Over The Hill

It was quite a shock when I sat down to update the website with my latest report to find that it is just a couple of weeks short of a year since I last posted a report. Where has that year gone, what happened, why no reports. Well, the simple answer is, I have not been out on the "hills", that's why. I have been restricted to my local hills and tracks, keeping reasonably fit, but not fit enough to meet the challenge of the higher hills. So, time to put it right, or at least to start the process of getting out there once again. I had only visited Bracklinn Falls as a passing interest whilst in Callander to view the bridge and falls and then depart. And, so Trish's walk gave me the opportunity to survey the falls, forest and open hillsides beyond up to Arivurichardich on the lower slopes of the south east ridge of Stuc a'Chroin.

There was a light drizzle of rain as we gathered in the car park at the head of the track leading down to the falls, but by the time we had taken the short walk along a fine path down to the falls the drizzle had stopped and that was the last we saw of any rain for what turned out to be a fine weather walking day. Brilliant. The old, arched wooded bridge had long since been closed and demolished as it had become a rotten and dangerous structure, and has now been replaced by a very modern designed iron bridge spanning the gorge just below the main falls, which were quite impressive aided somewhat by the past few weeks of unusually wet weather. As befits such scenic spot of nature we duely stopped, enjoyed, and photographed the scence as can be witnessed by the photo in the gallery below.

On setting off again I was rather surprised that immediately you step off the bridge the path is entirely the opposite of that on the approach from the car park. Gone is the wide, evenly graded path as you step directly into the wooded sides of the gorge where underfoot it is a mixture of rock and tree roots, while the trees and bracken enclose you at shoulder height whereby you are constantly ducking and weaving to clear your way through bow and fern. The path climbs quite steeply, and at time, if you look closely, drops almost vertically at the waters below, the height every increasing as you climb up the edge of the gorge, until quite suddenly you step clear of the overgrown path and out into a fine forest track with clear skies and open country side all around. Easy walking lies ahead a you wander down the broad track the less impressive wooden bridge to recross the Keltie Water at the northernmost point of the gorge, beyond which the waters flow at a more sedate pace.

Across the bridge. we turned right onto the final stretch of the narrow tarmac road which runs through open farm and moorland to the farm at Braeleny where the tarmac is replaced by a fine graded track which winds it's way to the small, but rather pleasant reservoir at Arivurichardich where we crossed the dam to fine ourselves a suitable spot for a lunch break and to take in the views towards Stuc a'Chroin and the nearby grassier hilltop of Meall Odhar. After a leisurely lunch break, a short trudge through a few hundred metres of rough grass and reeds brought us to the small and well maintained, albeit, well secured, estate cottage, most probably new used as a stalkers and shooting lodge during the deer stalking season, and although we did not spot any deer today, I do remember seeing a huge herd of deer when we completed a 19km circular walk from Glen Artney via Glean an Dubh Choirein and the 603m bealach of Meall na h-Iolaire down to Arivurichardich and back into Glen Artney back in May 2012, stopping as we did at the same spot at the shooting lodge. Our return route was simple to walk down as short section of track to rejoin the hydro track just beyond the reservoir and then retrace our steps back via Braeleny and onto the narrow tarmac road which we followed as it wound its way back to the car park at Bracklinn Falls. A very enjoyable walk, and I hope this heralds my return to a more settled period of getting "back in the hills"

Thanks Trish for a fine walk, and to everyone for their fine company.