A walk in the shadow of the Arrochar Alps, partly on the old military road running through Glen Croe, between 'Rest and be thankful' and Arrochar. Along the way we see critters: a lizard or newt, sheep and cattle, all doing their best to survive in this harsh yet exceedingly beautiful landscape.
This 7 or 8 miles walk passes between some of Scotland's most rugged and impressive mountains - be prepared to have your breath taken!
From 'Rest and be thankful', sitting between Beinn an Lochain and Beinn Luibnean, we head on to the old military road that runs below the A83, a road often blocked and made impassable by landslips. Perhaps one day they will build that tunnel or series of tunnels and put an end to an unacceptable series of road closures that saw traffic diverted many tens of miles and communities put at considerable disadvantage.
Close to temporary walls or defences constructed to keep falling mud and rock at bay, we chance upon a lizard, or maybe a newt, a creature we don't get to see too often these days, while up on the lower slopes of Ben Donich a sheepdog is doing its best to round up three ovine escapees.
Under the rocky shards of The Cobbler, there's a short yet dangerous walk on the narrow grass verge of the A83 before picking up a steep forest track by a car-park, and we stop for lunch with views way down into the glen.
At the head of Loch Long, on the edge of Arrochar, we ponder the huge volume of plastic waste that has gathered on the loch shores, and realise that this, and the microplastics they create, now pose a major threat to every living thing on Planet Earth, even that wee lizard, or newt, and that mankind is now fighting for its very survival.
A stunning little walk with a sting in the tale.
1 окт 2024
