Mary Queen of Scots Way-Day3

Today, the route took me from Callander to Doune, near Stirling.

I covered about 12 miles along cycle tracks, forest tracks, quiet country lanes and a riverside path.The gradient was easy, almost flat.

As will be evident below, I encountered a wide ramge of sites amd sights.

This is the route along a defunct railway line.

Swans with cygnets at a farm

Lambs

Farmhouse

At 342m, this is by far the longest chambered cairn in Britain

This enigmatic and unexcavated site has only in the last decade or so been interpreted as a chambered burial cairn. The higher and wider S end is seen as a Clyde cairn to which a long "tail" of a cairn has been added. May date from 3300–2500 BC when this locale was a centre of local power.Located at Auchenlaich farm.

Colourful fungi
 

Landscape with hills in distance

 

Desolate landscape affected by logging

Lush roadside vegetation

Dog rose with pollinator


Diverse arboreal landscape

Woodland walk

Old Kilmadock Ancient Burial Ground.

River Teith

Doune Castle, well known as a filming location.

Old Stirling Bridge. Dates from 1400s or 1500s and no longer in use for traffic. Is used as a proxy for the Stirling Bridge (wooden) which existed at time of the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297 when a Scots force defeated a much larger English army.

Overall, a productive and satisfying day. Tomorrow, I continue east starting at Alva. 

More information for the tourist 

The Trossachs region together with many other aspects of Scotland is covered in the Visitors’ Guide to Scotland. ISBN is 978-1-9161332-0-4. Also available via Kindle.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Reconstructed Roman Villa

Image
This evening, I am reporting on my visit earlier today to a meticulously reconstructed Roman Villa in Somerset, England.   Funding for the project was provided by a South African billionaire. Specific features of the reconstruction project which is known as 'Villa Ventorum': Employed hundreds of architects, builders, archaelogists, mosaic makers, fresco painters and experts on ancient plumbing. The new build was built close to the remains of the original villa which dates from AD351. Incorporates the only working hypocaust system in Europe to create authentic Roman underfloor heating. Thne system also provides heating for the internal baths. Designed to appear to visitors as though still in use. Mosaics and frescoes have been made below the top standards of the time (e.g. Chedworth ) to reflect the social rank of the resident family. Incorporates a Roman 'fast food bar' allong the lines of that found in Pompeii . (Core of above information sourced from the Times newspap
Read more

Glen Quaich, one of Scotland's best backroads tour routes

Image
This afternoon, I am reporting the route of Glen Quaich in Central Scotland. This is a scenic, single track road which is usually closed to traffic in winter. The route covers about twelve miles and runs between the villages of Amulree and Kenmore on the northern tip of Loch Tay in Perthshire. Depending on time of year it is possible to encounter low lying snow, many sheep, grouse and other exceptional opportunities for photography. Incidentally, Quaich means a drinking cup. In a certain place the landscape is shaped like a bowl. Glen Quaich, Perthshire, Scotland Glen Quaich Black Grouse at Glen Quaich Here are a couple of video clips.
Read more

Fort Augustus, a popular visitor site on southern tip of Loch Ness

Image
Loch Ness from flight of locks at Fort Augustus, Scottish Highlands This evening, I am posting information on Fort Augustus, a busy tourist village on the southern tip of Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. Summary information on Fort Augustus as follows:- Population about 650 persons. Distance, about 160 miles from Edinburgh and 35 miles from Inverness entailing journey times of 3.5 hours and 1 hour respectively. Well endowed with hotels and other accommodation plus shops, restaurants and visitor attractions. From here visitors can avail of boat trips on Loch Ness. Home to an impressive flight of five locks on the Caledonian Canal. Latter dates from 1822 and is now primarily used by pleasure boats. Closely linked with the 18th century Jacobite uprising in that (a) the village was renamed Fort Augustus (after Prince William Augustus, third son of King George II) consequent upon construction of a British military (redcoat) fort in 1742 and (b) the same Prince
Read more