The first part of this walk is by far the prettiest but the second part stretches the legs and offers variety. You set off on a very lovely path along the River Leny. After the river walk and the railway track there’s a long gentle climb up to the Falls. Thereafter there’s a lovely woodland walk back down into Callander. The Longer route takes you across the meadows to Kilmahog and then climbs a little befoe returning through Coilihan Woods. The walk is as flat as you’ll get in the countryside – but oh so beautiful and with wonderful views. The Tourist Centre will have maps with walks around Callander which match the coloured posts en route.

Park in Callander. As this is a circular walk it doesn’t matter where on the route you park, but there is a charge in each of the two main car parks (down by the River Leny and behind the Dreadnought Hotel). Outwith the height of the tourist season here is ample free parking in Callander: round Callander Kirk, along the Main Street out towards the Roman Camp Hotel, and up and along the disused railway line, for example at Glenartney Road. You could also start at Kilmahog. Just check that wherever you park there there isn’t a time limit.

To get there take your favourite route to Aberfoyle (generally the A81 which you pick up either at Maryhill Road or Canniesburn Toll). The A81 takes you through the east end of Milngavie (past what was the East Dunbartonshire Council Buildings and is about to be a Hotel); round the roundabout at Homebase, etc (sign-posted to Strathblane); past the waterworks; on to Strathblane, Dumgoyne, Gartmore House to the roundabout outside Aberfoyle where you turn right to Callander, still on the A81. Drive past Braeval and the cottages at Lake of Menteith turning sharp left with the A81 and following the signposts to Callander. At the mini-roundabout, just past the McLaren High School and Leisure Centre, turn right to go up the hill into Callander, and right or left at the traffic lights depending on where you’re parking.

The Walk

Since the first part of the walk is the prettiest, you may like to begin the walk by continuing along the Main Street and past the junction for the road up to the Bracklinn Falls on the left and the Roman Camp Hotel on the right. A sign post directs you down a narrow path (blue dots on the map) which soon opens out, undulates along a low ridge between the town houses and the river and then makes down to the river. The stretch along the river is lovely. Pass an information board and platform for fishermen, and continue to where the path is forced inland (just over a planked deep stream) up a set of steps, across a field and on to the main road at a bus stop. There are pedestrian traffic lights to allow you to continue across the road and up a track on to the old railway line. At the junction with the railway line, turn right (white markers on the map).

The next part is very easy walking and very beautiful. Continue with the track past Auchenlaich House (ignore both the path parked ‘Private on the left and the Keltie Bridge Caravan Par on your right) and begin to climb gently but steadily. There are glorious views of Callander and Ben Ledi beyond. At the junction (with a notice saying Bracklinn FC to the left) turn right. This soon emerges on the main Bracklinn Falls path (purple dots on the map). However, it is particularly beautiful to go straight on here (instead of turning right to the Falls) on a new path created when the bridge was replaced. This is very short but brings you along the river upstream from the bridge.

After visiting the Falls get back on to the main path (purple dots) either by re-tracing your steps back the way you came down (gentler) or stepping between two boulders on your left and going straight up some steps (steeper). Continue along to the Bracklinn Falls car park. There have been forest operations along the route which, while untidy, have opened up the views. At the country road going up to Braeleny (through a huge gate), turn left downhill. (White dots on a yellow road.) At the blue Parking sign, turn right and at the gate take the lower red-and-brown dotted route through the forest. At a viewpoint with a bench, a post with a red marker goes up hill, but you go left downhill. There are some very slippery boards here! Avoid! This path comes down to Tulipan Crescent.

The Short Cut

If the weather has been dry for a couple of weeks you could turn right, cross the road, go down to the old railway but turn left around the car park (orange dots on the map). Alternatively, turn left in Tulipan Crescent to pick up the railway going in the opposite direction (red dots) and wiggle your way either along Ancaster Road (red dots) or the old railway (blue dots). (To follow the Ancaster Road route, from Tulipan Crescent follow the old railway track through to the car park and from the far, top corner of the car park go up some steps and across the bridge into Ancaster Road, and turn right.) Either way, you reach the Main Street easily.

