Feed

As a group we decided to take our Apple birds feeders to our local Green Space - Springburn Park. We made our way to some lush green woodland where we decided the feeders would do the most good. Working with Alice and Peter we decided on the most suitable locations and also heights for our bird feeders before getting to work and hanging each individual feeder. Our plan is to revisit them next week and while some of us had visions of the feeders being attacked in an avalanche of brilliant beaks and the razor sharp gnawing teeth of mice and squirrels the rest of the group hoped that there would be more than just limp hanging string floating in the wind when we return. Our investigation into Nature, The Environment and Active Learning next week!! To be continued......

I started the day trepidatiously. Here it was, the biggest day (18.5 miles) with the hilliest terrain and the worst forecast weather so far. My walking companions were waiting for me as I left the hotel, comparing notes with a couple who were walking the John Muir Way in the other direction and who were warning me about exposed sections on the hills. Keith was there to join us again for a short while, as was one of my oldest family friends, Lindsay, while Alan - who volunteers for Sustrans around Balloch - had elected to chum me the whole way. Keith showed us a couple more local things as we left Strathblane, including the new community library, and we tramped uphill and onto the Gowk Stone Road. Keith and Lindsay had to turn back here for other commitments, and Alan and I carried on, on an unintended extra loop of the forest (lesson - chat less, navigate more) and onto the West Highland Way, past the first of the Carbeth Huts, a community of over 140 huts in existence since the 1920s. My stamping station stop today was Edenmill Farm Shop, where my 'Auntie' Wendi (Lindsay's mum) and pup Minty met us, and filled us with sugary drinks and cakes to ease the journey. The stamp was strong and sideways. By this point, we knew the weather window was closing in on us as Storm Agnes swept up the country from the south west, so heads down, one foot in front of the other, round the rollercoaster track skirting Burncrook Reservoir and sheltering quickly in a pine forest for our packed lunch, as a robin watched carefully for crumbs and the rain found its way through the needles to us anyway. From there Alan knew the route well and was able to guide us the remaining miles along the road past cottages and farms, joining route 7 of the National Cycle Network, getting the first glimpses of Loch Lomond and then into Balloch Country Park, past the castle and to Alan's local for a congratulatory pint. Alan is immensely good company and, at 77, has a lifetime of stories to share about his time in the police and mountain rescue, and as a golf caddy and ski tourer. Plus some secrets about his music tastes - what's said on the walk stays on the walk. Importantly for me, we also spent some time talking about his experiences of volunteering for Sustrans, giving me valuable feedback that can sometimes get lost in so many other tasks. So a very wet but very rewarding day. And finding a gluten-free fish supper rounded it off, while my kit dries in my guesthouse room. One more day to go. What on earth am I going to do on Friday??

On many days of this walk we've spoken about whether John Muir ever did go to Helensburgh, where the John Muir Way ends. Many accounts simply state that he 'emigrated to America', others suggest he sailed from Greenock, and his own writing mentions Glasgow. So why does the walk start (or in my case, end) in Helensburgh? Coming into Balloch yesterday, the answer became perhaps a bit clearer. There are roads named Muir Crescent and Muir Street, and everywhere there are signs for the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park, Scotland's first National Park, created and opened in 2002. The Park Authority Headquarters are here too. John Muir, of course, was instrumental in creating the National Park system in America calling for protection of the wilderness area in Yosemite which was established as a National Park in 1890. Wikipedia tells us that "despite the lack of true wilderness the idea that areas of Scotland having wild or remote character should be designated to protect the environment and encourage public access" was growing in popularity at that time too and a report in 1945 proposed national parks in five areas, one of which was Loch Lomond and The Trossachs. However it wasn't until the Scottish Parliament was formed in 1999 and passed the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000, that this area covering 720 square miles was designated. I remember it well - at the time I was working in the Environment Group of the Scottish Executive as a civil servant, and actually left there in 2000 to undertake a Professional Naturalist Training Programme in Minnesota, one state over from Wisconsin where John Muir studied botany and geology. So, why wouldn't the John Muir Way pass through the first National Park in his homeland - a much greater legacy than whether or not the boat left from there.

