One Day At A Time
Posted: Wed May 01, 2019 8:32 pm
Thursday 7th February 2019 – Arthur’s Seat
6.27km
273m ascent
1 hour 50 mins
It was the final Edinburgh trip before the February holiday, a beautiful afternoon and the perfect opportunity to pop up Arthurs Seat on the way home to test out the injury that just kept on giving….
Arthur’s Seat ahead
I climbed through the woods – a muddy path – before heading out onto the open hill. Glasgow is superior to Edinburgh in every way except for the mountain in the middle of the city thing
Looking back – North Berwick Law visible in the distance
Dunsapie Loch
The loch was frozen so the birds were standing on the ice
I crossed the road and climbed carefully up towards Arthur’s Seat
It was windy but a beautiful afternoon
At the top it was super busy as always
I did a thing!
I dropped off the other side – looking back to the summit
It was somewhere around here where I remembered that I wasn’t wearing boots and it would be a bit embarrassing to need a rescue
I felt ok so decided to head over the Salisbury Crags – despite being over Arthur’s Seat many times, I’d never been over the crags themselves.
It was an easy walk to the station to get home – I seemed to have survived my first foray up a hill
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Sunday 10th February 2019 – Earl’s Seat
10.91km
770m ascent
3 hours 40 mins
After surviving Arthur’s Seat, Malcy and I decided a wee Sunday afternoon excursion was in order. We were actually heading for the Menteith hills but as we approached the Glengoyne distillery I got bored of driving so we decided to go up Earl’s Seat instead
Malcy playing with my poles
As we climbed gently across the fields we could see across to the Trossachs
It was nicely atmospheric in the distance but still nice here
It was steep as we climbed – we’d decided to leave Dumgoyne for the way back so took the left hand path
I was supposed to be taking it easy so stopped for plenty of photos – Loch Lomond looked lovely in the distance
The worst of the climb done, the gradient eased as we walked around Dumgoyne which was sparkling in the sunlight
Looking ahead to Garloch Hill
Dumfoyne
Looking back to Dumgoyne as we climbed
I see a little silhouetto
This was a very familiar route for me but it was Malcy’s first time up the Campsies and the weather seemed to be pulling out all the stops
Loch Lomond
It wasn’t as squishy along the top as I’d expected – we could see Earl’s Seat in the distance!
Looked like there might be a shower coming in….
The Menteith hills with Ben Venue and Ben Ledi behind
The summit of Earl’s Seat looking closer
We felt spots of rain as we approached the top – hoping it would pass quickly, we carried on. We met a runner who warned us about man-eating peat bogs near the top. Thankfully we managed to avoid these but not the snow storm
We waited around for a few minutes and were rewarded by the snow calming down enough for a few photos
Loch Lomond
Looking North – some lovely windfarms
It was time to head off as the snow was starting up again
Looking back to the summit – amazing how a few minutes of snow can make everything look really wintery again!
For the next half hour or so we were walking into the wind which battered us relentlessly with snow and caused me to put on my classy 50p Primark sunglasses to help me keep my eyes open
Eventually we were out of the snow and rain and the views opened out again
More bad weather
Looking back
Looking down to Dumgoyne
I’d decided that Dumgoyne was probably too much for me as I was starting to feel my injury but Malcy was contemplating it
Off he goes….
I carried on down – the sun coming out again
Looking back to Dumgoyne – Malcy playing catch-up but avoiding faceplanting
Heading down the last wee section
Looking back to Dumgoyne before reaching the car, and a shorter than expected drive home
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Tuesday 12th February 2019 – Old Drove Road from Peebles to Traquair
13.81km
508m ascent
3 hours 35 mins
It was the February holiday so after a day of rest I decided to have another adventure – meeting my friend Neil in Innerleithen we left one car in Traquair and drove back to Peebles where we left Colonel Mustard. We headed up the drove road where I’d been before to get to the Peebles Donalds. It was a steeper climb out of the village than I had remembered but before long we were out of the trees
Admiring the views
We climbed higher, following the Cross Borders Drove Road which bypassed Craig Head and Kailzie Hill
Looking back – it was super windy and I was having to hold my hat to stop it blowing away
I slowed down for the final climb up to Kirkhope Law – I was supposed to be taking it easy after all!
