Loch Ardinning

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How often over the years have we driven north from Glasgow on the A81, noticed the little sign for Loch Ardinning Wildlife Reserve and failed to stop? Countless times – until Easter Sunday dawned bright and sunny and we were looking for a short walk not too far from home. Now we just can’t understand why we were so negligent for so long.

We started at the loch which has plenty of spots for contemplation. (I’ve also been very negligent about writing the walk up. You will spot several benches which were originally intended for Jude’s Bench with a View Challenge in April. Oops…)

Loch Ardinning
Loch Ardinning

After leaving the loch, the walk rises onto moorland with good views towards Ben Lomond, then there’s a really boggy part around Black Linn.

Ben Lomond view
Black Linn

At the highest point (172m) of Muirhouse Muir there’s a cairn and a bench, then another bench at the point where you start dropping back down to the loch. We spent time on both of these, admiring Ben Lomond and the Campsie Fells.

Muirhouse Muir
Muirhouse Muir
Campsie view
Campsie view

See that lumpy little hill on the right above? That’s Dumgoyne. I’ve climbed it several times, but after the last ascent swore never to do it again. It’s small but painfully steep and my knees just won’t stand it these days. However John misses it and, inspired by seeing it on this walk, he’s since done it twice on his own. As a bonus, here are some of his pictures. The little black dots by the path in the third one (click to enlarge) are people on their hands and knees. See my objection?

The walk starts behind the Glengoyne Distillery which is also worth a visit – AFTER the walk, unless you also want to go up on your knees.

Glengoyne Distillery
Dumgoyne
Dumgoyne
Dumgoyne
Dumgoyne

Linked to Jo’s Monday Walks – I wonder where everyone else has been this week?

Scotland, UK , ,

44 Comments »

  1. Pingback: Glasgow Gallivanting: March 2017 – The Glasgow Gallivanter

  2. This looks so lovely. I regret a bit that when I lived in the UK I never got out into the Scottish countryside on foot. Now my trips back are so fleeting that I’m lucky to see anything at all — even from the car.

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  3. Have never been to Scotland but I think the views are vast and far reaching and something to behold. I would probably pass doing the steep climbs, too. Those days are in my past. I enjoy the participants in Jo’s walks. They take me to places I’ve never been.

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  4. Pingback: Jo’s Monday walk : Finchale Priory | restlessjo

  6. A student of mine was just in Ireland and said the weather there was wonderful during her trip. But she was also talking about how low the mountains are — your pictures certainly prove it!

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  7. Wow no wonder you stopped doing that hill! Climbing up on your hands and knees just doesn’t sound like fun! the views are beautiful though — I do especially like that photo of the bench looking out on it all. I looks so peaceful….

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  10. So beautiful, Anabel. I’m with you (and apparently many others) on not fancying that steep climb. My knees raise the same objections as yours. The place names are so lovely. Muirhouse Muir, Campsie Fells, Dumgoyne–they make me want to hie myself over to YouTube and start listening to someone with a Scottish accent read an atlas. 🙂

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    • Great idea! Perhaps some day I’ll do a feature on Scottish place names and their (sometimes weird) pronunciations. Try Milngavie (Mul-guy) or Dumyat (Doom-eye-at) for starters.

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  12. It looks beautiful but I imagine it could be a bit of a tiring walk. I would love to get off the island and try doing some walks around Scotland. Those are some great photos. 🙂

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  13. Hello Anabel! This is great with nature around you! I was in Universal Studios this weekend. Oh man! I had both the adventure and fright of a lifetime being in a rollercoaster called the “cyclone” — that was definitely the total opposite of how serene those two photos on top of this post looks like!

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  16. I don’t think I’ve been past the sign to Loch Ardinning. I probably don’t go up there as often as you, and in fact I think I’ve only done the A81 between Aberfoyle and Callander. I usually go into the Trossachs from the east, or bypass them to go past Loch Lomond 🙂

    Lovely pictures. My knees aren’t up to it now, either.

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    • Very sorry not to have replied to your last two comments – I’ve just discovered them in spam! I don’t know why WordPress has suddenly taken against you. This is on the way to Aberfoyle from Glasgow so you probably haven’t passed it.

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  17. Oh what gorgeous views Anabel! And lots of lovely benches, though I prefer them with a backrest these days 😉
    I almost had to descend a hill in Cornwall on my behind, I should have taken a walking pole with me, but it gets in the way of the camera, so I didn’t. Going up wasn’t so bad, but when I reached the top and saw the descent, I froze. From now on I shall stay at the bottom, rather than ON my bottom 😕

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  18. Nice shot of Ben Lomand in distance. Oh, knees, yes, least said….. ( I would say it’s all that praying, but you’d have to know me to know how hilarious that is) enjoyed the post..

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  19. Heck, that IS a bit steep! Coming down would be worse. Parachute job! 🙂
    Love the wide open spaces. Doesn’t it make you feel good to be alive? Thanks for sharing, Anabel.

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  20. I have to agree about the hands and knees part being less thrilling when it comes to walking. I like my walks a tad rolling or more or less flat. The best ones are flat with beautiful views…yes, I know rare to come by.

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