The Longer Route

For a longer walk, cross the main road (A84) from Tulipan Crescenet and go straight over to the railway line turning right towards the signal. Follow the railway line towards Kilmahog. (Notice the very clear outline of a Roman camp on the right in the meadows as you near Kilmahog.)

At Kilmahog, cross the country road (A821) and take the off-road-path running parallel to the road on the left. Follow this to another car park on the right but go straight on to pick up the Woodlands’ Trust path contouring round the hillside parallel with the road on the left and under Samson’s Stone on the right. This comes down to the A821 opposite the Invertrossachs Road. Cross the A821 and go down the road towards the bridge. Cross the bridge and turn left. Follow the road to a car-park on the left. The main path (green dots) goes up directly in front of you. However, it is shorter and prettier to take the path on the left and follow this to a wee lochan at Callander Holiday Park. Follow the signs through the park to rejoin the Invertrossachs Road. Take the road to the junction with the A81. You can either cross the River Leny on the road here, or turn right at the roundabout, cross the road and take the path on the left to go down to the pedestrian bridge and up South Church Street.

The centrepiece of this walk is undoubtedly the canal aqueduct at Lin’s Mill where the Union Canal crosses the River Avon. With a little effort it’s possible to view the river below from both sides of the canal without actually getting your feet wet! To get to the aqueduct you follow the canal feeder from the Visitors’ Centre in Almondvale Country Park along a picturesque path through open countryside. At the aqueduct you pick up the Union Canal which takes you to the Brox Burn which, would you believe, is in Broxburn! There’s a short stretch beside a housing estate but after about half a mile the path becomes prettier. You eventually come past Uphall Station (where the walk officially starts) and the next 2 miles on a disused railway line a bit sore on the legs. However, as you re-enter the Country Park the scenery improves and suddenly you’re on the Camps viaduct which carried the mineral railway you’ve been walking along across the River Avon. A beautiful stroll through the autumnal woods of the country park and we’re back to the Visitors’ Centre.

You can do this walk from Uphall Station which gets the boring bit over first. However, parking is easier at Almondvale, it’s a much prettier place to start, and there are toilets and a coffee machine.

Park in Almondvale Country Park

To get there, the postal code for the park is EH52 5PE and works well with the satnav. Otherwise, getting to the park is very simple and should take about 40 minutes from Glasgow. Leave Glasgow on the M8 heading east towards Edinburgh, and stay put for about 30 miles until JUNCTION 3 (not Junction 3A which you come to first) where you leave on the left to take the A899 to Livingston (and West Calder). You swing around the slip road, back over the motorway and come to the roundabout with a whalebone structure in the centre. Take the first exit down the main Livingston dual carriageway but after 800 yards take the road to the left sign-posted Pumpherston and Uphall Stations. (There are a pile of Livingstone estate names – ignore these!). You come down to a main road where you turn left and at the next roundabout also take the first exit on to Houston Road and the Houston Industrial Estate. At the traffic lights, turn right on the B8046 (Pumpherston Road) towards the unprepossessing village of Pumpherston. A few hundred yards on, just before the Bay Leaf Restaurant, there’s a sign on the right pointing to the road on the left: Drumshoreland Road, Pumphertson and Uphall Stations and Almondell and Calderwood Country Parks.

Turn left here, go through a series of chicanes and then travel about a mile along an increasingly countrified road to a junction. There’s a big sign to Broxburn pointing left, but the sign for Almondell and Calderwood Country parks is hidden until you’ve actually turned right! Drive down this single-track country estate road till you come to the North Entrance and turn right and park. I the opposite corner of the car park, by an information board and dog pooh bin, there’s a path which meanders parallel to the main drive way and saves walking on a metalled surface. There are several paths off this to join the driveway.

