Inversnaid

Another day, another trip to an RSPB reserve. Inversnaid lies on the shores of Loch Lomond in a remote neck of Stirlingshire. The road from the small Perthshire town of Aberfoyle continues past Loch Ard - reckoned to be the starting point of the River Forth. We had been as far as this point before but I'd always wondered where you'd end up if you kept driving. The map revealed the answer as Inversnaid, around 15 miles in total from Aberfoyle. The famed West Highland Way passes through here and facilities include a bunkhouse and hotel, while ferries ply their trade during the summer months. Clearly a place visited by many walkers but things were eerily subdued today for obvious reasons.

RSPB Inversnaid is situated on the slopes above the loch and we marked out a circular trail to follow, which would include a short portion of the West Highland Way. The 30-mile Great Trossachs Path terminates at Inversnaid and this is another route to be added to the list, particularly as it's not far from home and could be broken into three or four manageable sections. Once past Loch Ard, the drive required intense concentration as the road had frequent dips and bends and could barely accommodate two vehicles abreast. Mind you, I'm an old hand at this game after after all these holidays in the Highlands and rural Ireland. That said, after reading the Inversnaid Hotel was now a popular coach destination, I was glad there would be an absence of bulky tour buses (and camper vans) today. Probably the most intimidating vehicles to encounter are local men in white vans as they have a tendency to simply batter on. Anyway, we approached Inversnaid without trouble and stopped to photograph Loch Arklet (pictured) along the way. We intended to stop at the small RSPB visitors centre - a glorified hut by the looks of the photo on the website. This was kaiboshed by the Forestry Commission who had closed the access road due to a landslip. We drove down the steep hill to the shores of Loch Lomond and into a large and almost-empty car park. The hotel was completely closed and we checked the map board to get our bearings. It soon became apparent the West Highland Way basically skirted the water's edge and the nature trail took a right-hand turn up the slope. A handful of walkers were out and about.

And thus we set foot on the world renowned West Highland Way. Technically I had been on the trail before as it starts in the Dunbartonshire town of Milngavie and I had passed the official marker outside the railway station. This was however the first instance of treading a true rural section. We passed a tent pitched close to the shoreline and you would struggle to find a more picturesque spot in the Trossachs. Unfortunately this part of Scotland has suffered badly at the hands of irresponsible "wild campers" who leave their mess behind and/or cause damage to the surrounding landscape. The suspicion that some of these people would loudly proclaim themselves "proud to be Scottish" only makes my blood boil more furiously. How can you live in such a beautiful country and roundly trash it? We reached the junction for the RSPB track and it wound steeply up the tree-covered hillside. Nicole's achilles tendon had been playing up and she decided the route was a little too uneven for her. She was happy to sit by the shore while I did the short circuit. The path led straight into thick bracken but the vegetation never fully closed around me as I made my way up the sharp gradient, pausing to regain puff on more than one occasion. The pinnacle of the loop was a clearing with a wooden bench and a fabulous view down the loch and across to the hills beyond the opposite bank. I had a seat and breathed in the vista. And then I heard it! "The clickety clack of a train on a track" as Neil Diamond once sang. A beautiful noise and music to my ears.

The railway runs along part of the western bonnie banks and the rhythmic pulse of steel wheels traversing old-style jointed track echoed all around. Moreover, a bridge carrying the rails over a loch outflow was clearly in my line of sight and all I had to do was wait. This scenario in the days of steam would have been a picture postcard moment. I had to settle for a three-carriage diesel unit but the spectacle of a train emerging in a distant valley is always a pleasure to behold. Pleasures are like poppies spread...it was soon time to head back down. A staircase with wooden risers had been carved into the hillside and I descended without difficulty to complete the loop at ground level. As the local amenities were all closed, we drove back to Aberfoyle for an ice cream and then took a drive up to the visitors centre at the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park. Unfortunately it hadn't yet reopened after lockdown and we continued up the switchback road, following signs for the Three Lochs forest drive. This 7-mile circuit incorporates Lochan Reoidhte, Loch Drunkie and Loch Achray. We failed to make it past the first car-park as the rest of the route was blocked by a barrier. Oh well, no other option than to go back down. We decided we'd seen enough for the day and set off homeward. A nice little jaunt to a remote location is always a worthy cause.