No reason, no excuses

I just love it

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Top Gear

Attentive followers of this blog will have noticed that it tends to display a less than reverential approach to gear in general and gear reviews in particular.
They will be surprised, therefore, to hear that I am frequently (  ok, four times and counting)  offered items to test and review on the blog. No shit !
My response (to date) has been along the lines of "Have you actually read the blog ? If so get back to me and we can talk turkey"  None of the "Internet Marketing Consultants" has taken the matter any further.
Which is a pity. I wouldn't be averse to trying out a £400 jacket or a titanium whistle, as long as my artistic integrity wasn't compromised.

But then, as our first guest said in the intro to the wistful "Screw you, we're from Texas" previously on this blog..
"The trouble with irony is - not everyone gets it".  Amen.

Where did everybody go ?

Yesterday was a little walkfrom one of the council's excellent Community Paths leaflets. Dunblane to Kilbryde and back.

It was raining for most of the way, so not many piccies. (Altogether now.....)

Initially I had to travel from The Spa Town to The Cathedral City, as the local paper would put it. This unfortunately involved travelling by Stagecoach, and so, indirectly funding evil christian bigot Brian Souter's impending purchase of a peerage. but needs must, eh.

The walk initially follows the Old Doune Road, starting at the historically significant Tesco site.

At the top of the hill the path crosses a footbridge over the A9 dual carriageway. Yo will have travelled this way if you have driven from Glasgow or Edinburgh to Perth /Dundee/Inverness.

Murdoch's Ford. Once upon a time, as Simon Schama would say, the Scottish king was captured and held to ransom by the perfidious English. Murdoch, Duke of Albany was appointed Regent and began to enjoy all the privileges and appurtenances ( especially the appurtenances !) of the sovereign. The king would send messengers to ask when the ransom would be paid and Regent Murdoch would reply that he was waiting for a cheque to clear etc. This went on for 12 years, and when James was eventually released, he came hunting for Murdoch. Legend has it that he was arrested at this very spot, taken to Stirling and beheaded on the  Heading Stone on the Gowan Hill. His son was also executed despite his protestations that he had known nothing about it, and had never seen any e-mails relating to the governance of the realm.

Kilbryde Chapel. All that remains of a village and community of 700 people in the 19th century

So, where did they all go ?

Well some of them went here, obviously. But the rest .....

Did I mention that it had been a bit wet around here ?

A bit of nostalgia on the return route. This is the track bed of the old Dunblane to Crianlarich railway. For me, and many others this was the way into the Southern Highlands. Callander, Strathyre, Balquhidder Station ( sodding miles from Balquhidder village and the youth hostel !) and Lochearnhead. The line up Glenogle washed out in the '60s and was never reinstated although it now operates as a cycle track and is part of the Rob Roy Way

All good stuff

Broadcast media edition

Some good advice from Kilgore's young brother.



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BBC accused of shortism

A week is a long time...

..in wet socks, as someone once said. And who am I to disagree ?

As someone once sang.

Monday started not too badly.It's always a bit  soggy going round Cocksburn, but nothing outrageous. The trade route up Dumyat is mainly nice and dry apart from two soft bits. Wide diversions from the path and careful placement avoided the shoes topping over.

The way down to Menstrie was not boggy but slippy in places.



Wednesday was Pendreich Moor. Now I always knew that this was going to be wet, but the few dry sunny days had convinced me that it was unlikely to get any drier before June.I was looking for a wee piece of local history that I had deduced was up there.

It's a tricky little area to navigate with an awkward combination of bogs, fences, thick clumps of gorse and steep slippy gullies.

I squelched around, at times knee deep, for a couple of hours. Didn't find what I was looking for, but worked out a route for further investigation.

Friday. To Tullibody by bus. As I walked along Park Drive (?) I remembered that probably the last time I had been in this particular 1km square had been about 50 years previously when I had attended a four police car party. Sic transit...

My route lay along the top of the golf course with some unusual (for me) views of the Ochils and the Forth

The Red Well. I'm sure it has fantastic story to tell, but you'll have to Google it as I can't be arsed You can't expect me to do everything for you, You'll need to stand on your own feet someday..

And here too, there was mud.

A kissing-gate with a bit of wrought iron embelishment.Probably Victorian, so no tongues, then.

A "bracing" walk along the "sea wall" with views of the Forth and The Ochils. Again.

The cauld on the Devon at Cambus just before it flows into the Forth.

Iron Bridge . No longer in use and recently restored.


And today, Monday. A lovely day with a typically crap forecast for the rest of the week. I fancied a change of mud, so across the valley to Gargunnock.

Up the glen, through the quarry and up onto the escarpment.

The Carse and the start of the Highlands

And again it was really muddy, over the shoe stuff in many places.
Tarmac only for me until June, I think

Peasants dance in the streets of Tullibody

The rice harvest has been saved  - the rains have come.
Assuming that I was some kind of Rain God, people reached out to touch the hem of my garment as I strode through their quaint little village on my way to walk the Cambus circuit,
By the time I got on to the river side flood defence wall the sun had come out and a stiff "onshore" breeze was blowing. But both the Forth and the Devon were very much in "big water" mode.
Fine walk - about 5 miles- not much uphill- about two hours - kinda par for me at the moment,

PS. I am planning an omnibus post with pics and more detail about recent walks when I get , how you say, online, again.

PPS. The most worrying thing for me about the Lance Armstrong thing is that it might encourage some young drug users to think cycling is cool.

Elvis impersonators upset

.by rumours of a hosepipe ban as the horrific drought that has crippled Central Scotland entered it's fourth day.
Yer man here took the chance to squelch about on the moor above Pendreich looking for the final piece of a jigsaw. This is a knee deep bog, and I had hoped that it might be slightly drier than usual.
Weeeell - up to a point, Lord Copper. That point being the top of the calf.
Interesting (but stoopid!)