So we headed east towards a long golden beach we had spotted from a chilly St Andrews when we visited over the Christmas break.
The beach at Tentsmuir Forest is bordered by beautiful dunes and a forest. It reminded me of Newborough beach on Anglesey. That memory included the pay to enter barrier! Still £2 all day seems quite reasonable and toilets and a fine picnic area were provided.
It is quite strange to drive for 2 miles down a single track road and find a packed carpark at the other end. Even stranger to find that the occupants of said cars have apparently been swallowed up by the forest or the sand.
The tide was out, the wind was blowing and the sand was on the move. There were various warnings about not being caught out by the fast-moving tide although at first we failed to spot the sneaky tidal lagoons between the sea and forest. We walked for what felt like miles then found a good spot in the dunes for lunch. Sand in every mouthful but no rain - lucky really as Gary had left his waterproof at home. No photos either because the light was not exceptional and the sand would have damaged the lens. Take it from me, it is a lovely spot.
We wandered back along the edge of the forest then back to the car. Decided (well I suggested) that we would call in at Falkland on the way home. We got the South Atlantic jokes out of the way quite quickly. I had heard that this village was worth a visit and there was a good coffee shop - and it was only three miles off the route home. This was true but if you are considering visiting, don't go on the second last weekend in July because The Big Tent event is on and the village is full! No parking, full of festival type people and traffic cones everywhere. Falkland is just below the heights of East Lomond, which looks a nice hill to climb so we might be back but it will be in the depths of winter when all others are away.
Saturday we wandered up Alva Glen then dropped down to explore the gorge below the path through the glen. Steep and potentially slippy descent but well worth it for the view of the Alva burn in full flow through a hole carved out of the rocks. Huge rockface overhanging the burn making it an atmospheric place. Plenty of water pouring through the holes in the rock and a good whirlpool going on. If this was Devon, there would be a guided walk with handrails and warnings aplenty. Here you just take your chances. A few weeks ago we saw some canyoning folk entering the burn upstream of this feature. A natural waterslide with interesting twists and turns. Exhilaratingly cold too I imagine. The resulting flow of water from the two inches of rain from Wednesday had subsided some but we agreed a return trip after wet weather would be well worthwhile.
Found the elusive return track on the hillside above the glen and decided to give this a go. Watched a group of mixed ability walkers contemplate the decidedly steep uphill path that someone had chosen as the spot to camp / drink / eat at the top of while celebrating the life of a friend. They were silhouettes against the sky as they crept upwards and we headed back to the car. The path back was steep in that one-sided way with very steep and potentially dangerous drops to one side. However, relatively dry weather in the last two days made it OK to walk along. The final few yards were lost in brambles and ferns that were over my head so we bailed out and tiptoed over the golf course to finish the walk. Very wet greens indeed.
The Lawers trip was fine; a good deal and good food at the Killin Hotel then a gentle meander up to 3,000ft until the rain came in and we headed back to the car and hordes of midges. We will return and complete the ridge walk here. A beautiful area and the only spot that I have any photos of for this post. We could see Ben Vorlich (failed to complete last weekend) Ben Ledi - nice mountain, Ben Venue and the Lomond hills beyond. Also got a glimpse of Schiehallon which is on my "to do" list.
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| South to Ben Vorlich and Ben Venue, Loch Tay just visible |
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| Looking across to Tarmachan Ridge path |
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| North to Glen Lyon |
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| North towards An Stuc (the pointy one - a future challenge) |
The lower slopes of Ben Lawers are a nature reserve and this is worthy of a visit in its own right - a lovely short ramble. The midges in the free carpark (donation of £2 requested) were ferocious and the minute you stood still they were on you in droves. Once the car door or boot was opened they were in, we drove along with the windows open but we still had half a dozen in the car when we stopped for lunch in a rainy car park in Glen Ogle. We released them here and killed off the most stubborn ones.
Meanwhile, on the plot - pits dug and foundation type confirmed ("normal") Cash transferred to solicitors in readiness for completion of sale this week. Building warrant work underway and due to be completed by the end of this week. M&E contractor engaged and working with our architect. So we will shortly be the proud owners of a plot of peat and heather plus a burn and a small wood with an option on the croft (cash lodged for this transaction too)
Once the building warrant is issued, we start the work on the tender documents. My Skye Box is filling up (in my head) with lovely things; soon to become a reality.
Once we have completed the sale we will go back and stomp all over our land. New wellies called for - especially if the rain returns to Skye as promised. Pictures to follow.
