Peering Through...

A chance to escape the city for the day (since I'm back in the office tomorrow, though with only 2 or 3 of us in we're planning on bunking off around lunchtime). We headed north - it had been a while since we'd been to Glen Lyon, and took out usual route through Killin and over the high road past Ben Lawers.

The Falls of Dochart at Killin weren't at their most spectacular, but the temperature inversion thingy which saw either side of the valley bathed in sunlight while Killin did a passable impression of a Hammer Horror set, was worth the trip.

Amusing moment of the day came on the high road as we saw people turning round in a passing place further ahead. A chap in a new Landrover Disco had been coming the other way and we had seen him explaining all sorts to the people who were turning round. His window came down when alongside and he explained that further on there were about 30 metres of sheet ice and it was 'interesting'.

Do you have 4 wheel drive? he asked, looking at our Mini... Erm, no. But we'll have a look. Two of the u-turners also informed us of the sad state of affairs. And yet we plugged on. No ice. No ice. No ice. Ooh look, some ice... About 10 metres worth, if that, on a straight section of road. Approach slowly and sensibly, feet off the pedals and... Over. No drama.

Now the guy was really just trying to help, obviously, and that's a good thing. But it really struck as a typical modern urban 4x4 driver over-reacting and thinking he only got over things because of his wondrous beast, and also this society we live in that has no idea about real versus apparent danger or problems. Perceptions these days rule the roost. Perhaps that's why the Daily Wail sells as well as it does. After all, we've all got to keep our kids inside in case the illegal immigrant asylum seeking eastern European paedophiles who killed our people's princess get them...

And so we got into Glen Lyon, rather than forlornly turning back. Followed a little later by a number of other cars. None of them four wheel drive. And none sporting ice-related-leaving-the-road-dents.

That Killin/Loch Tay inversion

Odd geometric ice formations

Loch lubnaig Frozen over