Killin where we are based for the season used to have a railway station. There is an old railway line which is now made into a cycle way that goes all the way to Callander. About 21 miles it goes through some woodland and beside the river etc. It’s on my list of to do bike rides.

I wanted to find the old station which is off the main cycle way but still accessible by bike. I headed off on my bike joining the start of the cycle way and then took a detour up through the forest and further on and then rejoined the cycle way. Then another detour onto what would have been the original railway line.

The old station house is now a holiday let property reached by a track. The only bit left of the station is the old platform which is slowly being reclaimed by nature. The last train to leave the station was on September 27th 1965 and the station was closed on November 1st 1965. I had missed the train by nearly sixty years. Maybe I should not have taken that detour up through the woods.

I carried on along the route which would have been a railway line only stopping to rescue a baby lamb which had got its head caught in a fence and was crying for mum. As I let the lamb go he/she skipped off and stopped for a moment and looked at me with a look that said Thanks Mike and hurried off to mum. I did 24 miles in total.

We had to do a first aid course for work which was in Stirling. So up bright and early and off for the day. I hate anything like this, being stuck in a classroom all day having to watch videos and answer questions. Reminds me of when I used to go to school. I did go sometimes….honest. To be fair though the course was good and the guy doing it made it fun and the day went quick and we got out early on good behaviour.

We were sitting out in our compound enjoying a cold drink when a flutter of feathers made us look up. A pigeon had landed nearby and was looking a bit confused. It was a homing pigeon but was obviously lost because he didn’t live with us. I gave him some water and some bird seed which he picked out the bits he liked.

I started to do some research because I could see he had rings on to identify him. He was around for a few days and started to be a nuisance even trying to get in the camper so I told him he was not welcome anymore and needed to reboot his sat nav and go home. Anyway he left the next day.

Another thing on my to do list was to climb the mountain behind the park in Killin. I didn’t manage to do it last year. It’s more of a hill really but it’s a big hill. Nikki was not feeling to good and was happy to just chill at home on our day off. I had itchy feet so just made my mind up I was going to climb up the hill.

So on with my walking boots, water bottle in the rucksack and a couple of chocolate cookies off I went. The walk from the camper to Killin is all down hill and looking up at the hill it looked a long way. And yes it was. But what a view. With a lot of wows, burning legs, lungs doing overtime and a lot of photo stops I made it. I sat at the top eating my chocolate cookies and just thinking how lucky I was.

Looking at the tiny houses down below and Loch Tay stretching out to the horizon flanked by more mountains. The sound of silence. I could have stayed up there all day but had no more food so had to come down because there is no way Nikki was going to bring my lunch to me.

Going back down is also hard because you’re stopping yourself running away and then I had to go back up to base for the last bit. A five mile found trip and about 1500 ft of elevation.

Another visitor while we were sat outside having a cold drink was a bug, not as big as the pigeon but very impressive. A North American saw fly. He must have been lost also. He looked very dangerous but was harmless and I moved him from the camper step so he didn’t get trodden on and he hung around then disappeared.

Killin has a small tractor cruise every year. Last year some on their way to Killin went past our entrance. We were working so could not go down into Killin to see them. This year again some went past on their way to Killin but then a couple of hours later I heard the sound of them coming back up the hill and all of them cruised past our entrance. They do a different route every year and this year I got lucky as they passed us. Some lovely old tractors.

Another day off so a small walk planned for Nikki. We drove towards Tyndrum and parked up at Tyndrum community woodland and then walked along the river and through the woodland to Tyndrum and had lunch there. The weather was supposed to be sunny spells with showers but we struck lucky and avoided the showers and only got the sun.

The site is looking great with all the wild flowers coming out and the bugs and bees and butterflies enjoying them. We have had some rain so after the hot spell everything is growing like mad. A couple of photos below of the bugs and raindrops on leafs.

