A hike in the Trossachs - circumnavigating Loch Venachar

While most of my Edinburgh stay was devoted to Fringe shows I did reserve one day to go on  long hike with Thibault in the Trossachs. And but this was a long hike, at least for a 60+ city bloke like me. Over 21 kilometres which took us about 4 and a half hours with no breaks. This was a walk around Loch Venachar a few miles from Callendar. However it was not just a walk along the loch side. The first half was up and down hills with views over the loch from time to time. There were no serious climbs but it was distinctly undulating for the first half

And while Edinburgh had been largely sunny, this day threatened rain. Actually it settled for overcast apart from a short spell of drizzle

Some nice big, if isolated, properties around here 

At last down at lochside and flat roads/cycle paths

Now by this time it was approaching 2pm and we had eaten nothing. Thibault said there was a pub towards the end of our walk, which sounded just the job. Or would have been if it was open for lunch. But it seemed evening only. Surely a Sunday lunch? No

But what the pub did have parked outside it was... a London bus!

And not just any retired London bus, but a night bus. And the N29 at that, which was the night bus that stopped at the bottom of my road. I could very well have sat on this thing once upon a time!

After that disappointment we trudged back to the car, exhausted and desperately in need of food and drink. A super looking fine dining restaurant nearby turned out to be fully booked so we drove back to Callendar and had lunch in the Old Bank cafe. 

Attractive building, execrable food and service inside. The table surface was sticky as if hoping to grip onto your plates in case of earthquakes. The "special" I had tried to order (which was only ham,egg and chips!) they didn't have (and couldn't be bothered to wipe off the specials board) so I ended up with fishcakes and salad, which were two very small fishcakes which might well have just been defrosted from an Iceland saver box, and a salad which was almost entirely a pile of lettuce leaves. The only sign of care in the preparation of the dish was the one incredibly finely sliced sliver of tomato under the leaves. It would take some skill to provide something so thin as to be translucent. My much needed cider was plonked in front of me as an unopened can with a glass. Truly no effort was too little. 

As you will gather, we were disappointed. Thibault ordered a burger and noted that he could have had a far tastier one at any fast food chain for a third of the price. Which was a pity as though exhausting we had really enjoyed our hike. Beautiful views and I reckon I got enough steps in to last me the week! (It did take me another three days though before I could walk down stairs without wincing!)