Glen Kinglass and the dead deer

Once I cycle past Loch Dochard, I often just abandon my bike in the heather beside the land rover track and take to the hills on foot. I have no concerns of the bike being touched as I have seldom seen anyone this far in the moors. However I do remove the seat and hide it away from the bike, just as a deterrent , in case some undesirable did stumble across it.

Deep in the wilderness only the strong survive. This deer didn’t make it through the winter. Not far from the skull was the remains of its skeleton. It looked like it had died because of a broken leg. Although I travel in these places alone, I have little fear of them. I hope when my time comes, I will depart my mortal coil in such a wilderness. Its a very peaceful place and the views are to die for.

A fallen deer lies beside a little lochan, deep in the wilderness.




Care has to be taken not to fall through the peat “crust” or you may find your head preserved in the same state as the deer skull.



The higher ground is much drier and often paved with huge granite slabs.



Looking back towards Loch Dochard from the ridge top of Sron na h-lolaire. I don’t think many people will have stood on its summit as its well off the beaten track and only 500 meters in height.



Looking into Coire na Caime from the ridge top. Ben Starav is at the head of the coire. I imagined there would be a few walkers on its summit. I was the only person on my summit. I was at peace with the world.



Meall nan Eun reflected perfectly on Loch Dochard as I cycled back to Loch Tulla. I had survived and thoroughly enjoyed another day in the wilderness. It felt great to be alive and well.

Glen Kinglass and Loch Dochard

Although I now have little interest in serious mountaineering, I still enjoy being out and about in the wilderness. I have found the remote valleys and glens of Scotland have far fewer walkers than the munro mountain tops, and still offer that feeling of being “totally alone in the world”.

Sometimes I go into these glens by bicycle, as I can penetrate much further in a shorter period of time. Then I will abandon the bike and take to the hills on foot. One of my favourite glens for this kind of expedition is Glen Kinglass. It is possible to cycle from Victoria Bridge on the western edge of Loch Tulla, past Loch Dochard, into Glen Kinglass, down to Loch Etive then onto Taynuilt.

There is a rough land rover track most of the way. This shows it near the start of the route at the Victoria Bridge end.



There are one or two river crossings to make, so don’t try it when the river Abhairn Shira is in spate.



However it is fordable in normal conditions. I have found it best to get a little speed up and just keep pedalling in low gear. Its all a question of balance



Its uphill all the way to the end of Loch Dochard so be prepared for a few rests on the route



Then its downhill and across some huge granite slabs to the old bridge at the start of Glen Kinglass



It can be very atmospheric in this part of the world if the mist is swirling and lifting



Just keep to the land rover track when the mist is down as it can be very wet on the moors



Loch Dochard is a beautiful place that few folks visit. I like to stop for lunch on its rocky shores.




Its full of wild brown trout too. On a calm day they can be seen sucking in the sedges as they break the water surface. They do make a lovely lunch :-D