As I write this the rain is falling and has been for a week or more now just as we were getting used to all that nice sunny weather. But we are in Scotland after all. I just think of the day I was up the hill in the sunshine eating my cookie and life seems good again rain or shine.

We finally got water back on site after twelve days. It’s surprising how much we all take for granted such simple things. Turning on a tap and water comes out, flicking a switch and a light comes on but when these things fail we realise how well off we are and while people all over the world are getting bombed and have no running water or electricity for weeks, months to them it’s almost normal.

A walk was planned for us on our day off. A trip to Aberfeldy and there is a walk there called The Birks. Made famous by Robert Burns. The walk takes you up through woodland beside the Moness Burn passing various waterfalls.

Nikki not being a good walker had her doubts about the amount of up hill involved and at one point she was ready to turn around and go back down but she carried on. The path forks shortly after joining it, we decided to go anti clockwise. A steady climb with me saying just around the corner, nearly there and getting a look back that said just leave me here and carry on yourself.

We could see the top now and I persuaded Nikki to give it one more push and then it would be all downhill from that point. She did really well and we had a rest at the top. You go over a wooden bridge at the top and then start to go down the other side. But there are a lot of steps this side and some big drops to the side. More things Nikki is not good with so a lot of the steps were taken with her hanging on to me and not enjoying the view because it meant looking over the edge. We were glad we went anti clockwise on this circular walk because of the steps.

She was glad when we got to the bottom and back on level ground. It was only a three mile walk but a lot of elevation. We were going to have lunch in a lovely little cafe we had been in before but it was shut so we had a snack from the local shop.

The good weather continues and more and more flowers are popping up all over the site, the bees are buzzing and I have seen a few butterflies which is a good sign. The weather this year is so different to last year. And no midges yet but I am sure they are not far away.

Bertie needed taking for a drive. Bertie is the camper and I don’t like him sat still for too long so he has to go on a road trip every 6/8 weeks. We had arranged a night out with the staff at the other campsite down the road so we would take Bertie for a drive and then stay at that site for the night. That way no one has to drive after going out and we could both have a drink.

It’s always good to be out in Bertie and because when we travel in the winter Nikki is driving the car she doesn’t get to sit in Bertie much when travelling. Although she holds her breath on the first bit of road which is narrow, bendy and on a hill.

Only a short drive of thirty miles to get to the other site which is only a mile from us but it got Bertie up to temperature and keeps things moving. it’s not good just doing short runs in your vehicle if it’s not getting up to temperature.

We had a great night out with our friends and it was dark when we came home so a lay in was expected the next day. We chilled out until the afternoon and then came back to base and had a BBQ and more beer in the sun.

The bank holiday was busy on site which was nice and with the weather being so good everyone is happy which makes life easier. The weather is going to be nice for the next week also here in Scotland.

I went out on my bike to take advantage of the nice days and dry conditions. I went up in the woods at the back of Killin and dropped down on to the old railway line. I was actually looking to find where the old station was but could not find it but after getting back and doing some research I discovered I was nearly there but that day my legs were tired. I was only a mile away and now I know I will go back to do that route through the woods and do a big loop which will include going to where the old station was.

We needed to go to Crieff for some more birdseed and some plants and hanging baskets for the site. You travel along the edge of Loch Earn and the road twists and curves as if it was built when all the workers came out the pub. But it’s stunning. A new feature at the St Fillans end of the loch is the mirror-man. A sculpture of a man built from hundreds of mirrored tiles and he is standing in the loch. Makes great photos depending on the weather.

A couple of mornings ago I was just waking up at about 5 am, I lay in bed and could hear a cuckoo, a pheasant and an owl and just grinned to myself and relized how lucky I was to be waking up with a dawn chorus like that.

So that’s us up to date and as I write this it’s set to be another nice sunny day. Sunday is a chill out day on site, I don’t use any machinery. The last photo is a Dandelion gone to seed but taken very close if you could not work it out.