Today, it was sunny and bright again – perfect for walking. We decided to head for Blairgowrie because we liked the sound of Cargill’s Leap and the Knockie, a circular walk along the River Ericht, through rolling farmland and over the Knockie, a local viewpoint. In the 19th century, the mils here employed 1600 people – now some are derelict and others have been converted into apartments like the ones below. We also saw kayaks, Highland cattle and lots of trees.

We started and finished at Cargill’s Bistro, first for morning coffee then, two hours later, for lunch. The soup and sandwich deal was so big that we had to go for another walk in the afternoon to work off some of the calories. Well, maybe we shouldn’t have chosen chips over salad! It was all very enjoyable anyway.

We knew nothing about the Ardblair Trail other than what we read on an information board in town. It took us on a circle through woods round the outskirts of Blairgowrie and was ok, but nothing like as interesting as the morning walk. It tired us out though – with that, and the big lunch, we are wondering if we can drag ourselves out for dinner tonight. This is definitely not a normal Marsh position!