The walk

From the Visitors Centre, with your back to the centre, turn right and follow the path past the toilets, across the play-park and down to the path along the river. Continue in the same direction to the suspension bridge which you cross giving lovely views of the River Avon. Go up the hill a little but, where the steps continue on up, turn left along an idyllic path beside the canal feeder. The next three miles are very pretty with the little burn running beside you, open countryside on the left and frequent little stone bridges and sluice gates and stuff. At the end you have to climb a steep set of steps to reach a rough track where you turn left.

When you get to the Lin’s Mill aqueduct it’s worth spending some time here so at the junction of paths just before it first go right to reach ‘this’ side of the canal, a turning and berthing basin and views along part of the Union canal which you don’t do! However, you can turn left along the aqueduct with spectacular views of the River Avon and Kirkhill Wood below. Retrace our steps to where the rough track forked but this time take the left–hand path which goes down to the river itself and underneath the aqueduct. The advantage of this is that it avoids a set of steep steps down, but gives very good views of the river and the aqueduct itself. Go under the aqueduct and climb up a set of steps to get to the other side of the aqueduct. If anything, the views are even better but in any case you need to be on the other tow-path.

This is the most level walk you’ll ever do, notwithstanding railway lines and towpaths. With one gentle exception it’s as flat as a pineapple pancake. Note that some of the obvious paths on the map are private, the locals being understandably a bit uptight about irresponsible walkers, so you should stick firmly to public footpaths, even if this does mean a very convoluted route. The well-established woodland drives are beautiful and there are unexpectedly good views of the Ochils across the Forth. Many of the paths take you, depending on the season, between ripening wheat and barley. Dunmore is a well-known conservation village and the pedestrianised centre of Airth has many 17^th and 18^th century buildings. And then there’s The Pineapple! The area has an interesting history which you might look up on the websites below. The whole walk is nearly ten miles, but it clearly divides into two circles and you can opt out either at The Pineapple if you have a car, or in Airth where there is a fine church, old buildings, two pubs and three coffee shops! If you intend doing this it would be worth printing off some information about both Airth and The Pineapple.

Park at the car-park at the NTS monument ‘The Pineapple’. To get there:

This is the easiest of trips and at about 28 miles should normally take about 35 minutes. Take the M8 from Glasgow towards Edinburgh and then the M80/A80 off to the left, sign-posted Stirling etc. This is an easy and fast run. Follow what is now a motorway towards Stirling/Kincardine Bridge/Perth etc. for about 20 miles. Just past the road to Denny you’ll see the first signpost for the M876 to Kincardine Bridge. Keep in the inside lane and you’ll automatically go off on the M876 (while the middle and outer lanes go on to Stirling and Perth). The A905 is well-sign-posted from the M876 to Airth, Skinflats and Larbert. Go down the slip road to a roundabout and take the left-hand turn (first exit) to Airth. Go through Airth, past the Airth Castle Hotel, to where a brown tourist sign on the right points to the NTS ‘The Pineapple’ on the left. It’s about two miles from the roundabout. Turn left here and then sharp right up a dirt track. Go past a sign for Landmark Trust cottages and then turn right as signed for the car park. There are no toilets at The Pineapple (or anywhere else!) but you are surrounded by woods.

The walk

Begin with a swirl around The Pineapple since that is what you have come to see! From the car-park, take the left-hand path which leads to a pond covered with green moss and apparently full of Great-crested newts which are being scientifically monitored. Already you can see the great Pineapple across the lawns but you’ll soon come out at the Gardens (private/closed) and walk down the main driveway to take photos. Then return to the garden wall, take a path which is little more than a mowing in the lawn and go through a gap in the wall on the left-hand side of the Pineapple. This woodland path takes you left around the Private Gardens and on to a wider forest track where you turn left. At a crossroads of paths continue straight on and to the dirt track you drove up, almost, but not quite, back to the car-park.

