JASPER AND TOMMY'S ADVENTURES IN SCOTLAND

Jasper the Springador (English Springer Spaniel / Labrador) and Tommy the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, are frequently off on their adventures around Scotland. This blog details what they get up to! Hopefully, it will give readers some inspiration as to different places and walking routes in Scotland that they may like to visit. It will also perhaps appeal to those with an interest in these fantastic dog breeds and in the majesty of Scotland's wonderful scenery.

Friday 21 April 2023

Kinlochard to Loch Chon, Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, Stirling

Jasper at Loch Chon (click / tap to enlarge)

A glorious sunny day yesterday and so off we went to Kinlochard for a walk up to Loch Chon (pronounced "con" by the way) and back. The area is within the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park and the wider Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. It was a lovely walk along forest tracks with plenty of little streams for the boys to cool off in along the way. The drive up to Kinlochard, along Loch Ard was glorious too!

Our walk was a there and back route of approx. 3 miles each way and as usual you'll find a map at the end of the article, along with details of parking at Kinlochard. A word of caution though: there is forestry work currently being undertaken along the west side of Loch Chon and there is a diversion in place. When we visited there was no activity and so we walked through the forest down to the loch, avoiding the area of their forestry operations and their diversion. Their diversion is 4 1/2 miles each way and you have to walk along the B829 road on the east side of the loch! I would recommend skipping this walk until they have finished the work. You can check the Loch Ard page on the Forestry and Land Scotland website to see if their work is still ongoing.

A reminder also that tick season is upon us and Jasper picked up his first little hitchhiker. Both dogs are treated for them and the tick was walking on his fur, so it was particularly easy to remove. Do take a tick removal kit with you on your travels though and check yourselves and your dogs for ticks at the end of these kind of walks.

Information in this article is current as of our last visit in April 2023. All images can be clicked / tapped to enlarge.

Here are the photo highlights.

A quick stop en route to capture a photo of some canoeists on Loch Ard (click / tap to enlarge)

Jasper on the Statute Labour Road to Loch Chon

Tommy crazily excited as usual!

The view back towards Loch Ard

Tommy in one of his elegant poses!

Jasper the happy springador!

The route climbs gradually most of the way and then drops down to Loch Chon

Just before Loch Chon, we pass the small Loch Dhu

Not too much further along and we are at the beautiful Loch Chon

The undisputed highlight of the walk for Jasper!

Jasper swimming out to retrieve a stick while Tommy has a little paddle!

Tommy is very pleased with himself as he has found a stick too!

A quick stop on the car journey back through Kinlochard, for another photo of Loch Ard

Route map - part 1 of 2 (click / tap to enlarge)

Route map - part 2 of 2 (click / tap to enlarge)

Link to parking at start location on Google Maps

PLEASE BE SURE TO READ OUR DISCLAIMER WHICH ALSO INCLUDES IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION.

Tuesday 11 April 2023

Kilminning Coast Wildlife Reserve to Balcomie Sands, Crail, East Neuk of Fife

Jasper and Tommy having an awesome time on the Kilminning Coast! (click / tap to enlarge)

It was a lovely sunny day on the Saturday of the Easter weekend and so we headed off to Crail on the East Neuk of Fife for a little coastal walk. Our route took us along the Fife Coastal Path through the Kilminning Coast Wildlife Reserve and across to Balcomie Sands. It's a varied route that passes Fife Ness, various WW2 fortifications, Constantine's Cave and Crail Golf Course. There are information panels along the way outlining the very interesting history of the area. We ended the day with a delicious take away from Crail Fish Bar & Cafe. If you visit there, bear in mind that the food is freshly cooked and it's a busy place. We were there at about 17:15 and had to wait 40 minutes; it was definitely worth it though!

The walk is a relatively short there and back route of approximately 1.5 miles each way. It's a fairly easy route, though there some uneven stone steps at a couple of points. Also keep dogs on lead around the Fife Ness access road and Crail golf course, keeping a watchful eye on the golfers and the direction of their golf balls! Information is current as of our last visit in April 2023. Route map and parking location can be found at the end of the article. All images can be clicked / tapped to enlarge.

Here are the photos:

Jasper and Tommy with Fife Ness in the distance (click / tap to enlarge)

Jasper and Tommy love exploring around the rocks!

View towards Fife Ness

Tommy begrudgingly sits for a photo!

Jasper off on one of his many missions!

Choppy seas on the East Neuk when we visited

Tommy amidst the colourful whins with the painted houses at Fife Ness ahead

Jasper investigating the rock pools

Jasper posing at Fife Ness

Tommy also wants a photo!

One extremely happy springador!

Time for a serious splash about!

Pretty daffodils line the route past this cottage at Fife Ness

Balcomie Sands

Jasper's off to investigate the beach!

Jasper having another dip at Fife Ness on the way back

The view back towards Kilminning. Can you spot Jasper disguising himself in a rock pool?

Route Map - part 1 of 2 (click/tap to enlarge)

Route Map - part 2 of 2

Link to parking at start location on Google Maps

PLEASE BE SURE TO READ OUR DISCLAIMER WHICH ALSO INCLUDES IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION.

Monday 10 April 2023

Alva to Ben Ever & Ben Cleuch, The Ochil Hills, Clackmannanshire

Having conquered Ben Cleuch, Tommy finds a suitable rock to climb so he can adopt his smug pose! (click / tap to enlarge)

We've made quite a few trips into the Ochils recently. Last week we decided to venture up to the highest peak in the range, Ben Cleuch. The peak is at 721 metres but it wasn't the clearest of days and so the views weren't brilliant. It was still a great walk though.

We took the route from Alva, near the cemetery, which follows the 4x4 track then continues up grassy paths to Ben Ever (622m) and on to Ben Cleuch. As is to be expected, it's quite a climb and fairly steep. The paths are pretty good in the dry but I would be careful about attempting it in bad weather as it will be boggy and slippery in parts. We didn't fancy the commonly used circular route via The Law as it's a bit too steep and something of a scramble in places.

I'd recommend a slight variation to the route since parking is too limited by the cemetery and it's not easy to park. The revised route is shown at the end of the article and starts at the car park for Alva Glen instead of the cemetery. The car park is also linked at the bottom of the article. The walk is approximately 3.1 miles each way. Much of the walk is on lead, as there are sheep dotted across the hillsides. Watch out for the occasional farm vehicle on the 4x4 track too. There is also one stile that we had to lift the dogs over at the bottom of Ben Ever. Finally, make sure you have suitable clothing for Ben Cleuch as it's often pretty cold and windy up there!

Information is current as of our last visit in April 2023. All images can be clicked / tapped to enlarge.

Here are the photos:

The view over Alva and out towards the Wallace Monument and Stirling (click / tap to enlarge)

The 4x4 track zig zags and soon climbs up to some great vantage points

On the path up to Ben Ever, looking back towards The Nebit with the Forth Valley in the distance. Tommy and the wife are behind and are taking a more sensible pace, whereas I'm walking Jasper who has a different speed setting!