Cold Croy - haiku hotbed

[echappers1]

Apologies – it's now over a week since I did this walk. I have only just signed up to this website proper after having walked the routes for years, so just wanted to blast out a report from my most recent outing to get one under my belt.

Checking Scotrail the day before this walk I thought I might have to rethink my Sunday strategy. The aftermath of the Beast from the East was still being felt and Storm Emma was due to join the party. However, the next morning the travel advice was not quite so severe, so I decided I wouldn’t be putting myself in too much peril by risking a one stop train journey from Glasgow to Croy.

The snow was still deep in the Croy streets as I walked North West from the train station to join the John Muir Way - just a taster of what was in store. Climbing Croy Hill to start the anti-clockwise circuit, I soon realised that today would demand more energy than I would usually expect. That energy was rewarded with bleak, wintry vistas throughout the walk.

Ghostly figures

Frozen tundra

New buddy

The frozen canal

The Forth and Clyde Canal had frozen over in many sections but was still the source of most of my wildlife sightings. When I dropped down to join it’s towpath I met many herons, cormorants, goosander and goldeneye at close quarters. The latter of which were performing their springtime courtship routines in despite the arctic conditions.

Towards the second half of the walk further snow began to fall. It softened all noise around me to near silence. Combined with the snowy scenery and lack of human activity, this made for a relaxing atmosphere. It must have had an effect on me as I felt compelled to compose some poetry for my Haiku Whatsapp group:

Digital words,
a list of birds. Mind
clearing task.

Goldeneye
courting. Defiant
spring display.

Goosander
gang. Wood smoke waft from
cosy boat.

Peaceful landscape

Snow settling in

Returning uphill from Twechar, a pair of rosy bullfinch were welcome bulbs of colour in a bizzard that was steadily worsening. From here the last section of the walk became surprisingly intense.

Linear patterns

Seems like a long way back now

Now wading and stumbling through the woods at Bar Hill with the wind in my face, dreams of a warm pub willed me on. In the darkest moments before I reached the civilisation of Croy, with an icy blast, the storm blew one more more bloom of haiku into my delirious brain:

Flashbacks from
The Revenant. Death
imminent.

But don't worry - I survived

Brrr.