Instead of returning to the car-park take the track past the Landmark Trust notice and continue to a sign-post marking a path down to what is called ‘St Andrew’s Drive’ This great track sweeps round the grounds, with lovely views of the River Forth and the Ochils. At an unmarked track to the left it’s worth detouring to find the tower, just about visible through the undergrowth. At a T-junction turn right and go down to a gate across the track and on to the A905. Continue straight on past Dunmore Home Farm (Sutherland Estates) which bends down to the river. It’s worth turning in left here, across a little bridge to sit on the river bank perhaps for lunch. lunch. (You can go all the way to South Alloa but it was tricky and the bus back is only every hour. OK if you time the bus.)

Go back over the little bridge and take the river path to Dunmore, a picturesque conservation village. You ought to do a swirl around here! The path straight south from the village takes you back across the A905 and on to St Andrew’s Drive nearly to the car park. Here endeth the first circle.

The walk continues down the drive and out, for a few yards left, and then right on to the road. Then it cuts in again on a dirt track towards Airth Mains. At a junction turn left down towards the old part of Airth where you can stop to admire the Mercat Cross etc. Continue down to the A905, straight down Shore Road to the river again. Here turn right to take a dubious path along the river bank, which turns right again along a road to the golf course, the A905 and the entrance to Airth Castle Hotel. Take the little path on the left sign-posted to Letham Woods. At the end, turn right, and then right again to come back to the Castle. Go through the main entrance and turn left along a road which soon becomes a dirt track, again with extensive views. You’ll recognise the way back, straight on to the A905 past a prosperous looking Airth Mains Farm, down to the road, turn left, left again and then right up the track to the car park.

This walk covers the first section of the new John Muir Way which opened in 2014 and stretches from Helensburgh to Dunbar, with a new link for 2015 from Dunbar to Cockburnspath to join up with The Southern Upland Way. To do this part in a day, you begin with an attractive walk along the end of Loch Lomond to Balloch Station to take the train to Helensburgh which is fun and has lovely views along the Clyde from Cardross to Helensburgh. It’s a bit of a drag up Sinclair Street, very pleasant around Hill House, flat but endless on the cycle track out of Helensburgh and then OK-ish up through the woods. The deciduous-wooded track is pleasant enough but does seem to go on for ages.

Then all-of-a-sudden it’s beautiful. There’s an optional viewpoint of Loch Lomond with the islands and the Ben as you’ve never seen them – which really is a must. On the other side of the ridge there are views back along the Clyde. However, it’s the Stoneymollen Road, an old coffin route, which makes the whole walk worthwhile. This is an ancient route, quoted in every book of walks in the west of Scotland, to carry the dead from Balloch to consecrated ground in Cardross.  Look for the base of a ‘cross’ stone on the left-hand side at a gate where you begin the descent. The base might also have been used to rest the coffin. The views of Loch Lomond are stunning..

 Park at the Duncan Mills Memorial Slipway car-park in Balloch.

To get there, take the A82 (Great Western Road) through Anniesland, along the Boulevard, by-passing Dunbarton, up the dual carriage-way towards Loch Lomond to the big roundabout looking like a rack of lamb with birds. Turn right here (third exit) for Balloch. At the next roundabout, turn first left for Lomondshores, Balloch Centre, National Park etc. At the next roundabout go straight over to Lomondshores marked by a large slate entrance slab. At the next roundabout, ignore all the invitations to join the red, blue or green car-parks, but go right round the roundabout to take the road to the Maid of the Loch slipway. The road passes Lomondshores (on the left) and is soon designated as the route to the Duncan Mills Slipway. Continue over the next roundabout and turn in RIGHT to the public car park. (The car-park on the left is for trailers, launching boats etc.) Its about 17 miles and should take 35/40 minutes.

There are toilets at the car-park, in the main building. There is also a machine selling crisps and sweets. The café may be open, and if you arrive early the views of Loch Lomond and the Maid of the Loch are lovely. If you arrive late, there may be toilets on the train and definitely at Helensburgh, but not Dalreoch.

