Added springtime serendipity around Stirling and the Trossachs: From Forthside to lochside
Published on 14th January 2025 Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutesTo complete, the Stirling series of trip reports, I am leaping forward to April 2024 to relate the rest of the excursion to Stirling that closed out my rambling around Ben Ledi. That portion of the trip has been described already as part of the collection of hikes around Callander’s main local hill. That was not the only highlight offered by a few days of sunshine that contrasted with previous dull weather stints in the area.
Footsteps Around the Forth
Stirling is not always a dull weather spot for me, though. While my first encounter with the place in 2002 might have gone like that, others have not been so. Typically, they have been weekend affairs, with a Saturday arrival and a Sunday departure. There are a few that stand out in my memory. One from November 2023 is among these with its incursion into the Ochil Hills on a gravel track shod with lighter footwear, not my usual way of working. That too has been described elsewhere as one of a collection of hikes around the said hills. There has been some slicing of hill walking trips to the area, of which this is another example.
Returning to Stirling walks, one from February 2016 remains lodged in my mind, coming as it did in a period of great change for me. The Sunday of that weekend came as a crisp, chilly, sunny day that I could not waste. Going inside to see what is in Stirling Castle or the Wallace Monument did not feel right to me, so I stayed out of both of them. When there is a significant fee, there often is a commitment that I am not willing to make.
My traipsing then took me around Gowanhill, the caste perimeter and Old Stirling before I wandered in the direction of Cambuskenneth Abbey, or what remains of it, which sadly is not that much. Then, I pottered around the Wallace Monument before circling around to Old Stirling Bridge. All this occupied enough of the day beside part of the River Forth that I had no inclination to approach the Ochil Hills, which I was then viewing from further afield.
Stirling’s Castle has its photographic attractiveness, and that brings me to May 2019 when I arrived in the city to make use of some evening lighting. Otherwise, it was a case of retracing old steps before returning south after the last of a string of Scottish incursions, mainly centred on Edinburgh and starting around Easter of the year. For later visits, the motivation was photographic, while the Easter escapade featured much walking and slaying of old wounding memories from my time living in the city for educational advancement.
The first evening of my stay in April 2024 drew on those previous visits to Stirling. Wandering by the River Forth took me by the Cambuskenneth Abbey ruin. After a photographic vigil, I set on for the Wallace Monument while more photographic exertions resulted before I started to explore the trails around Abbey Craig. Since the monument was shut for the day, there were few about to intrude on any solitary ambling. There was much to savour in this compact area before I again struck on for Old Stirling Bridge and followed the River Forth as far as Forth Valley College before turning towards the castle while the day wore on towards sunset. The light was faded, so photography was near halted, or at least the results got regarded as mere record shots. Going around by King’s Knot, I made my way towards the lodgings for my stay, noting in the west where I was headed the following morning.
Lochside Rambling from Callander to Aberfoyle
It is often that an outing inspires a follow-up excursion. It was during the hike around Ben Ledi that I spotted an information board mentioning the prospect of circumnavigating Loch Vennacher among other possibilities. Naturally, that popped an idea into my head. With the Ochil Hills being closed off by an incursion in November 2023, that left a day free to make use of the idea. It all was in the spirit of serendipity, and that was set to affect the execution as well.
Thus, I returned to Callander after the gifts of the previous day. Hovering over the day was a throwback to the English August Bank Holiday weekend in 2007 when I ventured north to Scotland to hike part of the Rob Roy Way from Drymen to Callander with a stopover in Aberfoyle. A tumble in a train station rather cast a shadow over the proceedings because of my having hurt my ribs at the time. That made the use of a rucksack more challenging, especially since I was carrying quite a load for the weekend. Nevertheless, I managed to follow through on my plans with an overcast arrival in Callander after a sun blessed start in Aberfoyle. Even so, there were many thoughts about coming back to the area that were lost to me until I revisited that old trip report, even giving a little re-editing for clarity.
Thus, when I followed the A81 across the River Teith after a circuitous deviation caused by my stocking up on refreshments, I probably was reversing a route taken nearly seventeen years before, albeit in continuous bright spring sunshine. It was as if I were using an idea parked in my writings for years before. Once off that A road, which can be busy, I was on quieter tarmac. Since this also is part of National Cycle Network route 7, I also had cyclists for company, even leap frogging a duo until they got going and left me after them. Heavier traffic like timber lorries can go this way, so care is needed, and there was one that passed me at one point. Mostly, though, I was in quiet surroundings.
Patient trotting conveyed me to the shore of Loch Vennachar, which I had viewed from around Ben Ledi the day before. Some wild swimmers were in the water, and I left them to their pursuit, surveying what lay north of me. Naturally, one of the hummocks was Ben Ledi and its neighbouring hills. One of these, Stuc Odhar, even appeared its equal in a distance of some kilometres; in reality, the summit heights differ by over two hundred metres. Nevertheless, these were to detain my attention for much of the way.
