The first stop was a coffeeshop stop. I'm testing as many Empire Biscuits as I can get at. I'm getting so skilled that I can test them even by eye nowadays and the ones in the coffeeshop we stopped at had icing that was too hard, I could tell just by looking, so I had a vanilla slice instead. She-Bear had carrot cake. We sampled each other's choices as well, natch. Both efforts got quite high marks out of ten but weren't as good as we could make at home or the ones we had eaten as kids made by local bakers. Ah well... but you have to try. Nothing ventured, etc.
The next stop was at a gate just before the bridge over the Endrick Water on the road between Drymen and Aberfoyle.
Because it was an interesting gate.
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| Gate post |
A true friend is someone who will stop, turn her car and go back to dump you at a gate, get the car out of the way so you can photograph said gate, then go and find somewhere to park off the road, and wait while you wander over a bridge peering at mosses and lichens on the bridge stonework. The next time we are on that road I may need to be the driver so that we can stop, get out and go to explore the bridge underpinnings as well.
Another gate or two thrust themselves upon my notice before we went for a walk along the river.
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| mossy gate 2 |
It was not a bright day but we enjoyed the autumnal colours of the larches and cloud covered hills and of the grasses on the floodplains of the River Forth.
Part of our walk was along an old railway track. We didn't realise this at first so certain objects were slightly puzzling
until we saw this and the blue information notice at the end,
and then it all made sense.
There were some lovely things along the track–
–fungi on trees over the river and on carved owls, beautiful red berries we didn't recognise, pools containing and reflecting natural beauty,
and bryophytically enhanced gates!
Definitely a successful wander, we thought!
