Lochan nan Nighean

One of my motivations for starting to learn Gaelic was to understand place names better.  I was intrigued when I spotted Lochan nan Nighean on a map of the nearby Allean Forest  - that means Loch of the Girls, there must be a story behind that and sure enough there was. 

I decided that we would have to go and visit, even though it looked a bit off the beaten track. Today we did so and it was (off the beaten track) - getting there involved skirting round the bottom of crags, walking bent over between trees,, traipsing over bracken and heather and making our way through marshy bits and climbing a fence or two. The way back was less adventurous as we followed the forestry tracks. 

In addition to the Lochan we also passed a ruined clachan, a stone circle and a Pictish Fort.  A grand day out.