The 2025 Morgan Europe Trip

May 6, 2025 A Great Big Hike Up Conic Hill To See Loch Lomond

Here's a song to put you in the mood for this post: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0KQLJwMDzc

We started the day at the bakery, (Big surprise!), and in the case of savory pastries was a wee pie with the description "haggis and chicken pie". We knew this day was coming. You can't go to Scotland and NOT try haggis, right? Everyone will ask when we get home, "did you try haggis?" ...........The woman behind the counter assured us that it was delicious so we got a wee pie and took it home. We cut up our small pie so everyone could taste it. It was a strong taste, for sure, but not wholly unpleasant. The pie crust was flaky and tasty just as it should be. Most of us found that three bites was all you needed and then you were done. It's official. We tried haggis.

A wee haggis pie.

After breakfast, we took a 40 minute drive west to the base of Conic Hill for a climb to see Loch Lomond from above. The drive through the countryside was exactly what you would expect of Scotland. It's just as pretty as you can imagine! So lush compared to Portugal and they are having a dry spring this year according to the locals.

Sheep grazing in a field.

More sheep. Sheep outnumber people in Scotland.

At the start of the trail, we saw a large number of trees toppled over. Most had upended root systems that were taller than a man. The biggest one Rod and I saw looked to be a story and a half tall! I looked in to what might have happened on the computer and this is what I found. In late January this year.....

"Storm Éowyn was a powerful storm that brought Red weather warnings and significant disruption to Scotland, particularly the central belt and southern areas. The storm, which had wind speeds up to 100 mph in some locations, caused extensive damage to buildings and trees, led to widespread travel disruptions, and resulted in thousands of homes losing power."

One of many upended trees.

After we got through the storm damaged part, it became a "Lord of the Rings"-type forest before we started climbing up.

As we climbed higher, the trees gave way to brush until it was down to grass and rocks.

A peek at Loch Lomond.

We took a break mid climb and enjoyed the views.

I wish I had documented how rough the trail up was. It was a man made trail with large rocks, somewhat flat, but you didn't dare take your eyes off where you were placing your feet. Here's the best picture I have of the trail.

We stopped at a flat-ish spot and took in the views.

Loch Lomond from one side of the outcrop.

Loch Lomond, same side.

Loch Lomond from the other side of the outcrop.

Here is where I stopped. The other, younger and/or more adventurous members of the group continued to the top. Here's what that looked like from the outcrop where I was resting.