Today I met and walked with the Walker 3 times - all of them finishing with a pub stop! The first assignation was at Kirkintilloch. I had time to visit the museum and discover that amongst other things the town is famous for producing red telephone boxes and post boxes. I'd like to follow the town history trail at a later date.
Leftover picture from yesterday! Been in trouble with the management all day for posting the 'wrong' picture from the top of Linlithgow Palace - this is the 'right' picture!
Milngavie town is much nicer than I recall from our visit in 2004. The man in the information centre was really helpful, a couple who saw me looking at my map to find the Allander Way insisted on directing me and, once again, I've sold the van to an interested gentleman1 A very busy day!!
From Bernie:
Today's walk 15.7 miles : Cumulative 963.0 miles
Need to start with another pronunciation pointer just in case you ever find yourself in northern Glasgow! Milngavie is pronounced 'Mull-guy'.... though I don't think locals would misdirect you, so many people get it wrong - they'd just laugh at you!
Auchinstarry Canal Basin, Kilsyth - once used by the enormous quarry nearby, now a popular climbing spot
Kirkintilloch had been the original intended finishing point on yesterday's walk, until I added a few miles, & that might have given me a bit more time to look around. Not only famous for bright-red ironwork, the town also built many of the old 'puffer' boats which plied their trade up & down the canal, around the Clyde &, as we've seen on previous expeditions, between the Western Isles. The canals of England & Wales have, or had, pubs at very regular intervals; not so in Scotland & Kirkintilloch was, in fact, a completely 'dry' town in the years between 1921 & 1968!
A 'Kirky Puffer' - one of several painted on the town's roads!
Just about exhausted all the interesting canal features east of Glasgow (only one canal left to go!) so I was pleased to turn away into what I thought would be the historic countryside around the site of the Antonine Wall. No footpaths so I chose what looked like a quiet, innocuous back road - turned out to be a manic narrow raceway connecting Milngavie with the city centre and with 2 landfill sites beside it the traffic was quite big! Most frightening bit of LeJog.... & I don't really want to add, so far!
St. Mary's Church, Kirkintilloch - houses an impressive town museum
Highlight of the Day: a quiet moment in the garden of the 'Tickled Trout' at Boclair, while I was waiting for the manager to wander out from Milngavie for a late afternoon drink. Checking notes & mileages I realised Lejog is three-quarters complete; looking at my map I could see I was about to make my final real change of direction... from here it's more-or-less all northwards; most significantly, I was only 2 miles from the start of 'The West Highland Way' & familiar territory! I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve!!
Milngavie Town Centre
Beer of the Day: since 1968 one or two pubs have appeared in Kirkintilloch &, appropriately, we stopped at 'The Kirky Puffer, a well-known Wetherspoon's in the town's old police station. First Scottish pub on this walk with a whole range of interesting ales, including a Woodforde's, a Titanic & 'Dark Island' from Orkney. I opted for 'Trade Winds' from the Cairngorm Brewery - light, hoppy, fruity, with a sharp bite: this is a good beer & if I'd had a bit more time I'd have had another!
Tomorrow's Starting Point! Can't wait!
Song of the Day (an occasional series!): I walked all day with the Campsie Fells rolling impressively away from me to the north &, tomorrow, at the beginning of 'The West Highland Way' I walk towards them. Today's 'song' is an album! 'North Hills' by Dawes: released a couple of years ago, it reminded me of early Band stuff & was a favourite for quite a while!
Janice: great to hear from you again & thanks for your kind contribution! Hope you have a great summer.... not long to go now
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