February 20-21, 2022

We were driving south from Thurso, Scotland back down to Birmingham, England so we decided to go for a couple short hikes along the way. There is a great app called AllTrails that is fantastic for checking out hikes so we used that to figure out the best routes.

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, Scotland

Conic Hill from Balmaha Circular is a 5.1km loop to the top of a 1,184ft hill on the east bank of Loch Lomond, by the town of Balmaha in Scotland. When we pulled into the parking lot it was late afternoon and the sky was dark and stormy. There were strong gusts of wind and a chilly rain was falling. However, we had been in the car for several hours and were ready to stretch our legs and do some exploring so we headed up the trail and into the woods. There was a bouncy green moss that covered the floor of the woods and crept up the trunks of the trees that gave the area a fairytale-like atmosphere. Narrow streams of fresh, cool rainwater ran down from the hill and through the ferns and moss. The trail led through the woods and up the side of the steep hill. There was a gate where the woods ended and the trail continued into a more barren low grass that then extended up to the top of the hill. As we continued to climb up the path the wind intensified, hail began to pelt us in our faces, and the path became more exposed. Without proper rain gear, our coats were quickly getting soaked through and Sydney was struggling to continue. We put her in the backpack with a towel to keep her warm but decided we should turn around. The view, even at this point, and with the cold, rainy weather was beautiful so we paused to enjoy the colorful rainbow stretching just over the hill next to us and then headed back down to the car.

Lake District National Park, England

We had heard that the Lake District National Park was quite nice so I took a look at AllTrails and we decided on the Catbells via Allerdale Ramble which is a 5.8km loop to the top of a 1,480 foot high fell summit. Parking is limited at the base so many hikers would park along the road 1-2km away. However, we were fortunate and snagged a perfect spot right at the trailhead. It was a windy day but with beautiful cloudy blue skies and we started our hike in the late afternoon. The trail is mostly gravel and stone with low grasses carpeting the hillsides. In the valley on our left was a fresh, cold, mountain lake and on the right was a green valley with small farms and hilly mountains in all directions. Some parts of the hike are more of a rocky scramble but Sydney loved it and only needed help in a few particularly steep areas. Other than that, she was sprinting up and down the mountain even though the winds were strong enough to shove you off balance towards the top. The 360 degree views were simply spectacular and we greatly enjoyed the hike.

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