My day off started early so after breakfast I threw my rucksack and boots in the back of the car and drove down to my Dad's house to check out the new guitar he'd treated himself to. By the time i'd had a shot of the guitar and we'd finished messing about organising our fly collections in anticipation of the coming Brown Trout season it was nearly two o'clock. A big hill was clearly out of the question. Once I was back on the road I couldn't think of where to go but before I knew where I was going I was on the Stockiemuir road and fast approaching the Queen's view carpark. The majority of the ascent is achieved in the first couple of minutes after leaving the carpark so I was soon looking down on Stockiemuir and across to Glengoyne distillery and Dumgoyne hill above it.
Alfie (the wee ginger dog) and I took a short stop at the summit of Auchineden hill to take in a drink and the view before getting back on our way down to the Whangie. As always when I don't have human company to worry about, I got a bit carried away taking enjoying the view so Alfie had to encourage me to get moving with a couple of well placed whimpers!
I first took this walk as a very wee boy with my Grandpa who gave me my love of hills and mud in the first place.I love the fact that no matter how many times i've been back there and every one of the other places I walked when I was wee, it never ever gets boring. No matter how familar the path becomes there's always a wee surprise just around the corner.
Since my Grandpa died a few years ago, i've revisited all the short walks we went on and although i'm not religiously or supernaturally minded in the slightest, I always feel a very warm and welcome presence walking through the Whangie itself, especially in the clearing in the rock which looks out over Loch Lomond where I vividly remember sitting with him getting stuck into the pieces and soup my Gran had sent us out with!
As I stopped at the other end of the Whangie to take a few parting shots I suddenly realised the lovely crisp Winter afternoon was about to turn into a rather wet and windy one if the wet look over Loch Lomond was anything to go by. Time to put the camera away and get back to the car...
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