a walk to the lightning tree

Yesterday Tom produced a short time lapse of a short walk to and from the apple tree, and I thought you might like to see it.

The walk takes you from where the top of our garden meets the west Highland way, and up the hill, to the edge of the Auchengillan estate. On the way you pass the apple tree. You see the Campsie Fells to the right / east, and Ben Lomond and the Trossachs in the distance to the left / west. As you turn to retrace your steps, our steading and the loch behind it are visible to the right, and there’s a lovely view all across the Blane Valley. The time lapse also conveys one of the things I enjoy most about being here at this time of year – the overwhelming green of the landscape. New grass pushes up through the old, the hedges and trees burst forth, and though I’m not a fan of bracken (especially when it grows to chest height and impedes my walks), there is still something heartening about seeing it uncurl and stretch and grow. The time lapse takes you into the middle of the tree itself, before it ends. You don’t hear the sound of the cuckoos or the curlews, or the noise of Bruce snuffling and bounding, but I hope you enjoyed this short walk out from my back door.


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Comments

46 responses to “a walk to the lightning tree”

  1. How fun! Thank you for sharing your walk. What are the purple flowers I spied at the top of the hill there? I couldn’t tell…

  2. Claire Avatar

    Wonderful video! I’m on holiday in Speyside right now, there is yellow everywhere with both the gorse and broom in full flower. The scent was amazing when we visited Clava Cairns on the way here from Caithness.
    Then today we went to the bridge at Craigellachie, where a black Labrador was having great fun retrieving sticks from the river. I immediately thought of Bruce.
    Of course there was a Distillery visit too…

  3. Wow! I’m speechless by this wonder of nature. Beautiful!

  4. hannahstitch Avatar
    hannahstitch

    Beautiful. It looks like heaven. You are lucky to live there. the shape of the Apple tree is too good, it looks a wall paper to me. Thanks for giving me a chance to look at it.

  5. Susan Huffnan Avatar
    Susan Huffnan

    Thank you for sharing that walk, it is so cheerful to see Bruce bounding along, I feel like I am there too.

  6. Linda A Avatar
    Linda A

    Cool time-lapse!
    Your landscape is good for the soul.
    Beautiful.

  7. Jacky (jkyy on Ravelry) Avatar
    Jacky (jkyy on Ravelry)

    Thank you for that, Kate, Tom and Bruce – a walk I have done many times (I live locally) and extra welcome as I am recovering from a hip replacement and can’t go out in the lovely weather we have enjoyed lately. Once I’m off my crutches, there will be no stopping me!
    To compensate, I have ordered lots of yarn (as if I needed more!) and a veritable wool mountain arrived this morning – lots of colours, so exciting! EVERYONE is getting socks for Christmas this year!

  8. Thank you for allowing us to come with you. Beautiful!

  9. NancyMac Avatar
    NancyMac

    Thank you for sharing a piece of heaven! Sigh :)

  10. Helle Mortensen Avatar
    Helle Mortensen

    Dear Kate,
    I’ve been binge reading your blog from start to finish these past few weeks and it’s been an absolutely enthralling read.
    I’m setting out to walk the WHW on the 30th, so your accounts of this part of Scotland, has been of particular interest to me. I can’t remember being this excited about a trip for a very, very long time, and this post just added to my anticipation.
    Thank you for a truly inspirational and informative blog.

    1. We just got home from walking the WHW – largely inspired by Kate’s blog. Absolutely wonderful, we loved every bit of bit of it. Hope yours goes as well.
      Deborah from Bath

  11. How cool, that means that I will pass by your yard when walking the West Highland Way in September. Looking forward to that an to seeing these great landscapes. :-)

  12. Fantastic! How many miles did I actually walk today? Ha!

    1. tomarbel Avatar
      tomarbel

      Wonderful. All that lovely territory for Bruce to explore. He’s a lucky dog. And so are we, since we get to share.

  13. Kathy D Avatar
    Kathy D

    Beautiful – love that apple tree! And to think that is your yard – full of inspiration!

  14. Trudy Elliott Avatar
    Trudy Elliott

    Beautiful. And I can’t help loving Bruce!

  15. Nancy Avatar

    Lovely. Thank you.

  16. I am curious to know what time of the day it was when you filmed your walk. Thank you very much for this.

    Anna

  17. I loved being with you.

  18. Carol M Avatar
    Carol M

    The colors of the Highlands – Breathtaking! I will view it over and over.
    Loved the surprise ending with the blossoms of the tree. Thank you.

  19. Sally Avatar

    Lovely, with all of that bouncy u.v. light and handsome Bruce!

  20. Staci Avatar

    Beautiful. If I ever manage to get myself to Scotland, I may never leave.

  21. LisaJ Avatar

    So beautiful. Thanks so much for the clip. It was a great idea!

  22. Caroline Gaudy Avatar
    Caroline Gaudy

    So very beautiful! Thanks for the view from Tom’s eyes.

  23. janscamera Avatar
    janscamera

    Thank you. That was wonderful. So nice to see Bruce enjoying his walk. Love the tree.

  24. Connie Avatar

    What a lucky dog to get to be able to walk everyday in such a beautiful place. I would love that!

  25. Karen Halchuk Avatar
    Karen Halchuk

    A gift of peace and calm to center oneself. Thank you for sharing your walk.

  26. selmaho1 Avatar
    selmaho1

    Such a beautiful walk! Wishing to see it live!

  27. I’m so very jealous! Just lovely!!!

  28. Simply beautiful! I love how Bruce appears and disappears from sight ;-)

  29. Betty Tyler Avatar
    Betty Tyler

    Can you believe you live in such a beautiful spot? Thanks for the view.

  30. Thank you for the trip! The place is amazing – perfect for long walks and picnics and flower picking and savouring nature with all your senses!

  31. Serra Avatar

    Beautiful!

  32. Tereza Avatar

    I don´t know if you will believe it but the hill we see at 0:07 was my favourite place of our first two days on the West Highland Way when we walked it in 2014. A year later when I got my Seven Skeins Club package with your address on it I used Google Street View to check where exactly on the WHW you lived (now that I could link it to my memories of our trek) and was truly amazed to arrive precisely at The Hill! Thank you for the video!

    1. that hill is called Dumgoyne, Tereza, and the view from the top of it is pretty good too!

      1. Tereza Avatar

        I should have written “the little hill Tom with the camera walks on at 0:07” — not the Dumgoyne peak further down the valley, but I liked that one as well!

          1. Tereza Avatar

            Yes, That Humble Little Hill Just On Your Doorstep (there was no name on our map)! Proof here :-) http://aconita.sweb.cz/jine/IMG_8276.JPG

            1. wow – yes – I see that precise view every morning!

  33. Irene Avatar

    oh wow, wonderful! I always thought you live in or near Glencoe, but this is more Balloch-aera? It is a lovely tour.. We always try to go at least once a year to Scotland. I’d move there if i could.

    Thanks for lovely video

  34. Catherine Avatar
    Catherine

    Now I have the old “Follyfoot” theme song stuck in my head….”Down in the meadow where the wind blows free….”

    1. agh – its a terrible ear worm!

  35. MORAG ROSSI Avatar
    MORAG ROSSI

    I walked the WHW a few years ago. I’m originally from the West Coast but have lived in London for 30 years.
    I walked with 3 best friends…best times, company and landscape. Very inspiring!!!

  36. And WHAT walk!!!!
    How lovely.

  37. Veronika Avatar
    Veronika

    Wow! What a wonderful landscape you are living in. Thank you for sharing!

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