A walk in the rain

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The low grey cloud and light rain won't deter us from our plan to do a long walk each day. We park by the entrance to the Inverinate Estate at Kilfillan, pack our OS map in a plastic cover, and follow the narrow, uneven road over the river towards Camas-luinie. On each side are bracken, beech and hawthorn, wild flowers, heather and purple shock-headed thistles. The only sounds are the clumping of our boots, the rustle of our waterproofs and the plashing of rain. On the hillside, we see the thin white streak of a waterfall.

When we reach the few houses of Camas-luinie, there's still no break in the clouds. We don't want to risk a downpour when we're miles from shelter, so we head back. As we're removing our boots by the car, we feel midges on our faces and the prickling of bites.

In the eaterie by the car park in Kyle, a busload of Asian tourists are eating fish and chips. The tables are full, so we set off in search of an alternative. We shelter from the persistent light rain in a cafe that offers Chai and Roybush among its selection of Twinings tea bags.

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