The trees and rocks around us are covered in a thick layer of dark green moss. Between them are bright green ferns. Above the ferns, the leaves of the trees are a darker tint of green again. Walking through the woodland above Callander, towards Bracklinn Falls, is like walking through a color palette of different shades of green.
Somehow it feels like walking through a fairy-tale forest. Neither Sara nor me would be surprised if an elf would cross our path. Maybe they are around us, just hiding for the rain that has been falling for most of the day.
The rain can’t stop us
Luckily the trees are protecting us by forming a roof of leaves over our head. Yet, small streams of water are running under our feet and down the hill. But the rain can’t stop us. This is Scotland. We knew we would have rain one day. Probably even more than one.
Besides that, this afternoon’s walk is only a small one. We’re on our way to Bracklinn Falls, a waterfall just outside of Callander. When the forest opens up for a moment, we have a nice view over Loch Lomond and the Trossachs national park, which we will explore in the coming days.
Edinburgh was a great first stop. A bookshop stop, as we love shopping in characteristic bookshops and reading books in English. In two days we visited Topping & Company Booksellers (twice), Blackwell’s, McNaughtan’s Bookshop, Typewronger Books and Lighthouse. But this, the rough nature is where we came for.
Roaring water
We walk briskly onward. When we’re still 800 meters away from the Bracklinn Falls, we can already hear the roaring water. We only see it at the last moment, as the falls are not only hidden by the trees, but also a couple of meters below us.
Carefully we descend the path, alongside the brown foaming, peat-tinged water full of twigs and leaves that gives the falls its name. Bracklinn comes from the Gaelic words breac, which means speckled and linn, which means pool.
Tiny house
We stare at the water for a couple of minutes, then turn around and walk back to the pod, a cute tiny house, at the Callander Youth Project for a nice cup of tea. Something else we’ve picked up in Edinburgh.
