The terrain was wilder today as we walked from Aberfoyle to Callander: all moorland, lochs, and rolling hills with great views. We agreed that some of our photos look like something off chocolate box lids, almost too picturesque, but that’s how it looked.
Category: Walk
Glimpses from a wooded trail
Glimpsed layers of countryside from an often wooded trail on day one of our Rob Roy Way hike along the southern edge of Trossachs National Park. Tonight we’re in Aberfoyle with seven more days of walking ahead. We can still walk as far as we ever did, it just takes us a few more days.
Mall walking: over 500 stores and nothing to buy
Two days in a row now, I’ve opted for a climate-controlled walk. With temperatures hovering around zero, I took the light rail to the Mall of America for a mall walk with friends. We walked past hundreds of stores, all of which, with one exception, did not interest me. After the walk, I did take a look around the LEGO store.
The climate-controlled dilemma
To paraphrase Oscar Wilde: there is only one thing in the world worse than the Skyway, and that is not having the Skyway. While I don’t care for the way it stifles life at street level, I certainly appreciated it today. I enjoyed walking part of the 9½-mile system in shirtsleeves with friends even though it was single digits and windy outside.
Transitioning to color
On our Sunday walk, with temperatures climbing into the high fifties, yesterday’s snowy, monochromatic landscape had found some color. Here at Gold Medal Park the grass and trees are still a few weeks away from fully greening up.
Walking the Hobsonville Coastal Walkway
Walked the 5km Hobsonville Coastal Walkway, which loops around a former Air Force base. Over the last 20 years, the area has been transformed into mostly high-density housing, over 4,000 homes when complete, two schools, restaurants and bars. Developers have offset the footprint with extensive parklands, bush, and trails. It ensures no one is ever far from nature or the water, while a ferry terminal offers a scenic commute to downtown Auckland.
A walk on the edge of Auckland
After a 35-minute high-speed ferry to Pine Harbour on the edge of Auckland, we took a bus through rolling farmland. We then walked back to the harbour via coastal trails, bush paths, and residential areas, enjoying lovely views across the Hauraki Gulf.
Puhinui Stream Forest Trail
Another day, another walk through native bush. Today was the Puhinui Stream Forest Trail in Totara Park, located right next to the Auckland Botanic Gardens we explored a couple of weeks ago.
The island that rose from the sea 600 years ago
Volcanic Rangitoto Island erupted from the sea just 600 years ago. We spent several hours hiking past native bush rapidly establishing itself across the lava fields, eventually reaching the summit for panoramic views.
Pix at Piha’s beach
Morning walk along the black sand beach at the end of our two-night stay in Piha, a world away from Auckland, just a 45-minute Uber ride.