The Train

There’s a suitable train at 10.53 from Balloch to Helensburgh changing at Dalreoch. You should allow 10 minutes to walk to the station and 10 minutes to buy the tickets. The trains are every half-hour so if you miss the 10.53 you don’t have too much of a wait.

The walk

At Helensburgh you emerge from the station following the signs on the right to ‘Hill House’ wiggle past the Co-op (?) and come out on to Sinclair Street where you turn right. The route actually starts at the pier but only the purists will want to go down and back up to find out! Follow Sinclair Street to Helensburgh Upper Station. Here turn left into Upper Colqhoun Street, turn sharp right at the end, with the road. This goes past Hill House (note the Rennie Macintosh lampposts along the verge!). Straight ahead are some woods and signposts which provide a range of options for walkers – The Three Lochs Way, The Helensburgh walkers’ circuit and, of course, the John Muir Way (JM). Follow the John Muir path which is all-too-short and brings you out on to the busy A818. There’s the possibility of walking off-road by the reservoirs just to add variety. Otherwise, cross the road to take advantage of the broad cycle path.

It’s a 1½ mile slog along the cycle path. The views across Glen Fruin towards the Lomond hills improve and towards the end the cycle path moves away from the road. At two JM signs, one for cyclists to go straight on and one for walkers to turn right, go right over a stile by a gate on to a wooded, clear and gently climbing track. It’s OK but there are no views and it does seem endless. However, it suddenly broadens out and you get your first views of the moorland. Astonishingly, there are two sturdy signposts – just as if you were on a real walk in real mountains!!! They point out the Three Lochs Way and the JM way, as well as a route down to Craigendoran!

A little further on is a path to the left going up to a viewpoint over Loch Lomond. This is definitely worth a detour – even on a drizzly day it is magical. You have to come down to return to the main path. Suddenly you’re at the edge of the Kiellator Ridge and a magnificently created, sturdy path going steeply down. The new path brings you out along the old, but upgraded one, with lovely views to the left across the loch.

The central bit of the moorland is a bit bleak where the commercial trees have been harvested. Turn sharp left, rather unexpectedly, to follow a lovely path beside some woods to emerge over-looking Loch Lomond at a gate. Just to the left is the base of a cross stone where the coffins were rested. Pause here and admire the view. Then make your way down the lovely Stoneymollan track to a metalled road. You can take a path to follow the stream down on your right to vary the descent.

Watch for the JM sign to the left to take you over a footbridge across the A82 going up Loch Lomondside. Follow the road to the left from the bottom of the steps and into a little hamlet. At the road turn left, and after 200 yards right, as way-marked, down through Lomond Shores (toilets). Go straight on to the lochside, curving to the left with the path. Then go straight on (ignoring the motor and paddle boats on your left) to the main road you drove in at the beginning of the day. Turn left to, and then straight over, the roundabout to get to the cars.

This is a tried and tested route popularly known as ‘the Pipe Track’. It’s a delightful walk, following the route of the pipe (hence its name) bringing clean water from Loch Katrine to Glasgow. The route twists and turns and takes in some very pretty little waterways as well as distant views. The outward route joins up with the West Highland way back. Those not wanting to do the full ten (very flat) miles can opt out at Killearn, have a very civilised coffee in one of the several olde world tea shoppes and bus it back.

PARK in St Kessogs Roman Catholic Church at the War Memorial in Blanefield. (you may wish to leave a donation for the privilege.) To get there from Glasgow take either the A82 (Great Western Road) to Anniesland and then the A739 (the Bearsden/Switch Road); or the A81 (Maryhill Road) both of which take you to Canniesburn Toll. Here, take the A81 towards Milngavie, (not Drymen). Continue on the A81 to the roundabout at Homebase etc. and then continue towards Mugdock, Strathblane and then Blanefield. As you go through Blanefield you’ll pass ‘The Blanefield Inn’ on your right, , and then immediately the War Memorial also on the right. You might get parked here but, if not, turn right into the Campsie Dene Road and then sharp right again up a steep but short road to the car park at the back of St Kessog’s Roman Catholic church. It’s awfy pretty. There is a notice at the bottom saying that walkers are welcome to use the car park from Monday to Saturday.but, The journey, which is 10 miles, should take no more than 30 minutes.