Sun in the distance
We dropped off Kirkhope Law and followed the track to the end of the forest where it took a left – we followed this a distance downhill until we were sheltered enough to stop for lunch without getting blown around too much
We carried on, climbing out of our little hollow and onto the open hillside again. We were hit by the wind again. Finally we started dropping down again.
Looking down towards Innerleithen
Neil’s monster dog was a bit excited by the sheep in the fields so he put her on a lead…unfortunately she then tried to take off taking him with her….
From here we slightly lost our way and walked the wrong side of the farm but found our way onto the track and walked along a few miles on the road back to the car. Neil then ran me back to Peebles before the long drive home. Still, it was great to get out despite the crazy wind
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Thursday 14th February 2019 – Kelvin Walkway
22.5km
159m ascent
4 hours 20 mins
I had a lazy morning then eventually got my act together and jumped on a train to Mingavie. I decided to walk the Kelvin Walkway backwards so if I had to stop part way at least I’d get to do the most interesting bit!
It was easy enough to find my way out of Milngavie itself and before long I was following the Allander Water. It was already fairly green, even if it was a golf course
I wasn’t far from the main road (could actually hear the cars going by) but it felt pretty remote
Looking back
This bridge marked the route of the Antonine Wall and there were lots of Roman Forts marked nearby
The route then steered away from the road and I was back in the middle of nowhere – it wasn’t a difficult walk but it was nicely interesting
A murmuration
There were some very boggy sections after this and I was wondering if the light boots would turn out to be a bad idea Fortunately it was ok and I was able to avoid the worst of it.
Coming into the west end I passed the impressive weir near the Maryhill locks
Coming through Kelvingrove Park the sun came out and it was getting really warm
Coming out on the road I was thinking about jumping on a train or a tube to get home to save myself a bit of distance, then I saw this…. Why not?!
Dippy the dinosaur
After admiring Dippy, I decided I would be annoyed if I hadn’t walked all the way home so I carried on. The Clyde looked beautiful
The Waverley
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Saturday 16th February 2019 – Glen Loin Loop, Arrochar
22.38km
677m ascent
5 hours 15 mins
Not a day for high tops, Malcy was once again persuaded to potter around low level with me – we eventually decided on the Glen Loin loop from Arrochar although in an effort to avoid the car parking charges we parked at the Slanj and walked the extra few kilometres.
There was tree felling going on so we actually ended up walking most of the way down the road into Arrochar but when we arrived we were rewarded with a rainbow over Loch Long
Looking back to the Glen Douglas Grahams over Loch Long
We headed along the road and found a wee path steeply uphill alongside the burn. This was a lovely interesting path and it cut off some distance but steeper than I would have liked
We came out on the track and suddenly the walking became a whole lot easier. However it was steadily uphill and we were getting warm
Glen Douglas Grahams
Cruach Tairbeirt – Malcy was making daft noises about going up there on the way back….
Me doing a silly thing
We finally started to climb out of the trees and were able to see over to the Sloy Dam and Ben Vorlich – however without the shelter of the trees the weather was a bit wild
Malcy looking super unimpressed
As we reached the top of the glen, the path started to bend around and we both got very confused about which hills were which (Malcy tried to claim he wasn’t confused at all but I wasn’t having any of it )
Approaching the dam with Beinn Ime behind
How about you walk along there and I’ll film you falling in?
I was less daring and easily hopped across the trickle of a burn. Then it was through a gate and we were on the main track again. They clearly knew Malcy was coming….
Now less sheltered we could see towards Loch Lomond
Back to Beinn Ime, looking a bit cloudy up top
As we walked on we could see up to Ben Vane – also looked pretty unpleasant up there
We passed what looked like a makeshift bike-park, which explained the bikers that shot past us earlier. Then we met the Loch Sloy track which we followed until the turnoff which was signposted. This soon became a much nicer footpath (although also a little boggier in places )
Again it was mostly easy walking – most of the boggy sections were easily passable but there was one section where Malcy gave me a piggy back across a large sinky bog to save me getting wet feet (I’d gone out in my trail runners ) What a gent
The views were a lot more open from this side of the glen which was nice
We avoided dropping down into Arrochar and stayed high – we gambled on the tree fellers being finished by now and followed the forest path. We witnessed a frog orgy
An atmospheric Loch Long
There was a lot more ascent on this trail than we thought and we were very relieved to drop down to Tarbet station and back to the car. A grand day out though, and a nice end to the holiday
6.27km
273m ascent
1 hour 50 mins
It was the final Edinburgh trip before the February holiday, a beautiful afternoon and the perfect opportunity to pop up Arthurs Seat on the way home to test out the injury that just kept on giving….
