Walking the Line.......Day 3

We spent a rather 'rocky' night, with a strong wind blowing across the beach, at New Aberdour. There was a visit to the Co-op at Strichen for picnic lunch items and then I set off to walk to Fraserburgh. John and I planned to meet up around about 2 pm and eat our lunch together.

The day was sunny although there was still a bit of wind about, but perfect for walking. Leaving Strichen there was a much better view of the White Horse on Mormond Hill.

{Strichen's White Horse}

Along the way I was ambushed by many small tortoiseshell butterflies - no photos I'm afraid. Each one would land on the path in front of me and then flutter away before I could get the camera organised. At one point they were joined by some red-bodied dragonflies.

The bramble bushes at the site of Lonmay Station had delicious ripe berries ready for me to eat.

{Blackberries at Lonmay}

After our picnic lunch John headed back to Fraserburgh and I continued on, the track becoming straighter and flatter as it headed towards Fraserburgh. I resisted the temptation to make steam-train noises as I strolled along; the town ahead never seeming to get much closer. The same view (without the prominent Tesco store!) would have been seen by the train's passengers.

{Outskirts of Fraserburgh}

Verdict: Just as I had hoped, the walk was very enjoyable although flat (as railway lines tend to be). Great views across the Aberdeenshire countryside and a really interesting history lesson.

My poorly shoulder ached a bit at the end of each day but didn't object too much to the actual walking.

Walking the Line.......Day 1

After the successful walk on the Formartine & Buchan Way with no ill effects for my shoulder I decided that an effort to walk more of it would be possible and enjoyable.  Disused railway tracks are like 'secret passages' that take you quickly through the countryside, usually with great views and interesting historical connections. The 'green corridor' effect means that there is often plenty of wildlife; plants and animals, to see. The walking is generally easy, and most of all, flat.....ideal for John to cycle a bit too.

{Heading North, a 'secret passage'}

The van was packed up and the weather forecast was looking fairly favourable - however, you can't hurry a man playing sudoku on his mobile so it was nearly lunchtime before we left home. Inverurie Garden Centre provided us with delicious soup and sandwiches and we arrived in Ellon in the middle of the afternoon.

I had hoped to be able to walk the Way to Maud on the first day but there didn't seem enough time to go as far as that so it was agreed that John would drive to Auchnagatt and park up so he could cycle back towards me.

It proved quite difficult to find the start of the way in Ellon, so we drove a little further on and found a place to park beside the old line, where a bridge had been removed and there was an access from the roadside.

{Starting place for me, North of Ellon}

The Aberdeenshire countryside is famous for its agricultural land, especially the raising of cattle and big fields of crops. There are small villages dotted across the hills and at one time the railway provided the major way of moving goods and people around. 

{Crops already harvested}

Once I got into my walking rhythm, I began to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the day and, as usual, started spotting places that would be good for a quiet wild camp. The nature of a railway line means the banking is often too steep or overgrown for a tent but from time to time there is a great spot.

{Perfect pitch!}

John appeared, cycling easily towards me, and decided to carry on back towards Ellon, then catch me up at Auchnagatt where he'd parked the van beside the Village Hall. 

{Crossing the road in Auchnagatt}

I arrived, found the van, and waited......

{Intrepid cyclist....}

We decided to camp the night at the caravan site at Aden Country Park, this has a special rate for pensioners. The food I'd packed for the evening seemed to still be frozen (!) so the obvious choice was to find a curry - so we set off to Peterhead..........

A 'proper' walk......well, almost......

My arm seems to be healing a bit and is now more comfortable - although still prone to severe aching from time to time.

It seemed time to go further afield and try a 'proper' little walk. We set off to Briancon and then into the Val Claree.  During the summer holidays the road is difficult with narrow old villages to get past on-coming vehicles and limited parking areas. We drove as far as Rubion where the road is closed off and a shuttle bus runs up to Nevache during July and August. We parked by the bus stop but wandered into the village instead.

It was a pleasure to see flower-filled Alpine meadows where last winter I was cross-country ski-ing.

A small hotel/bar provided us with lunch although the service was slow it was friendly and the food worth the wait.

