Loch Lomond and the Trossachs - Ben A'an and Haggis

Today was an incredibly busy day.
As one friend went off to Callander to go birthday shopping, me and another friend went and indulged ourselves in the swimming pool for a good long hour.
There were quite a few others there but that didn't stop us from having a good splash around!

After a good scrub down in the shower, we went back up to the apartment, had a sit down and relaxed whilst we awaited the return of our other friend who went shopping.

Finally on arrival, we had lunch and got about the main adventure for the day; climbing to the summit of Ben A'an!

Already part way up this small mountain, the views and weather looked promising.
The man-made steps twisted and curved their way to the top...

After about an hour of walking, we reached the summit. Well I did say it was a small mountain!
Loch Achray has never looked so smart and the views simply took my breath away. And I'm not just saying that because it was windy!

Loch Katrine on the other hand, was a stunner as far as lochs go.
You can never quite appreciate the size and beauty of a loch from the waters edge. From the top of Ben A'an, Loch Katrine was at her best.

Having lunch on top was an experience I'd happily participate in again! Besides that, we saw 4 Scottish crossbill's! The males were strikingly red and their crossed bills could clearly be seen through binoculars. What a way to complete our walk!

Descending Ben A'an was easier said than done. Though I was short of breath for most of the way up, walking down some of the steep paths proved to be more hazardous than juggling tightrope!

Reaching flat ground, well, the apartment, we had the most wonderful cup of tea and started to prepare tea; Haggis!

It was incredibly yummy and very Scottish I must say!
As the evening progressed, we went about filling in the orienteering course we purchased from reception earlier in the day.

This is a lovely burn...

And this stag was handsome...

...from all angles!
The course was relatively easy to follow...

...but it was good fun all the same!

In the cover of darkness, we played giant chess.
It was a good couple of games; the first we took our time making decisions. The second, we weren't allowed to think, we had to make snappy decisions. The second game must've only lasted for 2 minutes!

What a long day!