TheWalk

Begin by walking up the broad path which runs, firstly up Campsie Dene Road and then along and sometimes on top of the water pipe. Despite being just beside the A81 all the way, it seems like another world. Among the twists and turns are magnificent bridges, arches and other examples of nineteenth century engineering; the distillery at Dumgoyne; to the right, lovely views of the Campsies and Dumgoyne itself; and to the left even lovelier views of the Glen Luss horseshoe above Loch Lomond across the Strathblane valley. Ahead is the towering lump of Ben Lomond.

On the outskirts of Killearn, after High Lettre Farm, continue on to a gate and a cottage. Leave the Pipe Track on a path on the left which goes straight down with a wood on one side and a very new building with turrets etc. on the other. The path turns sharp left and emerges on Branizert Road where you turn left to come down almost opposite Drumbeg Loan, a road youe need to get on to the West Highland Way. At the end of Drumbeg Load turn left. A track to the left at Arlehaven (now burnt down), past our famous ‘Private’ sign’, wanders round to the left and then curves right. If you go straight on here you come out at a very dangerous bend on the B821. Turn left here, go downhill to the old railway line with an obvious railwayman’s cottage and platform, now a more upmarket house, and turn in right along the old line. However, if you turn left at the junction of tracks before this you come down on to the old railway line itself and avoid the dangerous bend on the B821.

The old railway line takes you more-or-less back, past a water works site to a sign saying ‘overhead cables’ with a dog poo bin etc. Turn left here along a track then up some steep wooden steps to the main road at Blanefield Community Centre.

This is quite along walk but there is no effort of climbing and plenty of variety. For a walk so close to Glasgow, it’s really a classic!

This short walk, on a good day, offers a nice panorama over Loch Lomond and surroundings and is justly popular with walkers. It’s amazing how many Glaswegians, even those who walk, have never done it!

 Park at the Queen’s View car-park alongside the A809.

Most people will take the A809 to Drymen via Anniesland and the Switchback to Canniesburn, then up to Bearsden Cross (A809). Continue through Bearsden, swinging (carefully) right, at what was St Andrews College, into Stockiemuir Road. Continue straight on over two roundabouts including the old one with a service station on the left and after a several miles you will reach the Queen’s View car-park, situated at your left-hand side,

The walk

The walk up to the Whangie begins from the Queen’s View car-park and is clearly sign-posted with a step over a wall and boards across what used to be a very boggy patch. The path is very clear until you are two-thirds up to where the path divides. If you take the lower path (more accurately straight on) you come to the right-hand side of ‘The Whangie’ – the rock cleft. This is less demanding, especially if you come back the same way.

However, it’s almost as easy to go left at the fork and climb up on to Aucheneden Hill to the trig point. Here the 360° views are spectacular on a good day. The top of Aucheneden Hill is rounded and you can come off, more-or-less in all directions. However, if you want the Whangie, follow your nose about north west (or if facing the trig point at about 2 o’clock off to the right) and look for an easy way off the hill and on to a clear path below. Turn right and it will bring you to the left-hand side of The Whangie. It’s more difficult to enter the cleft from this direction so you might want to continue on the path below and then enter from the right-hand side.

Either way it makes a nice ‘lollipop walk’ to take the left-hand path at the fork, go on to Auchineden Hill, then down to The Whangie. Then take the lower path back to the fork (where you went off left on the way up) and then back down to the car park.

