It's a holiday weekend up here in Scotland, so where else would we spend it but away in Bodhi? The local weather is looking fine so we've popped 20 minutes up the road to Cobleland Campsite near Aberfoyle. This was our first trip away since we'd returned from our summer holiday, and it marked an important moment as Bodhi's front bumper had finally been repaired after his altercation with a van in Scarborough. With his smile back in place, we just need to get his front grill sprayed, the engine cover repaired and the windscreen replaced! Such a lot of work for a moment's forgetfulness. I'm sure the driver of the van in question won't be leaving his handbrake off again any time soon. With Bodhi safely tucked up on his pitch at Cobleland (we decided to upgrade to an electric pitch as the non-electric ones were in the back of beyond), we jumped on the bikes and headed off on a cycle to Gartmore village and beyond. Typically it was uphill all the way to Gartmore and the children were less than impressed but after that we had a good run down to the main road before crossing into Trossachs Holiday Park (which looked rather nice, I think we'll have to stay there one day) and following the path down to the cycle route on the old railway line which took us back to Cobleland. It's a great loop (apart from the initial climb) and we saw parts of the area that we'd never seen before. The path runs from Buchlyvie to Aberfoyle, where it joins up with Route 7 of the National Cycle Network. The next morning we were back out on the bikes again, this time heading in the opposite direction to Aberfoyle. There, we climbed the hill up to The Lodge, the Forestry Commission's visitor centre for the Queen Elizabeth forest park. If you can, take a walk down to the wildlife hide and you can watch red squirrels all day, stuffing themselves with nuts. There are also lovely walks for all abilities, opportunities to play and get muddy in the trees and a cafe. Our bikes weren't really up the rough paths but it was good fun getting there and the views are amazing. Coming back down again was even more fun! We had some fish and chips for lunch in the village and did a bit of tourist watching. It always amazes me, the volume of people who come to our country on holiday. We're so lucky to live here, it's very easy to take it for granted. After lunch, Tommy headed off for Loch Ard and some photo opportunities. The girls and I went back to look for Bodhi. It looks like he's hiding in the bushes! Not a bad little weekend at all! It certainly beats staying at home. We've had some amazing trips around the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.
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