Scotland Glen Carron & Torridon trip June 2025
This year's trip took thirteen of us to Glen Carron and Torridon area in northwest Scotland staying at a shooting lodge in Glen Carron. This was a long journey so some of us decided to stop on route at Moffat hostel & we included a visit to the Falkirk wheel on the canal network. On our return journey we stayed overnight at Kirby Stephen to break the journey.
The first few days of the week was forecast to be cold and very windy with 65 mph winds this resulted in us using my ‘Plan B’ the low-level walks for the first few days. First day's walk from Achnashellac the Coire Lair & Easan Dorcha circuit. 15km 560m height gain. With some bright spots between the showers and beautiful Scot’s pine woods & waterfalls we also found a well-placed hut called ‘The Tea house’ at lunch time & enjoyed some lovely views of Loch Carron on our return.
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Evening Walks 2025
We have enjoyed four evening walks in the lighter evenings this summer; from Ashington, a circular woodland walk seeing the last of the bluebells and finishing at the Red Lion for a sociable drink after a warm evening. Next we walked around Knepp rewilded estate, leaving from Dial Post village green and spotting deer, Exmoor ponies, white storks on the nest and in flight, the longhorn cattle, rabbits and evidence of the pigs. We watched from the bird hide and listened to many different calls of the water birds, before visiting the remains of the old keep on its mound, returning to Dial Post as the sun set. Our midweek offering in July was a 6 mile circular from Bramber castle along one bank of the river Adur and back – through thick undergrowth – along the other side and finishing in the village pub for a swift half pint. We heard reed warblers and again saw a beautiful sunset.
Walks were led by Sue Waton and Ali Edwards
Arundel Binsted and Tortington day walk
Setting out from a busy Arundel where the Castle was holding a medieval weekend, we walked quickly away from the noise and bustle and were soon into ancient woodland, deep and thick, surprisingly silent for the time of year. A short road walk brought us to a green lane which became steadily more overgrown, encouraging those of us with handy secateurs and scythes (!) to use them against the nasty brambles. Crossing the railway, we followed fields to Ford church where we stopped for lunch before finding our way to the riverside and following it back along its meandering course to the town. A decent 10 miles and some varied scenery – and the mizzle held off until we were all back in the cars before raining hard for a short time!
Walk leader: Sue Waton
Kingley Vale Day walk
On a very warm day we were glad to start off in the shade of these ancient twisted and gnarled yews, winding our way around between them until we came across the grandmother(father?) tree which had a circle of new uprights growing from its old branches that had touched the ground around it. Up onto the ridge for long ranging views of Chichester harbour and beyond, looking across to Portsmouth as we had a quick coffee stop at the tumps – bronze age barrows. We picked up the Monarch’s way down towards Stoughton and through to the next village for a lunch stop before taking a gently climbing path again through cool woodland up towards the top of the vale, descending the other ‘arm’ and back to the track leading to the start point.
Walk leader: Ant Waton