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Loch Venachar Circuit

Saturday 9th September 2023

20kms

6hrs 30mins

Brig O’Turk offers a number of options for some fine walks, from low level forest and woodland, to more strenuous hills and mountains. Today, it was the low level circuit of Loch Venachar that would provide us with a pleasant, if not somewhat lengthy walk circumnavigating the lochside. The very hot weather of the previous days was a little cooler today, and a thickening of the cloud kept the direct sun a bay.

A lochside walk it may be, but to gain the high point on the Great Trochachs Path requires an initial short, but steep climb out of the car park at the Glen Finglas/Lendrick Visitors Centre up through the trees on a twisting track before the views over Loch Venachar begin to appear. The previously mentioned low cloud restricted any distant views and certainly covered the higher tops. Once over the high point the track gently undulates as it contours the hillside above the loch, gradually descending towards the main A84 road at Kilmahog.

We, however, would leave the path a few kilometres before the road, just below the pre-historic hill fort on the rising hump that is Dunmore, and cross the bridge over the Eas Gobhain, the out flow from Loch Venachar to join the minor road and cycle track on the southern shore of Loch Venachar. Rejoining the shores of the loch, we soon found ourselves a pleasant spot on the shoreline to take a restful break and watch some hardy souls paddle boarding and swimming in the fairly calm waters of the loch.

Leaving the minor road behind, a fine track then leads you along the forested shoreline directly to the western end of the loch at Achray Farm, where we had to forgo the anticipated home made ice cream as the queue from day-trippers parked up at the farm was long. So it was plan B, and we strolled on over the quaint Brig O’Michael and onto the Brig O’Turk Tearoom, where coffee and apple cake were the orders of the day. As we left the tearoom, we walked a few hundred metres up the reservoir road to visit the Bicycle Tree, a tree with a fascinating story, which if you click on the link on the photo in the gallery below will take you to an article published by The Scotsman newspaper on the origins of the tree. Sustained by our coffee and cake we then made the short stroll back to the Lendrick Visitor Centre.

A very enjoyable day, in fine company – Thanks Bernadette.

Loch Venachar Circuit - Photo Gallery

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