The last day! The rain had stopped, I'd tracked down a strong coffee in Balloch and filled my water bottles from the free tap in the town centre. To kick it off I went into the Visit Scotland iCentre to get the final section of my passport stamped. The staff in there already knew me as "from Sustrans" - news travels fast - and inked the last square, with congratulations and good luck for the walk ahead. Meanwhile my final day's buddies were gathering outside - Alistair and John from Sustrans Renfrewshire Thursday Volunteer Group and Lucy from the John Muir Trust who has supported all three levels of my John Muir Award over the years. Alan joined us again too, to lead us out of Balloch, bringing me packets of condensed milk that I'd envied yesterday. The route out of Balloch led us up up up uphill, so that I started to understand why most people walk in the other direction. We joined the Stoneymollan Road - an old coffin road that people used to carry the dead to consecrated ground to be buried - and headed into the forest before a short detour to the Gouk Hill viewpoint looking out over Loch Lomond, Ben Lomond and the Argyll hills. Alan left to head home for lunch and the rest of us carried on skirting round Ben Bowie, onto an uninspiring section along the busy A818 but which allowed us to fill a #2minutecleanup bag. Once again today's walk allowed me so much time to just talk and listen, getting more insights into volunteering for Sustrans, hearing more about the numbers of people completing their John Muir Award (huge), and finding many similarities in Lucy and my jobs, as well as all the social chat about best/first gigs, conservation holidays and how to get a Reliant Robin up a steep hill (answer: backwards). Hill House, the Rennie Mackintosh-designed house, is currently under The Box - a protective steel frame structure covered in a chainmail mesh designed to protect the house from the rain while conservation is taking place - which was pretty impressive as we passed. A final long straight to Helensburgh waterfront and we reached the circular stone plinth that marks the end (or start) of the John Muir Way. Created by WAVEparticle 'Overhead/Underfoot' incorporates carved footprints intended for walkers to stand in when they reach it, alongside the star map of the day John Muir died (24.12.1914) and one of his more famous quotes. Lucy, Alistair, John and I squeezed in for a selfie on the plinth and admired the newer stone bench installed in 2022 to mark the 8th anniversary of the John Muir Way opening, before heading for a well-earned coffee at the Leisure Centre and parting ways - them heading home on the bus and train, and me for a rest and a few moments' reflection on the sea wall. What a 10 days. 134 miles coast to coast across Scotland on foot, through places I've never been to, and with 31 lovely people who I'm so grateful to for coming along. I'll finish the last 8 days of this Award in some way over the coming weeks but what after that? A friend in America left me a comment on Facebook on day 1..."You know, the John Muir trail goes right by my house. You should come hike it." Hmmm......!

This was to be our first session working with Glasgow Countryside Ranger Gavin. Gavin's plan was not only to introduce the learners to himself but to nature with a Nature Walk and Ranger Talk in the nearby Bishops Loch Woodland. Many of the learners are familiar with this area but were surprised when they found out some of the interesting facts shared by our Countryside Ranger talk. The aim of the day was to share our experiences, learn from one another and our stories while listening all the time. Our focus is on nature and how this can improve our wellbeing and with this in mind we set off walking, talking, listening and learning for around throughout the afternoon. For some of us simply being outdoors is a change from our normal routine and when asked if the activity had impacted our health and wellbeing these were some of the words the learners used to describe how they felt during and after the activity. Physical (Walking - We did hundreds of steps), Emotional (I felt Calm and content), Mental - (I was happy, simple as that) and finally Social (It was good being out and learning like this, being active gets my mind going).

This was to be our second day with Glasgow Countryside Rangers Linzi and Fiona in our investigation into Nature and Health and Wellbeing. During our first and fantastic visit to Pollok Park we had walked through only a small part of the park while we made plans and discussed them with Linzi and Fiona. We wanted to explore nature and the impact it can have, we wondered if it can impacts our health in positive ways and we were soon to find that it truly can.....

Countryside Rangers Fiona and Linzi had created a safe space in the nearby woodland where we would take part in our activity. In the clearing we took our seats and began the day, learning about fire safety as well as a many other things. The two Rangers gave a talk on why they had become Countryside Rangers. They talked about their own learning adventure and how 'Good Life Choices' had brought them to this point. They asked us questions about where we wanted to go, what we wanted to be and how we would get there. We talked about health and wellbeing and both Rangers shared their thoughts on how nature impacts them and the people around us. As we talked we worked and learned the techniques, responsibilities and art of woodland fire safety. Then onwards.....

Using Steel Flint Strikers we safely created our own small balls of flames, practicing doing this under the careful attention of Fiona and Linzi. We learned that we should create kindling and so again under the supervision of our Countryside Rangers we learned how to safely split would using a Bill Hook Axe and safely prepare our fire. We had brought safety equipment with us and had recycled a flat metal dish which was perfect as a base for our camp fire. With water at hand in case of emergency our fire was born and this we later realized became the focal point for our group discussions. As we became relaxed and our thoughts and ideas grew in intensity like the flames of the fire we listened and learned. We bathed in the green woodland, taking in the air and sounds that sprung up all around us. Before we knew it we had to go although judging by the looks on the faces of the learners this had come all too soon......