As we had finally started to move out of the ice age, and some semblance of spring was in the air, I decided it was the perfect time to discover the Trossachs in more depth. Having spent the last 5 or 6 years doing some serious trudging up munros, the Trossachs have been somewhat overlooked by me due to their lack of vertical challenge. This is somewhat unfair and the area, about 45 mins north of Glasgow, is characterised by lush forests, stunning lochs, plentiful wildlife and numerous hills. William Wallace and Rob Roy once hid here and the region has miles of trails to be explored - just the place to further the supreme beings growing interest in the great outdoors (despite not ticking any munros for me).
Even for seasoned explorers every day is a school day, and one lesson learned in our adventures is that it's important to agree on the final destination before setting off. An unfortunate incident involving someone turning right out the car park and someone turning left, both heading to where they were certain they were supposed to be for lunch, led to a somewhat disjointed dining experience for two halves of the Rooke clan. Loch Katrine is 8 miles long as the crow flies (and 20 miles end to end by car), which when the family is split at either end lunch conversation becomes somewhat difficult. At least there was a cafe at either end of the Loch so no-one went hungry...
Despite such minor detours, both weekends were a great success and Emily loved seeing her cousins, Ruth, Chloe and Will once more, as well as Jenny and Dave. She may be the youngest in the riot of Rookes but she certainly gives her generation a run for their money - I think they all left shattered! And as I put her to bed tonight though I think she was missing all their cuddles as she seemed to not want to settle...so let's hope they come back soon.
A rare sighting of Daddy Rooke caught on camera with his mate and young
A fledgling Rooke out the nest and enjoying the sun for the first time
Two Rookes with a particularly brightly crested Lockett bird
The Southern Rookes migrated north
Four female Rookes
Loch Ard with Ben Lomond in the background
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