A Scottish Story – Day 14, Into the wilds

Distance: 26km

The farmer won out in the end.  It was not a comfortable bed last night, and I tossed and turned for the majority of it.  I did hear, what I thought was a tractor, this morning…but nobody came running to yell at me and / or get me up and out of bed.  It must have been ok after all.

Partly due to the lack of sleep, I’m feeling rather lethargic this morning.  I slowly make my way, on easy trail though boggy at times, into the town of Comrie.

 I haven’t said a lot about it yet, but I could stand around and gawp at all the little houses in these Scottish towns for an age.  The building materials, the colourful front doors, the carefully selected names, the well tended flower pots, the little ornamentals dotted around the gardens, the fine detail in all the housing embellishments.  I love them.

I decide to go into town properly and have a bite to eat.  See if I can’t jolt myself out of this lethargy. It works to a degree, but what works even better is actively trying to adjust my mindset after lunch.

It helps to get started in a lovely woodland.  It is so verdant green, cool and filled with bird song compared to the open plains of yesterday.  It’s been a very hot day – so to sit in the shade and watch a “wee cascade” is wonderful.

Onwards and there are clear signs that I’m going to be climbing again very soon.  The mountains are closing ranks, standing guard around a swiftly running little creek. Before getting started I sit in the cool creekbed, soaking my feet.  I fill up my water bottles from a tiny, raging waterfall. I’m intending to sleep up in the mountains tonight.

Tentatively, ever so slowly as I climb, the mountains open up.  Ben Chonzie, the highest peak is off to the right, but a huge valley is revealed to the left.  That’s my way.  I try and soak in this feeling of absolute grandeur.  The sun beaming, light, cool breeze, a string of sublime mountains, and a crystal clear creek jumping joyously over the rocks.  It’s a sight alright.

I try to find camp and it’s harder than I expect.  The first spot I try is way too damp.  The second, way too hummocky.  The third, too sloped.  The fourth, a combination.  It looks like it would be easy, but no! Eventually, I do find a suitable little spot, just prior to a mountain pass I will need to go over tomorrow.

I set up and lie back in the sun.  For the first time, it really does feel like wild camping.  My view couldn’t be any more spectacular.  I haven’t seen anybody in hours.  

The sun disappears early behind a mountain, and with that, I can’t think of anything I would rather do more than crawl into my lovely campsite bed, snuggle into my sleeping bag and read my book.  I’m sure I’ll be serenaded by the frogs tonight.

This articles was originally published on The Trek which can be found here