a family walk
In the afternoon we decided to go on a family walk. Sam was going to take us to the Campsies but we decided on the more local Loch Ardinning nature reserve. It is only a 15 min drive out of Glasgow and lies more or less opposite Mugdock Country Park, a well known and loved destination for city dwellers seeking the great outdoors with the comfort of a coffee shop, a small garden centre and a play ground. It can be very busy there. The nature reserve is not very well known and parking is not great, making it a great destination if you seek Scottish wilderness at its best without a three hour drive.
Our walk took us through many different landscapes. Starting off with a Highlands feel you soon get on top of a moor where the winds are so fierce that little children struggle to remain on their feet. From there, a hike through the high moor leads down into the woodlands where soon the bluebells will start to appear. From there the path leads down towards the Loch and the landscape changes to pasture and then to bog. It is there where we took a turn of the main path (following a 10 year old leader), leading us into the bog proper. Imagine dense woodland in a marsh. Several willies were left behind, it was squelchy and wet and spongy. It remains a mystery to me how some of the grassy mounds completely disappear in the bog when you step on them and others remain perfectly firm, giving a good foothold. Eventually, we ended up where we had started. It was quite a picture, 6 muddy creatures, red faced, wind swept and tired.
Up in the high moor we found shelter behind rocks and Sam prepared tea and hot chocolate on his camp stove. We also enjoyed hazelnut short bread that I made on Friday following this recipe on Mrs Thomasina Tittlemouse's blog. It was quite heavenly.
We spent the rest of the afternoon doing our own little things. Sam was playing MineCraft, Annie was making table decorations for our dinner, James and Alistair were playing the Wii, Richard was tinkering with our heating system and I sewed a little tunic for a friends daughter.
The muddy boot are still in the porch, drying out.
I hope you are enjoying a lovely weekend, too. Cx
What a nice day you all had. I love to visit Asian markets, it's always interesting. I like any food store, really, and I always visit one when I go to a new place. I'm fascinated to see what other people eat. The walk looks lovely. Your family is beautiful, you all look very happy!
ReplyDeleteAh, my old happy stomping ground when we lived in Balmore village, so thanks for sharing these lovely pics :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd ooh, hazelnut shortbread! I'm hopping over to check out the recipe right now.
Have a happy week
Xx
You all look like you had a lovely day. We also have the 'minecraft' phase going on in our house, it's a battle to get them to stop playing! I really don't understand the interest, but it keeps them happy I suppose (and quiet!) That shortbread looks delicious. :)
ReplyDeleteI always enjoy seeing images of what lies outside other people's back doors. So different to our own landscape. Lovely photo of you Christina and your beautiful shortbread.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a blissful day. The scenery is beautiful, and the walk sounds fantastic - just like "We're Going on a Bear Hunt". There's a walk that we do too that reminds me of that book. I love that you took a camping stove with you, that's a great idea, it makes it into a real adventure.
ReplyDeleteIt is funny, I did think of this story on our walk. Our smallest boy is terrified by the story and we don't often read the book. The camping stove is a must on all our longer walks, keeps the children motivated to carry on when the little legs are tired. x
DeleteLooks like a lovely walk! Fascinated by your purchases from the Chinese supermarket. What do you do with dried jellyfish?
ReplyDeleteWe didn't actually buy the jellyfish, I am a bit squeamish with things like that. We bought some more conventional foods, dumplings and a bag of bones for stock.
DeleteChinese supermarkets are great, aren't they? I love all that colourful packaging and exotic food (although I'm with you on the whole squeamish thing - we usually stock up on noodles and chopsticks and other sundries).
ReplyDeleteWe'd love to move up to Scotland in the future and the beautiful open spaces are a major pull for us. Your shortbread and hot chocolate stop sounds perfect too - I think it was probably well-earned!
Sarah x
I have a Chinese daughter-in-law, and going to a Chinese market with her is awesome. I can actually figure out what everything is!
ReplyDeleteYour family hike sounds like it was a memory making time. There is nothing I like better than hiking, and my favourite place to do so is in Scotland. Except for those bits of disappearing grass in the bogs. :-)
Fabulous walk and wonderful clear photos. You left several willies behind?
ReplyDeleteAlways good to see someone else's home ground.
Ahhh lovely Post. This scenery is exactly how I picture the landscape from The Hobbit for some reason with all the moors and bog. So gorgeous!. I love these photos of the family, so nice to see you all, family walks are the best! Mel x
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely sounding walk in such beautiful surroundings.
ReplyDeleteHey Christina,
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous walk. That picture of the hills, oh my goodness! Such beauty. And how lovely to see a family shot. I'm always behind the camera, and really should get a couple of me with mine this year. When I was at Leeds Uni, me and my friend Peter could often be found in the Asian supermarket not fr from where we lived. It was all so much cheaper than our local Morrisons. And they would cash a cheque for a fiver, even hough you were over your overdraft limit. Oh and I snorted with laughter at your reply to Kristie's post at North of 49!!
Leanne xx
Great photos of your adventure. I miss family walks as the teen considers himself too old for such activities.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant photographs Christina. What a fantastic walk. We don't go quite so rugged at the moment as the buggy isn't cut out for it! :) BigR went on a nursery trip to the Chinese supermarket at Chinese New Year. She loved it and often asks to go there just to look!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful picture of you -- you radiate health and happiness.
ReplyDeleteI have spend most of the day reading your blog and have found it to be delightful, refreshing, and encouraging.Bookmarked so I can check back often!
Regards
Pat
What a beautiful picture of you -- you radiate health and happiness.
ReplyDeleteI have spend most of the day reading your blog and have found it to be delightful, refreshing, and encouraging.Bookmarked so I can check back often!
Regards
Pat