Loch Leven

Apologies that I haven't answered all your comments this week past. Access to Internet has been patchy at times.

Cathy asked if I had gone truly feral with backpack and all - truly no.  I had the tent, sleeping bag, but not the big backpack and in any event had to make my way back to where I started so slept in the wee van each night.

Scotland has enormously generous 'right of access' laws which allow wild camping (with conditions). In areas of national parks that come under huge tourist pressure in the summer time they have camping management zones. Camping within these zones (mostly on lochsides along busy roads) is only at managed sites and limited to a number of permits. Permits cost £4.20 per night.  How cheap is that? There are also commercial campsites with more and better facilities but I found I had no need of one.

Mr B prefers his showers hot and a short walk to flushing toilets, so since he rejoined the expedition we have stayed in commercial campsites. The first of those, Caolasnacon beside Loch Leven, was not bookable - "first come first served" said the lady on the other end of the phone, but she was also kind enough to add "It's a sunny Friday and good forecast for the weekend so my regulars will be piling up from Glasgow - get here by 4pm."

What a great place! "Drive down there and camp anywhere you like. Connect to electricity if you want. Enjoy your stay." 

That campsite had everyone by the end of the day, and room for more. There were no marked pitches or stands - everyone made room for everyone else. Hikers and bikers, tents, caravans, cars with roof tents, vans, mini-campers, motor homes and converted buses, motor-trike towing a mini caravan (sleeping pod), even a double-decker bus mobile hostel painted up like a hippy tripper.

Views from the edge of the camping paddock

Sorry they are photos taken at low tide but that is what you get twice a day on a sea Loch.

Among the campers were fishing enthusiasts drawn by Loch Leven. An inflatable dinghy next to us was getting fitted with an interesting set of wheels; supervised closely by a large but langourous Akita dog (speaking of large fluffy dogs - I met a Tibetan Mastiff at Glenfalloch Falls the other day and the girl on the other end of the leash told me he was the last bear in Scotland - no wonder he looked sad.)

Unashamedly (no one is paying me to say nice things about them) I will report this campground had great ablutions facilities and a laundry. It was while I was using the laundry that I noticed the red deer stags lurking very nearby. Chatting with the manageress, who was busy washing linen for cabins, I found out the deer moved in during the COVID closures and haven't left. Chasing them away doesn't work. They just come back.

Autumn is the rut and they roared through the night, which fortunately everyone seemed to find entertaining, and their presence captivated every dog on site (all kept on short leads😁).

I had a glorious walk along the Loch in evening sun, calm, peaceful, fresh. It's a great place in good weather.

Mr B wants to see a red squirrel. They are shy critturs.  I've seen several while out walking in the woods.  They don't hang about busy roads so he is starting to allege they are as mythical as Nessie.

(Not saying Nessie is mythical - just very difficult to get a glimpse of and asserted by many to be mythical. More on Nessie later.)