It’s always interesting to do something a little different and our October walk is just that! We shall be meeting both at the church, as usual, and at Bethankie on the Union Canal where a canal boat will pick us up and take us for a three-hour trip along the Union Canal, over the Avon aqueduct and on to Linlithgow. Here we alight and after circling around the Loch, re-join the canal via the River Avon to walk back to the cars. This is a six-mile almost flat walk. 

The canal boat can take about 35 people easily but we may be limited by the number of car spaces available to get to Bethankie so please could you let me know early if you would like to come, and if you can offer car spaces? Thanks. 

This walk in Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park near Aberfoyle will take in the beauty of this part of Scotland.

Aberfoyle is a gateway to the Trossachs and is well known for Rev Robert Kirk and his book “The Secret Commonwealth of Elves, Fauns, and Fairies”.  This book was written in 1681 but not published until much later, 1861. Perhaps he should be equally remembered for an early translation of the Psalter in Gaelic (1684).

The plan is to exploresome of the forest trails to the south of the town.  Aberfoyle has plentiful parking and it is from here that the walk will start.  Public toilets are available near the main car park.

This 10 mile walk starts and ends at the car park in New Lanark.

The route goes south, passing the power station to the Falls of Clyde which may be quiet in the sunshine.  Crossing the weir the path leads northwards along the other side of the Clyde to Kirkfieldbank.

Crossing the Clyde again and then the A72 the route meanders across Mousemill Bridge to reach the A73. Careful crossing of this busy road leads to a beautiful path up Cartland Glen, past Woodend to the Clyde Valley Woodlands National Nature Reserve.  Here the route turns South over some open land to the edge of Lanark.  A short distance of town roads leads steeply down to the Clyde for the return walk along the river and back to the car park.