Dusting

On Wednesday I took myself off to see the delights of Sauchie, near Alloa. I am leading a Ramblers walk there next Wednesday and this was an opportunity to recce the route.

A worthwhile exercise it turned out to be, too. The car park where we planned to meet was rather busy and I had to find a Plan B if it's the same next week. Part of the walk is on a path alongside a burn and it was a real squelch-fest. Walking poles will be required and possibly gaiters might need to be worn if we are not to be ankle-deep in mud within the first two miles. That same path became impassible due to fallen trees and consequential damage further on and I had to double back and find an alternative route. Thankfully that was straightforward enough as was the rest of the walk. All set for next week I think.

It was an odd combination of weather: one moment bright sunshine and blue skies, the next moment totally grey, poor visibility and sleet being driven along on a brisk wind. There was a dusting of snow on the top of some of the Ochil Hills.

Unfortunately, the last part of exercise - finding a coffee shop for our post-Ramble social stop - was abandoned as there was a full blown sleet storm when I completed the walk and I had no desire to do anything else but get home, change out of my soaking, muddy gear and have a shower before having a relaxing coffee in front of the TV.

Sauchie has many charms* but coffee shops are not one of them.


*OK, maybe Sauchie doesn't have many charms, but it was the birthplace of my dad and his mother - my Gran - before him, so there is a family connection. Typically, of course, the house in which they lived is no longer there.