Las Ramblas return to the world of walking with a short saunter along the Canal at Auchinstarry Marina and back over Croy Hill passing part of the Antonine wall on the way. We had hoped John Lee Hooker would join us but he got lost on Canal Street. Gillian, Avril, Marion, Bruce & Reuben head off without him.
At Auchinstarry marina, on the Forth and Clyde Canal.,there are many moorings next to a hostelry that claims to be the first eco-hotel, restaurant and pub in Scotland. It is a lot more modern than its 18th-century origins, but the presence of horses in neighbouring fields harks back to the days when the animals were stabled nearby to be used as a passenger service along the canal.Nowadays, the canal is a great leisure resource, with walking a popular attraction. On the waterside, you can look out for a variety of bird life, including herons, swans, little grebes and tufted ducks. Just away from the canal, in hedgerows and woodlands, smaller birds fill the air with song, making for a perfect walk.
Starting Point
Marion & Avril head off
Reuben Suggests a different Route
Taking in the View
Lunch
Looking back over the Campsie's
Antonine Wall
The Antonine Wall, known to the Romans as Vallum Antonini, was a turf fortification on stone foundations, built by the Romans across what is now the Central Belt of Scotland, between the Firth of Forth and the Firth of Clyde
