Eriba Man

  This is night No.29/2021 living in the caravan. It's also our 4th and final night at the Clachan C&MC Site near Killin.  Woke around 0700 to another nice day. Not quite sunshine, but definitely an improvement and felt dry. It became cloudy occasionally, but it was another fine day weather wise. After an early morning blast on the adjacent hillside, after breakfast and getting things in order, we headed south to a walk I had looked at on Walk Highlands. It was a nice 6 miles circular route in a big forest in the Trossachs. It would be around a 20min drive from here to Balquhidder, the start of the walk. There was very limited parking at the old church (the start of the walk), so parked up at the village hall and, as requested, made a small donation through the letter box for help towards the maintenance of the carpark. I was the only car there. Balquhidder is a fine little village with a variety of old cottages, some a bit dilapidated, others fine places indeed. The new c...

  This is night No.28/2021 living in the caravan. It's our third night at the Clachan C&MC Site near Killin. Another day of fair weather, and at times got quite warm. Only felt one light, and very short shower so another day of fine walking weather. Slept well, and when I got up at around 0700 we went for a walk up the nearby hillside, following a track behind the adjacent holiday chalets. Then returned to the van for a shower and some breakfast before heading out around 0900 for the first walk of the day. Worth noting that all the walks from here involve a short drive as the road which runs past the site is just too dangerous to walk, it is a series of bends on a narrow road with no verges! Headed into Killin, then after the bridge over the falls, turned left and headed a short distance on the South Loch Tay road to walk up a route I had planned on the map in the forest above Auchmore. First mistake was that we headed along a more recent track (the wrong track) which doesn...

  This is night No.27/2021 living in the caravan. This is the second night at Clachan C&MC Site near Killin. The weather today was a huge improvement on yesterday. It was very wet and was continuous and heavy from around 1300 until about 2100. Today has been very different, it brightened up during the morning, turning very pleasant, and then became a bit showery around 1500. Definitely better. I can tell by the ground in the awning, yesterday it was puddling from beneath and today it is dry. Took the dogs for an early morning blast on the hill behind the site, which is accessed through a gate between the next door holiday chalets. After breakfast, headed the short drive into Killin to walk the Acharn Circular. I'd noted this walk on the OS App on my phone. It is a 4 mile route on forestry tracks and old railway lines. Parked up in a layby near the Falls of Dochart, an impressive set of rapids in the centre of Killin, crossed the road, and entered the forest. The first section w...

  This is night No.26/2021 living in the caravan. Now pitched at Clachan C&MC Site, near Killin. Clachan is a special C&MC Site. What sets it apart from the other sites in the area is that it doesn't have a toilet block, so folk staying here have to use their own facilities. It's a setup I really like! I have my own hot water setup for doing the dishes or having a shower, and I have a chemical toilet which I paid good money for, so, why not? The only struggle today has been the rain. It has been unrelenting, and has been a constant feature all day. July in Scotland? It is has been a constant battle between wet dogs, wet jackets, and wet towels! We arrived here around 1330 after a miserable trip across country with a 30min delay at roadworks in the centre of Blairgowrie, then tailing a lorry at 20mph all the way from Blair to Dunkeld. Probably added around an hour to the journey. Checked in at the nearby Maragowan site in Killin (Clachan is staffed be a volunteer), and h...