Rob Roy Way
Warning confined space!
Day 1 – Drymen to Callander
Saturday 1st of March 2025
Rob Roy Way Day 1. Starting at the bus stop at the centre of Drymen, which appears to have been dedicated to visually announcing the start of the route, I made my way northwards. I followed the course of a single-track road, dodging the odd car here and there. It’s a bit of a climb, you rise to about 200 meters, it’s a good walk to get the heart rate going, especially when the weather is grey and nippy as, of course it was on this particular day.
The landscape: Scots Pine and Sitka interspersed with moorland grass. As I followed the road it dropped down and I took a left into the monoculture woodlands. Following the Rob Roy Way signpost, I toed the tarmac path deeper into the woods. The weather verging on rain, that fine stuff that gets you piss wet through. I passed a number of structures, a ventilation shaft for the Victorian aqueduct and then something called the Corrie Aqueduct.
Spying a set of ladders against the aqueduct I saw they lead to a small iron gate which held signs: “No authorised entry…”. I concluded that anything with that kind of warning was clearly worth an explore. Boots on the rungs, I entered. Two 3 to 4 foot-high corridors ran parallel with openings every couple of meters. A void of darkness, dust and cobwebs. Perfect for the lungs. I snapped a quick photo and sat at the top of the ladders admiring the surrounding countryside.
Deathly, harrowing, haunting….screams
Moving on, I was grateful the path had now turned to something more my style, a 4×4 track, not entirely my style, but I much preferred it with it puddles and grass growing in the centre. The route took me further into the woods past more ventilation shafts and eventually I popped out at the Co-op in Aberfoyle.
A quick supply stop before continuing my venture. I dipped back into the cover of trees and immediately heard screams! Deathly, harrowing, haunting…. Children. I kid, I was making my way past the Go Ape centre which I must return to when I’m next in the area with my son. I continued on the path as it climbed, following it through the surprisingly active woodland. Later I passed some minor forestry work and then eye-balled some golfers practicing their swing before finally making contact with the ball.
Before long, day light fading, I was heading past a little lochan used for fishing. I explored the immediate area for a place for the night, but other than a spot at the other end of the lochan, there was nowhere. The wind started to kick up too and I abandoned the idea of camping in a potentially exposed area. I ventured down towards Loch Venachar, veered off the official route and made my way down a sparsely trodden path that led down the shoreline.
Anxiety kicked in as the remaining light dimmed, a spot for camp still to be found. Tarmac met underfoot once again, a sure sign I was pushing my luck on acquiring a decent place to pitch. I explored every nook and cranny in the hope of finding “the” spot. Finally, I spotted a good-looking stand tucked up off the road. Climbing the small knoll, I’d finally found a place to pitch. Out of the way with running water but still within earshot of the lesser used road below.
I’d pitched just at the end of twilight and soon got to work on boiling some water for my noodles. I usually make and dehydrate my own meals, but I left my prep until the last minute for this trip, which left me with only enough time to prepare a couple of meals. I planned to eat those on the days where shops were less frequent. Noodles from the Co-op visit earlier went down a treat.
I wasn’t all that hungry as I’d eaten quite a bit on the move throughout the day. I attended to my admin while taking in the mesmerising clear winter sky, absolutely teaming with countless stars and eventually tucked myself into my sleeping bag and didn’t wake up for a good 9 hours!