This is a favourite walk especially since the awkward detours around the construction of the new Ardgartan Hotel have been smoothed out, and routes are now signposted, improved underfoot, bridged and keep walkers away from the hotel. The outward and return paths, straight out of, and back to the car park, now run prettily beside a burbling burn, through beech and birch woods and then take you down to Loch Long with spectacular views up to Arrochar and across to the Glens of Douglas and Luss and the back of Beinn Tharsuinn and the not-quite-so attractive views down to Faslane. Back on to the tarmac road (which could be used to Coilessan car-park to shorten the walk) there are wonderful views, now from a higher vantage point, and the burn itself is magnificent. As a reward for the climb you immediately wend your way back down to the lochside and a lovely track beside the water ending at Guanan – a good spot for lunch. Unfortunately, what goes down must come back up but you’re soon at yet another waterfall and a more-or-less flat track – now pompously re-named ‘The Duke’s Road’ with spanking new sign-posts at every junction. Then it’s back to Coilessan, down the road, and a short cut through the woods to the cars. About nine miles of woods, rivers, lochs and mountains!

Park at the Ardgartan car-park in Glen Croe. The satnav for the Ardgartan Hotel is G83 7AR which would take you to your car park. The Visitors Centre is now closed but in its stead are toilets which are preferable!!

To get there, take the usual route out on the A82 which goes by varying names along Great Western Road, the Boulevard, through Milton to Dumbarton where it becomes a dual carriageway and enters the National Park at Balloch at the ‘new’ roundabout with flying birds. Keep straight on up Loch Lomondside (don’t go into Balloch) to Tarbet. Here take the A83 which goes straight on (the A82 goes right to Crianlarich) and then swings left to Arrochar, At Arrochar turn right and go around the head of Loch Long. Follow the road as it turns sharp right to go up through Glen Croe, usually known as ‘The Rest and be Thankful’. However, just as you turn right with the road you’ll pass a sign for Ardgartan Caravan Club/site and about 250 metres further on a very upmarket place for cyclists to cross. Start signalling here for just past this you turn left into the Ardgarten car park.

The walk

Your walk begins by taking the lovely little path along the Croe Water which begins with a three-ringed (red, blue and yellow) post at the far end of the car-park by the Information Board. This very well-made path twists and turns among deciduous trees beside the burn but you soon lose the yellow markers which go off to Succoth. At the junction, with a sturdy wooden bridge on the right, resolutely ignore this and turn a dog-leg, left-right along a continuation of the path still following red and blue markers. You’re taken round the bend in the Croe water to a sturdy bridge across and then down the other side. Miraculously, you avoid the Hotel and go straight on, with blue markers only, on the original public footpath to the lochside. The views here up to Arrochar, down Loch Long and across to the West Highland Line and Ben Lomond above are wonderful. Behind you is The Brack and to the left the ‘castle’ part of the Cobbler. The path continues round the bay and then climbs up to a LRT.

The next bit is something of a pull, and being through the forest, less attractive. However, it suddenly opens out by the Coilessan Burn where the forest has been cleared so there are views all around once more. (The ‘new’ Cowal Way joins your LRT.)

Take the track on your left, just past the impressive Coilessan Burn. This wanders and turns down to the loch side at Dial. (These hamlets are worth pondering – what on earth did the inhabitants eat?) Continue along by the shore for just under a mile to Guanan (a ruined but ‘n ben).

It is then something of a pull winding up to the Duke’s Road (named after the Duke of Argyll ?) and a more-or-less flat track, parallel with loch below but about 400 feet up for about a mile and a half. One advantage of forest clearance is that the views are again lovely, a welcome break from the forest tracks.

From Coilessan it’s downhill all the way. On the way back, look out for the brown-painted wooden double barrier on the right-hand-side of the LRT and the path down to the loch edge. You’ll recognise all this from the journey out. You come back, this time ignoring all diversions, to the sturdy bridge. Once across the bridge, follow the right-hand riverbank back to the cars. You might want to do just the twirly bits again one day before having a bacon butty at the Caravan Park café!