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Weather forecast was looking great and day three of my week off, so I decided to head for Pitlochry with the two dogs! With snow on the hills and no doubt the moorland a swamp, I decided to go for the Linn of Tummel circuit, not something I'd usually opt for as I try to avoid routes with lots of road walking but I decided that was my best option. I'll save the Bealach route for the spring/summer when I'll have plenty of time to enjoy it. I was parked up at Garry Bridge by 11ish (Moss was a sleepy doggy this morning and I just didn't have the heart to wake her up so set off later than planned lol) and away we went following the river along the footpath to a monument...with which Moss did her first sit stay photo!
- Could you two look any more miserable?
The bridge to the falls viewpoint was very slippery, so I decided to give that a miss and instead we we returned to the main track and viewed the falls from up there instead.
It wasn't long before we came to Coronation Bridge which we crossed to get to the other side of the river.
- Looking back across the bridge
From here there was a short path up onto the road, and the long walk on the tarmac began...though it had been gritted so was mostly ice-free! The road was quiet enough, but then it is January, not sure I'd fancy such a long stretch on the road in summer when it may be busier as several cars and vans did go passed us. I was originally walking on the river side but kept getting pulled by the dogs onto the other side of the road...they know which side of the road we're supposed to be walking on! Reaching the power station I made the mistake of looking at the map to see how much longer we had to go on the road...we'd only done about a third of the road bit. But at least a strange greeny brown bird provided a bit of a distraction...
Eventually we reached Clunie Bridge, where the WH route crosses over the river, but instead we continued along the road to head towards the dam and fish ladder.
Stopping for a moment to take a photo of a snowy Ben Vrakrie reflected in the water...
Then it was across the dam and into Pitlochry where we found a bar/restaurant that allowed dogs! Yay! So inside McKays we went to have a break and grab some lunch. I had fish and chips, was yummy! So nice to have somewhere to stop off and eat with the dogs. It was Moss' first time eating out and whilst she did a bit of nervous pacing, she was mostly lying curled up behind my seat.
- Moss in McKays
Looks like Wednesday is close day in Pitlochry as most of the shops were shut, though the outdoor store along from McKays was open and also let dogs in, so we went for a wander in there. Was really tempted by a jacket they had in there but didn't fancy having to carry it all the way back to the car! So I left it there, will have to go back another day!
It was gone 2pm at this point, so time to start heading back to the car. The way back was much better on the tracks through the woods, and the dogs could be let off for a run so they were a lot happier too!
The route was well signposted throughout so was easy to follow and wasn't too muddy, and there were ducks, grebes and other waterbirds to see.
- Teal
We passed under Garry Bridge heading for the footbridge, this though has been damaged in one of the storms and is closed off. There is a well signposted diversion over a railway bridge (be warned - this was very icy even the dogs were slipping!) and up to the road to walk back to the car park crossing Garry Bridge. The Killiekrankie path on the other side of the bridge has been completely closed off, it doesn't affect this route but will affect the Killiekrankie circuit.