Landscape Drymen England

This season I completed a solo 200-mile charity walk from Easter Ross to Drymen via the Caledonia means and West Highland Method. The weather the eight and a half days of the walk had been glorious, which allowed me to draw, write and take into account the ever changing landscape that has been unfolding before myself as I slightly more than meandered my way south. But one thought particularly kept continual: performed an East Highland course occur from Inverness to Drymen? Because if it did, this route would enable an intrepid walker to circumnavigate the Highlands of Scotland from Inverness to Drymen and rear.

I had not been aware of such a path, but that failed to mean that one was not in existence. I happened to be dealt with to learn on my return home, and, if one couldn't occur, I would personally stroll the route and map it for others to check out.

Therefore it had been this 1 morning inside late summer of 2011 i came across myself alighting a train at Inverness station, rucksack packed, in pursuit of a trail that in a few form or any other must-have existed centuries ago for drovers and armies to adhere to. My in the offing route would encompass little parts of popular tracks like the Speyside Way plus the Rob Roy Way. But generally speaking it could follow tracks and community footpaths, with several so unused there had been simply rusted and battered direction indications limply pointing the resolute hiker with what was a random path through glen or higher moor and hill. The finalised trail, which can be seen entirely at ended up being completed in two parts: the north part running from Inverness to Blair Atholl through the Cairngorms; additionally the southern part from Blair Atholl to Drymen via Aberfeldy, Comrie and Callander.

The beginning of the northern part of the East Highland Trail (EHT) away from Inverness uses the path of 1 of General Wade’s armed forces roadways. These roads were built in many years after the 1715 Jacobite uprising allow English troops quicker and simpler access to the highlands if trouble distilled once more. The paradox needless to say, usually these roadways also permitted without headaches access into England, which Bonny Prince Charley and his military took complete benefit of in 1745 uprising. These roads were ‘state regarding the art’ into the eighteenth century, but to the twenty-first century eyes and legs – and probably also to a Roman legionnaire – these were crude, cobbled matters built from locally discovered stones.

The road is tarmacked at first but shortly can become a harsh track that climbs large above Inverness, providing you with spectacular views associated with Moray Firth as well as the Kessock Bridge.

But the true pleasure is picking the succulent wild Scottish raspberries that fill the hedgerows on either side of the track throughout the months of July and August. Not just is this a foraging pleasure however it nicely slows your pace on that very first rise of this day, letting your legs as well as your lung area relieve in to the lengthy day’s walking.

So, including using any semi-domesticated feast on course south, for me personally, it's worth spending a while during those early mornings when the body is in need of becoming eased into action, to talk to the splendidly breathtaking fauna and flora that you might experience. Naturally, virtually any period of the day is acceptable too!