achray Water. Turning left after about 500 metres of track takes us to a footbridge over the river, above an attractive group of waterfalls which don't really come out well on camera!

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Up through the sunny, quiet forest:

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Right at a track, still following signs for Ben Venue:

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A left turn takes us onto a good footpath, although surprisingly steep in places - this is really the beginning of the Ben Venue hill path. Someone's carved a mushroom out of a tree stump by the path:

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Suddenly the path descends again to a path junction. Falling water can be heard ahead so I head into the undergrowth to investigate - it's not really worth it in the end. Ben Venue is to the right, but we turn left onto a less-often used track - a good surface underneath some slippery moss. This follows a small stream down a pleasant valley.

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Another 500 metres or so takes us to a track T-junction with more lovely views of Ben A'an.

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The walkhighlands route turns left, but we head right towards Loch Achray Hotel. Ben Venue appears above forestry plantations behind. Leaves are just starting to turn - a little early season for the best colours but still not too bad!

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The deforested mound of Gardh Innis soon shields most of Ben A'an from view.

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A gentle descent leads right to the back of ugly Loch Achray Hotel. Heading round to the front (it looks a bit better from this side), Loch Achray stretches out ahead beyond the road coming down from Duke's Pass. Of course a few Highland cows around to complete the scene...

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All that's left is a five-minute walk north on the road back to the car park - no pavement, but fairly wide and straight here (and quiet on an October weekday). Midway along, another track leads temptingly towards the loch.

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A lovely little walk, even if it didn't go anywhere in particular...