After that we went up and over the Col de l'Echelle. Despite its name the way up was gentle and easy - down the other side a bit more precipitous with several hairpin bends and a couple of tunnels through the rocks. This was the first time in 12 years we'd taken this road.

Eventually we reached our destination - a small car-park in the Vallee Etroite (Narrow Valley). The little walk would take us to a small lake - Lago Verde (Lac Vert or Green Lake). This valley seems to be undecided whether it is in France or Italy. The notices and road signs were in Italian but the architecture and most of the other visitors were French. Might be to do with the War?

{Setting off towards the Refuge}

Our friends (Maryann and Jeff) had suggested this trip and just as we turned a corner, before reaching the Refuge, we were astonished to bump into them - they were just coming down from Mount Thabor  - so an unplanned coffee break was in order! The prices were definitely Italian - 1 euro for a coffee!

{First stop - coffee break}

The valley is absolutely beautiful with high rocky sides and a river at the bottom. As is usual in these parts any walking paths were well signposted. I had chosen to wear my Columbia walking sandals - they're really grippy and comfortable. The whole walk should probably take just over an hour - but it would have to be at half speed for me.

{Easy walking with Mount Thabor in the distance}

I decided to keep going along the easy track but was prepared to go back if things became too steep or difficult. We crossed a small stream on stepping stones and then walked down towards the river where there was a bridge.

{Across the river}

Almost there, but suddenly I felt less confident - ahead was a steeper track winding up a well-worn hillside. Not so good! I persuaded John to go on to take a photo of the lake and I found a large rock to sit on and wait. The going up would have been OK but the coming back down looked a bit more challenging - with loose rocks and sandy soil and I couldn't risk a slip or worse, a fall. He returned after about 25 minutes and confirmed that it was more than I could have felt comfortable with - and that the lake was truly green!

{Lac Vert}

We took a different path back making a circular walk of it. There were some places I had to use his helping hand for security on little descents but through the forest was definitely cooler and we were soon back at the van.

There are plenty more walking routes in the area to explore and once my arm is more useful I'll certainly go back and try some of them. With the camper van, we will be able to spend a couple of days there. There are  bike routes too.

It was such a relief to get out; I think I was smiling for the rest of the evening!

A wet one..............

Despite the wonky steering on my bike, I planned a short excursion for us today. It was our own version of a triathlon - three events - a bit of biking, a long lunch, then shopping (only for food though, this time).

It being Saturday - it's our 'eat what you like' day - with no holds barred.

The biking was held up a short time while Him Indoors tried to fix the wonkiness of my steering - after the re-assembling of the stem and handle bars it seemed a bit better - well, if not, I'd soon get used to it! We generally faffed around, getting dressed up in the appropriate gear, then put the bikes on the van so we could drive them down to somewhere flat to start........

By this time the sky was a bit heavy and there were some dark clouds lurking above the mountain tops. Fortunately it was still very warm. Setting off along a bumpy stony track was followed by a tip-toe (not easy carrying a bike) across a rather deep stream, and then more bumpiness until we reached the road. At which point the rain came down.

{Maybe not a good day to choose for a bike ride!}

Our objective was a little lake and the restaurant beside it, at Roche de Rame. Viewranger told me it was nearly 7 kms from where we started and more importantly, where we'd left the van. In good weather this lake beside the road is busy with sunbathers, paddlers, pedalos, and children playing.

{Deserted lake at Roche de Rame}

At the restaurant hiding under a large umbrella were a few customers and quite a few empty tables. We bagged one and ordered lunch. Still the rain came down, I could see it bouncing off the surface of the lake and dripping off the edge of the umbrella.

{Rain bouncing off the lake...

and the restaurant tables}

We had nearly ordered a second coffee each when the rain lessened and the sky looked a bit brighter. No more putting off the second leg of the biking. This time we stayed on the road most of the way back. Each lorry or car left us a bit wetter. My bike didn't handle too well on the wet road surface, and what with the wild steering I was relieved to get back to the van in one piece. Phew!

The shopping was uneventful but necessary.....

{John's lunch wins - mine was only a pizza!}