Walking through history

With holidays abroad cancelled by Covid-19, Jack McKeown and dog Bracken explore closer to home in the steps of Scotland’s most famous outlaw on the Rob Roy Way

No-one would argue 2020 has been a difficult year. One of the silver linings of Covid-19, however, has been getting to know my immediate area better. During the first few months of lockdown my golden retriever Bracken and I explored places within five miles of Dundee that I’d never been before. Old streets in Dundee, the hills around Wormit, Tay trails near Balmerino, new routes in the Sidlaws and, once the limit increased to 10 miles, the riverside path from Errol to Port Allen.

It made me realise what a glorious part of the country we live in – and whetted my appetite for more exploring.

Chancing a foreign holiday felt like too big a risk so when lockdown eased I decided to tackle one of Scotland’s long-distance trails. My initial thought was the Great Glen Way from Fort William to Inverness but there was a dearth of dog-friendly accommodation along that route and I didn’t fancy carrying a tent and sleeping bag on my back. I wanted a holiday not a military try-out.

The Rob Roy Way starts in the Stirlingshire village of Drymen and winds its way along country lanes, forest trails and over mountainsides until it crosses the Tummel and deposits you in Pitlochry, 79 miles later. Although loosely inspired by the wanderings of Rob Roy, in reality it is an exploration of some of the southern Highlands’ finest scenery.

It’s recommended to take between five and seven days but I decided to tackle it in four. Unfortunately it couldn’t be spliced into four equal distances with dog-friendly accommodation so I was faced with a 21-mile day, 22 miles, a beastly 27-mile stretch, then an easy nine-mile final day from Aberfeldy to the finish line at Pitlochry.

After being dropped off on a Tuesday evening by my other half, Bracken and I woke to a wet Wednesday morning. The rain was lashing down outside and it was going to be a soggy first day.

I travelled as light as possible, with my gear fitted into a 35-litre backpack. A couple of changes of clothes, snacks, two litres of water, a small washbag, a travel towel for cleaning Bracken and a book were stashed in there. And a hipflask with a few drams of the Balvenie.

I also brought a doggy backpack for Bracken – dubbed the Brackpack. This was the first time she’d done a long distance, multi-day walk, and she is nearly six years old, so I didn’t want to overload her, but she carried poo bags, treats, a folding water bowl and, when necessary, her own bagged-up poo.

I had a couple of bags of dog food

Loosely inspired by the wanderings of Rob Roy, it is an exploration of some of the southern Highlands’ finest scenery

in my pack but I couldn’t fit four days’ worth in so I relied on the generosity of hotel staff. This was given out in spades and Bracken was presented with no fewer than five sausages by the chef at the Drymen Inn on the first morning. I let the delighted dog scoff three of them and wrapped the other two for a lunchtime snack.