Arthur’s Seat ahead
I climbed through the woods – a muddy path – before heading out onto the open hill. Glasgow is superior to Edinburgh in every way except for the mountain in the middle of the city thing
Looking back – North Berwick Law visible in the distance
Dunsapie Loch
The loch was frozen so the birds were standing on the ice
I crossed the road and climbed carefully up towards Arthur’s Seat
It was windy but a beautiful afternoon
At the top it was super busy as always
I did a thing!
I dropped off the other side – looking back to the summit
It was somewhere around here where I remembered that I wasn’t wearing boots and it would be a bit embarrassing to need a rescue
I felt ok so decided to head over the Salisbury Crags – despite being over Arthur’s Seat many times, I’d never been over the crags themselves.
It was an easy walk to the station to get home – I seemed to have survived my first foray up a hill
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Sunday 10th February 2019 – Earl’s Seat
10.91km
770m ascent
3 hours 40 mins
After surviving Arthur’s Seat, Malcy and I decided a wee Sunday afternoon excursion was in order. We were actually heading for the Menteith hills but as we approached the Glengoyne distillery I got bored of driving so we decided to go up Earl’s Seat instead
Malcy playing with my poles
As we climbed gently across the fields we could see across to the Trossachs
It was nicely atmospheric in the distance but still nice here
It was steep as we climbed – we’d decided to leave Dumgoyne for the way back so took the left hand path
I was supposed to be taking it easy so stopped for plenty of photos – Loch Lomond looked lovely in the distance
The worst of the climb done, the gradient eased as we walked around Dumgoyne which was sparkling in the sunlight
Looking ahead to Garloch Hill
Dumfoyne
Looking back to Dumgoyne as we climbed
I see a little silhouetto
This was a very familiar route for me but it was Malcy’s first time up the Campsies and the weather seemed to be pulling out all the stops
Loch Lomond
It wasn’t as squishy along the top as I’d expected – we could see Earl’s Seat in the distance!
Looked like there might be a shower coming in….
The Menteith hills with Ben Venue and Ben Ledi behind
The summit of Earl’s Seat looking closer
We felt spots of rain as we approached the top – hoping it would pass quickly, we carried on. We met a runner who warned us about man-eating peat bogs near the top. Thankfully we managed to avoid these but not the snow storm
We waited around for a few minutes and were rewarded by the snow calming down enough for a few photos
Loch Lomond
Looking North – some lovely windfarms
It was time to head off as the snow was starting up again
Looking back to the summit – amazing how a few minutes of snow can make everything look really wintery again!
For the next half hour or so we were walking into the wind which battered us relentlessly with snow and caused me to put on my classy 50p Primark sunglasses to help me keep my eyes open
Eventually we were out of the snow and rain and the views opened out again
More bad weather
Looking back
Looking down to Dumgoyne
I’d decided that Dumgoyne was probably too much for me as I was starting to feel my injury but Malcy was contemplating it
Off he goes….
I carried on down – the sun coming out again
Looking back to Dumgoyne – Malcy playing catch-up but avoiding faceplanting
Heading down the last wee section
Looking back to Dumgoyne before reaching the car, and a shorter than expected drive home
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Tuesday 12th February 2019 – Old Drove Road from Peebles to Traquair
13.81km
508m ascent
3 hours 35 mins
It was the February holiday so after a day of rest I decided to have another adventure – meeting my friend Neil in Innerleithen we left one car in Traquair and drove back to Peebles where we left Colonel Mustard. We headed up the drove road where I’d been before to get to the Peebles Donalds. It was a steeper climb out of the village than I had remembered but before long we were out of the trees
Admiring the views
We climbed higher, following the Cross Borders Drove Road which bypassed Craig Head and Kailzie Hill
Looking back – it was super windy and I was having to hold my hat to stop it blowing away
I slowed down for the final climb up to Kirkhope Law – I was supposed to be taking it easy after all!
