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On the last Sunday in August we spent the day in Killin. This was a village that for some reason we'd never got around to visiting properly, despite passing through it a couple of times by car and bus. Around lunchtime we tried out the figure of 8 route to Loch Tay, with an extension to Finlarig Castle. It was a beautiful, warm summer's day.
Most of the walk is straightforward and flat, but the southern loop has a short pathless section and one serious patch of bog, which may in fact be impassible if the River Lochay is high. As it was, we just managed to negotiate it with waterproof boots! Bridge over the River Dochart near the start:
Tarmachan RIdge:
All was going well along the River Dochart:
A slightly squelchy, pathless section took us across a neck of land to the River Lochay:
Here was the troublesome part. It doesn't look too bad in the photo, but most of this mud / water was very deep indeed, and there wasn't really an easy way round it. Long jumping just about got us across the worst part with dry feet.
Looking upstream towards Creag Bhuidhe:
The next section to Loch Tay is on a better, more frequently used path.
A path runs alongside Pier Road running away from the loch:
Finlarig Castle is worth the detour:
A nice enough walk, but the boggy section is a bit too serious for people looking for a leisurely stroll - which defines the rest of the route.
A few other photos from around the village:
Falls of Dochart:
Kinnell Stone Circle:
Moirlanich Longhouse:
>> Afternoon: Creag Bhuidhe