Hiking Without Supervision

It started off overcast and gray… normal I guess. It stopped raining, so I took my raincoat off. Five minutes later, it started raining again, so put my coat on. That’s what it was like all morning: rain/coat on, stoprain/coat off, sun/rain put the brolly up. But it was still a lovely walk. And, since the canal is paved the whole way, I haven’t needed my poles yet. Puddles but no mud.

I pretty much had the canal to myself with the exception of a few hardy runners and cyclists. Those cyclist bastards are lucky they are on bikes and I can’t catch them. I have decided there are four types of cyclists: the ones that ring the bell and give you a heads up and a thank you when they pass; the ones that are almost nice but ring their bell when they are right on your arse so they can scare the crap out of you; the stealth ones that don’t say shit and come whizzing by when your mind is a million miles away; and the groups that don’t say a thing and there are a million of them that just keep on passing – forcing you on to the grass verge and balancing for dear life. F**kers all of them.

It’s a good thing I’m enjoying the scenery.

I didnt tape up my feet as I should have this morning and got a bad blister. Had to stop in a bus shelter out of the rain to be Dr. Kate and get it sorted.

I made it to the little village of Kirkintilloch which was surprisingly busy for such a wee place. I spotted a Gregg’s and went in for a sausage roll and Irn Bru for lunch . Brahhhh. Cannie beat that.

The rest of the day was uneventful all the way to Falkirk where I took a train back to Dundee to spend the night and fix up my toe.