Sun in the distance
We dropped off Kirkhope Law and followed the track to the end of the forest where it took a left – we followed this a distance downhill until we were sheltered enough to stop for lunch without getting blown around too much
We carried on, climbing out of our little hollow and onto the open hillside again. We were hit by the wind again. Finally we started dropping down again.
Looking down towards Innerleithen
Neil’s monster dog was a bit excited by the sheep in the fields so he put her on a lead…unfortunately she then tried to take off taking him with her….
From here we slightly lost our way and walked the wrong side of the farm but found our way onto the track and walked along a few miles on the road back to the car. Neil then ran me back to Peebles before the long drive home. Still, it was great to get out despite the crazy wind
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Thursday 14th February 2019 – Kelvin Walkway
22.5km
159m ascent
4 hours 20 mins
I had a lazy morning then eventually got my act together and jumped on a train to Mingavie. I decided to walk the Kelvin Walkway backwards so if I had to stop part way at least I’d get to do the most interesting bit!
It was easy enough to find my way out of Milngavie itself and before long I was following the Allander Water. It was already fairly green, even if it was a golf course
I wasn’t far from the main road (could actually hear the cars going by) but it felt pretty remote
Looking back
This bridge marked the route of the Antonine Wall and there were lots of Roman Forts marked nearby
The route then steered away from the road and I was back in the middle of nowhere – it wasn’t a difficult walk but it was nicely interesting
A murmuration
There were some very boggy sections after this and I was wondering if the light boots would turn out to be a bad idea Fortunately it was ok and I was able to avoid the worst of it.
Coming into the west end I passed the impressive weir near the Maryhill locks
Coming through Kelvingrove Park the sun came out and it was getting really warm
Coming out on the road I was thinking about jumping on a train or a tube to get home to save myself a bit of distance, then I saw this…. Why not?!
Dippy the dinosaur
After admiring Dippy, I decided I would be annoyed if I hadn’t walked all the way home so I carried on. The Clyde looked beautiful
The Waverley
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Saturday 16th February 2019 – Glen Loin Loop, Arrochar
22.38km
677m ascent
5 hours 15 mins
Not a day for high tops, Malcy was once again persuaded to potter around low level with me – we eventually decided on the Glen Loin loop from Arrochar although in an effort to avoid the car parking charges we parked at the Slanj and walked the extra few kilometres.
There was tree felling going on so we actually ended up walking most of the way down the road into Arrochar but when we arrived we were rewarded with a rainbow over Loch Long
Looking back to the Glen Douglas Grahams over Loch Long
We headed along the road and found a wee path steeply uphill alongside the burn. This was a lovely interesting path and it cut off some distance but steeper than I would have liked
We came out on the track and suddenly the walking became a whole lot easier. However it was steadily uphill and we were getting warm
Glen Douglas Grahams
Cruach Tairbeirt – Malcy was making daft noises about going up there on the way back….
Me doing a silly thing
We finally started to climb out of the trees and were able to see over to the Sloy Dam and Ben Vorlich – however without the shelter of the trees the weather was a bit wild
Malcy looking super unimpressed
As we reached the top of the glen, the path started to bend around and we both got very confused about which hills were which (Malcy tried to claim he wasn’t confused at all but I wasn’t having any of it )
Approaching the dam with Beinn Ime behind
How about you walk along there and I’ll film you falling in?
I was less daring and easily hopped across the trickle of a burn. Then it was through a gate and we were on the main track again. They clearly knew Malcy was coming….
Now less sheltered we could see towards Loch Lomond
Back to Beinn Ime, looking a bit cloudy up top
As we walked on we could see up to Ben Vane – also looked pretty unpleasant up there
We passed what looked like a makeshift bike-park, which explained the bikers that shot past us earlier. Then we met the Loch Sloy track which we followed until the turnoff which was signposted. This soon became a much nicer footpath (although also a little boggier in places )
Again it was mostly easy walking – most of the boggy sections were easily passable but there was one section where Malcy gave me a piggy back across a large sinky bog to save me getting wet feet (I’d gone out in my trail runners ) What a gent
The views were a lot more open from this side of the glen which was nice
We avoided dropping down into Arrochar and stayed high – we gambled on the tree fellers being finished by now and followed the forest path. We witnessed a frog orgy
An atmospheric Loch Long
There was a lot more ascent on this trail than we thought and we were very relieved to drop down to Tarbet station and back to the car. A grand day out though, and a nice end to the holiday