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After
the preliminary of ‘the starting’ out photographs, an immediate start was
made through the pleasant shopping precinct, and out into the Allender park.
This is an excellent beginning, for within a few minutes we seemed to have
left the town behind, there is no feeling of having to
wander through an urban area at all. We were on our way, and had about eight
hours or so of daylight before we had to think about finding a place to camp
for the night.
Beyond
Allender park the extinct volcano Dumgoyne comes into view and is the
prominent feature for the next five or six miles, as we first walk towards it,
and eventually round and away from it. This is really good walking on pleasant
tracks. After two hours we had a breather, and lay in the sun below the wooded
hill at Duntreath. As we rested we heard a cuckoo for the first time this
year.
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Campsie
fells with Dumgoyne in the distance |
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glance at the map showed that soon we should reach a disused railway track
which we would follow for several miles, this promised to be easy going, and
it was at first, but the further along the track we went the softer and more
uneven the going became. In the end we were pleased to be off it when it
finally came to a halt. Also very trying along this section were dozens of
stiles, it seemed every few hundred yards the line was crossed by, a track or,
farm road at right angles. This meant. two stiles, and when carrying:‑a
heavy pack. they become very taxing,: In places we did come across stiles
based an the Yorkshire dales squeeze through type. These were made up of two
upright galvanised steel posts hinged at the bottom so that they could be
parted to allow one to simply walk through, these are excellent and spring
back
into place when through. The railway track took us to within a couple of miles
of Drymen our goal for the night. We did have to walk along the road at this
paint but it is one of the very few places on the whole route that this is
necessary |
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