Showing posts with label Drymen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Drymen. Show all posts

Monday 7 June 2021

All Change.

          For months because of covid19, Glasgow has been in lockdown, level 3, which meant that we were not allowed to travel outside the city. These restrictions were lowered to level two this weekend, meaning we could now travel outside our city. Stasia had some business to do in Drymen, one of the routes of my cycling outings. So I went with her, but by car this time. It hadn't changed much, still the quiet little village, a few shops a couple of tearooms and a grassy square with a couple of pubs/hotels. However, a two tearooms had gone and there seem to be quite a few very large and expensive looking cars dotted around the square. We had lunch in the garden of the Winnock Hotel on the square, very nice indeed.
       A part from cycling that area many times, it was one of our walking routes in the days before my cycling era. So we decided to go on and visit Balmaha, four miles further on, and Rowardennan, the end of the road there. Back then Balmaha was a quiet little place on the shore of Loch Lomond, a tearoom, a hotel, a small pier and a few boats bobbing about. We could sit on the shore where mallard ducks usually came by to see what you had to offer. So quiet the tearoom eventually closed. Rowardennan was about 5-6 miles further on, a dead end place with a small hotel that always seem to be closed when you wanted something to eat, and a youth hostel. It was the common starting point for climbing Ben Lomond, which was our only reason for going to Rowardennan.
         As we arrived at Balmaha I went into a state of shock, the place was packed with people, two car parks were full, and cars were parked in odd places along the road. You couldn't see the shore for people, the quiet hotel was festooned with sun umbrellas, all full with people eating. Balmaha is on the famous walk, "the West Highland Way" and there was a steady stream of walkers in groups of 2, 3 and 6's making their way along the route. We didn't stop and decide just to go on to quiet Rowardennan.
      It is still a beautiful route as it twists and turns through a lot of untouched forest, dotted with the odd cottage and farm. We stopped at one point just to listen to the birds, amazing. However, the route has changed, every so often there is an entrance and caravan park, some with lodges, camper vans and "glamping", all busy. This meant the the quiet twisting road was very busy with cars. On reaching Rowardennan, again, shock. The dark old quiet hotel was now a large white building with lots of facilities, a car park which you have to pay to stop there. We pulled into the car park and watched about 25 or more walkers in a long straggling line make there way into the hotel. Of course we didn't pay at the car park, we just turned round and head back home. I'm still in shock at the change and massive commercialisation of that wild and beautiful part of our land that I once walked for solitude and to escape from the buzz of city life. I suppose, one of the outcomes of living so long.

A few photos on route:



The blueish haze are bluebells, a beautiful little woodland flower.

Visit ann arky's home at https://radicalglasgow.me.uk  

Monday 19 June 2017

Roads Festooned With Colour.

       Sunday was another warm but very humid day with a light wind, obviously my thoughts turned to those winding roads around my patch. This time my dream machine took me to Drymen, (Billy Connolly stayed there for a spell.) I had thought of going on a few more miles to Balmaha, but a late start and having to get home early as I was being treated to a father's day dinner at my daughter's family home, that idea was shelved.
      The weather certainly brought out the Lycra brigade, the roads were festoon with brightly coloured bikes and people, all seemed to be pushing hard, obviously trying to improve their times. Not like me, just delighted to be able to cover some miles, I've done all that trying to beat the clock.
      Tuesday is forecast to be a scorcher, so perhaps that visit to Balmaha might happen then.
Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk

Wednesday 8 June 2016

Great Run, Pity About The Roads.

        Well it seems that this glorious spell of wonderful weather is about to fizzle out in a few days time, we will be back to what we know best, a bit on the cold side, windy and wet. However it was great while it lasted, who knows, perhaps it will come back again, SOON.
Ward Toll, a cross roads and a garden centre. 
       I took the bike along another road that I haven't been for a few years, up past Ward Toll, turn right and head down to Buchlyvie, turn right along the road from Stirling, then soup and coffee at Ballot Toll. For some reason I can't find the name "Ballot Toll" on the google map.
Buchlyvie, needs to see to its roads.
      The decision to take the B road to Buchlyvie was a big mistake, for about 1-1.5 miles, the road surface is atrocious, difficult to describe it other than there must be a law against call a piece of ground like that "A Road". you then get a couple of miles of fairly decent surface, then it gets worse than the first bit. The section after you go over the wee hump bridge and start to climb up to the main road, defies description. I thought as I turned onto the main road from Stirling that it would be a good surface, it is not, for the first mile or so, it is a nightmare, it does eventually turn into what could be called "A Road". I would recommend that anybody with a decent road bike should not go anywhere near the Ward Toll to Buchlyvie road.
Ballot Toll, one of my favourite watering holes when out on the bike.
      From Ballot Toll,  I went on to Drymen, then on through Croftamie and on to Glengoyn, famed for its single malt whisky.
Ptarmigan Pub Drymen.

Glengoyn Distillery.
       Despite the miles of excuses for roads, it was a wonderful day out.
Another view from Drymen Square.
Visit ann arky's home at www.radicalglasgow.me.uk