All the while, there were constant reminders that Aberfoyle is not that far away; Scottish Rights of Way Society signage offered evidence of that, tempting me to reprise the former route from August 2007, albeit in reverse. Even so, I stuck with the cycling route because that hugged the loch shore. After an awkward meeting with others near the Sailing Club premises around East Lodge, I continued past West Dullater with a brief stop at the Invertrossachs Scout Activity Centre, where I was reminded of days spent at the Firbush Field Centre during my university days in Edinburgh.
Around Invertrossachs, I left the roadway for a narrower track that still acted as a cycle path, forming part of NCN 7. It amazed me that the trail was in use by bicycle tourers, given the lack of width. Thankfully, it was quiet and a pleasure to stroll, with only one cyclist passing the way. While the bucolic woodland may have limited views, they had been somewhat unchanging anyway.
That had altered by the time that forest cover began to thin to allow views of the western extent of Loch Venachar, which was petering out, unlike its eastern end, which is dammed. All this may have started below the dam of Loch Drunkie, which I would meet later; at that stage, it was hidden among the trees around a kilometre away to my left. My surroundings began to feel more peopled as I approached the track junction where there was a sign for Aberfoyle, one of several that I had passed that day.
A desire for ice cream lured me onto the route of the Three Lochs Drive to find the way to Brig o’ Turk. If I had stuck with my initial plan, the Great Trossachs Path would be carrying me back to Callander. Instead, I had decided to make for Aberfoyle, conscious that its last bus to Stirling was earlier in the day than that from Callander. Nevertheless, I continued to Brig o’ Turk on what became a fool’s errand, for there is nary a service station in the place. However, I did get to spot the way to Glen Finglas, somewhere that tickles my fancy for another time.
On the way back from Brig o’ Turk, I took a chance and went as far as Loch Achray before circling back to the junction where I left the NCN 7. Time was on my mind at this point because the twists and turns of the trail to Aberfoyle made for difficult ready reckoning of progress. Even with the noticeable strength of the sun and the heat of the afternoon, I pressed on uphill.
In time, I would meet with Loch Drunkie and stop for photographic exertions on a periodic basis. The Forest Drive was being well-used by then, not necessarily the most relaxing situation for a passing hiker, though it was to have a compensation later. Many were stopped by the loch, which hardly was a surprise in the circumstances. Once past this sprawling watery landmark, the heat experienced on broad forestry tracks was punctuated by a random act of kindness: a Tunnock’s Tea Cake was offered through a car window, and it would have been rude to refuse it. Profuse gratitude after acceptance could be the only response.
Near an unseen Lochan Reòidhte, the Forest Drive route was left behind me as the trail entered shadier surroundings, another blessed relief from the weather. While warm sunshine is great and is sought, there can be a cost for a journeying rambler; using sunscreen is a must (especially for fair skinned types like me), as is keeping hydrated. A descent laden with progress lay ahead of me, yet my thoughts turned to anyone coming the other way on this steep track. It was becoming clear that my timing worries were for nought; there was plenty of time in the end.
Once the gradients slackened, aching limbs needed coaxing to continue the rest of the way. Thankfully, the end was in sight by then, and refreshment supplies were augmented ahead of a replenishment break before the bus appeared. That left me about an hour in Aberfoyle, a very quiet place, while I was there. Protesting knees got some respite as information boards were surveyed. Not without reason has Aberfoyle been highlighted as a centre for mountain biking, with all the tracks and trails that thread the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park. The moniker “Gravelfoyle” has been invented to reflect this, for there is much here, though some steep slopes can be expected. To one weary wanderer, all that felt far away, so the arrival of the last bus to Stirling was a welcome sight.
Looking through photos now, I realise that I pottered around Stirling again before retiring for the night. There should have been continuing fatigue after the day’s exertions, yet the sunny evening drew me outside again, though not for an extensive stroll like the first evening in the city. The next morning, sunny surroundings may have attempted to hold on to me only for life’s responsibilities to ensure that I returned south again. Nonetheless, there remained an air of satisfaction as I did so. Scottish sunshine had done its magic and its landscapes gleamed as a result.
Prospects and Reflections
Though I might be less inclined to focus my attention on Aberfoyle, I am left with some ideas for possible future visits to these parts. Hiking the northern side of Loch Venachar is one option with a few added extensions. Glen Finglas is the first of these that could be part of a larger circuit around Ben Ledi. After that, there is Loch Katrine, which lay some kilometres west of where I found myself, and time was against my reaching its shores. A lengthy out and back trot from Callander would fit in that one during longer daylight hours. Sometimes, adding to one’s ideas collection can prompt a fear that one will remain ever distracted by them and unable to attend to the essential matters of life. Even so, it is even worse not to have any at all.
Please be aware that comment moderation is enabled and may delay the appearance of your contribution.