KYQ4: Great Trossachs Path

Blairgarry

The Great Trossachs Path is a 30-mile trail between Inversnaid on Loch Lomond and Callander that has been developed in recent years by a number of bodies including the Woodlands Trust and Forestry Commission. The section from Callander to Brig o' Turk runs along a newly constructed path above Loch Venachar just above the cottage where my in-laws lived for 38 years. It had been a regular haunt as we took childeren there at weekends, holidays and in later years visited regularly after we moved only thirteen miles away. At the weekend I would often run there through the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park over steep trails but the final 3 miles from Brig o' Turk was along the busy A821 road and, as traffic became heavier and faster and I became older and slower, I made fewer and fewer runs. I always longed for a decent trail on this final section. It has now been opened as part of the Great Trossachs Path.

Today we made our first foray along the trail starting from Kilmahog, passing above the cottage and finishing at Brig o' Turk where Gregor picked us up having completed his 17-mile Sunday morning training run from Callander to Strathyre and back. We started early and believing that we had plenty of time we climbed to Samson's Putting stone from where we could get a good view westwards along the length of Loch Venachar. The path was steep and muddy after a few days of torrential rain. The bracken was at full height and the rowan trees in full colour. We looked across at the Dunmore Iron Age Fort but decided against adding this to the walk after we encountered a large herd of cattle that were grazing on the trail and not for giving up ground.

Beyond here there is a gate into the lands now owned by the Woodland Trust that have been heavily planted in recent years with rowan, birch, oak, willow, scots pine and other native species. The path winds and undulates through the wild landscape, an abundant supply of blackberries provided flavour for the walk. We looked across the Loch to the sailing club, the Ripple Retreat Centre for Children with Cancer and the Menteith Hills, the skyline that was visible from Blairgarry's lounge. We continued to the Milton Burn, which had been the water supply for Blairgarry until the 1980s, and was harnessed for a micro-hydro-electric scheme 4 years ago.

I walked part of the way down the familiar oak woodland alongside the Milton Burn towards Blairgarry, a pipeline now crosses the burn above the cottage and runs down to the turbine house at the other side of the burn by the main road. We had discussed the scheme in a consultation with the developer and a community councillor and gained assurances that there would be community benefits. I was pleased to observe that there seemed to be no loss in the flow of the burn but there again it had been a wet weekend.

The path climbs quite steeply westwards from the Milton burn to a large water storage tankard then to the high point of the path at 240 metres. The Woodland Trust plantings have matured in this section and there is a fine stand of scots pine on the slopes of Stuc Odhar. This delightful hill is joined by a bealach to Ben Ledi and the two hills used to provide a fine horseshoe walk before the upper reaches of the Milton Burn were heavily planted with conifers in the 1980s.

We had agreed with Gregor that we would meet him at the Glen Finglas visitor centre in 2 hours. It was a 10-kilometre walk but the additional jaunt up to Samson's Stone meant a total 500 metres of ascent. We were ten minutes behind time as we began the final 150 metres of descent to the visitor centre. Gregor was on the ascent having completed his run in well under 2 hours and driven up from Callander. I reflected that whilst the new trail would have been useful for the final 3 miles of my run to Blairgarry that the 150 metres of ascent after the hilly 10 miles from Aberfoyle would have not have been the ideal answer to running along the A821. However, we all felt pleased with the morning's exercise and Gregor was doubly delighted to discover that he had earned another three crowns on Strava. He is regularly running 60 miles a week compared to the 30-40 miles a week that I managed during my peak running years.