I've been off work but in tomorrow and Sunday, so today was my Sunday. How best to take advantage of the sunshine than a mini tour today.
With a reliable car finally, its business as usual. Put key in ignition, check fuel levels and tyres and as this is an efficient car I hardly ever have to put fuel in it. I had a 1/4 of a tank and it barely moved in the 60 mile tour.
As its a slow run down Loch Lomond east and theres always traffic on the A811 progress is sedate and safe, despite their being some cracking turns.
Winter, has taken its toll on A811 and also on the Rowardenen road from Drymen, so be careful if heading down here. Lets just say the soft sidewalls of my winter tyres gave relief.
So why a nasty road in a nasty time of year. Well, i was going through an old picture I took and shared with you all and thought, wow, there is no finer view but it needs snow capped....
I set out determined to get my winter version of this
![]()
DSC_0263 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
The run down was fairly uneventful and the day looked ok as the light was getting stronger
![]()
_DSC0947 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
Its an 11 mile run from Drymen so a fair drive on what is a poor road, with badly sighted turns and dips and crests. There are some more open sections....
Getting closer cloud levels looked reasonable
![]()
_DSC0953 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
But the road is crappy
![]()
_DSC0954 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
One of the pluses over the E class is being smaller, she's more at home on a road like this. The dampers really do a good job of keeping the cars nose off the road, I've chinned my old car here loads of times and bottomed out. The sportier set up is more suitable to driving a long here. But, and there is a but, the A post does block more forward visibility than the E class. Maybe its a seating position thing, but the visibility round turns is lesser as the A posts block more than they did in the 211. A small blot on what is an unblemished copy book.
Darn!!!
Cloud cover
![]()
_DSC0963 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
The hotel was closed, as I would have gone in and got a greasy breakfast at this stage. I was annoyed. 26miles for nowt, theres no point taking a picture of a Munro if theres cloud obscuring the top. So I went where the finest car money can buy cannot, off piste and explored the area on foot.
Interesting little cove with a nice boat
![]()
DSC_0540 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
See over there, thats Inverbegg, it would take about 40mins to drive round to Inverbeg from here, its probably a mile round, but you'd have to drive to Drymen, A811 to Balloch, A82 up to Inverbeg. I've toured Loch Lomond on boat, and you can get around quicker on a reasonably powered speed boat...but as it were....
As you can see from my Flickr, I messed around with compositions thinking about what to do re Ben Lomond, I wanted that picture and I was not leaving without
![]()
DSC_0542 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
I did a loop back to the beach where I fired off the frame in the summer, and found a different vantage point.
Cloud practically off
![]()
DSC_0552 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
Given the lighting here, Rowardenen breaks the rules for landscape photography, it needs a lot of light from up high to properly illuminate the banks of the Loch and mountain, so best to shoot close to midday rather than at Golden hours. I've done the lot ;)
Now completely clear
![]()
DSC_0556 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
Took an ample up here, took another, then gandered back to the skip
![]()
DSC_0562 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
The car was parked baking in the sunshine, and being the proper interior, all black with half cloth and leather, it was still comfortable to sit in and I could drive with my window down. It was well above freezing today, around 8c, hardly warm, but no bitter either, and a sign spring is coming. Winter tyres will be off in six weeks. Harder ride, better handling and less wooly steering. Cannot wait, and plenty more tours to come
With a reliable car finally, its business as usual. Put key in ignition, check fuel levels and tyres and as this is an efficient car I hardly ever have to put fuel in it. I had a 1/4 of a tank and it barely moved in the 60 mile tour.
As its a slow run down Loch Lomond east and theres always traffic on the A811 progress is sedate and safe, despite their being some cracking turns.
Winter, has taken its toll on A811 and also on the Rowardenen road from Drymen, so be careful if heading down here. Lets just say the soft sidewalls of my winter tyres gave relief.
So why a nasty road in a nasty time of year. Well, i was going through an old picture I took and shared with you all and thought, wow, there is no finer view but it needs snow capped....
I set out determined to get my winter version of this
DSC_0263 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
The run down was fairly uneventful and the day looked ok as the light was getting stronger
_DSC0947 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
Its an 11 mile run from Drymen so a fair drive on what is a poor road, with badly sighted turns and dips and crests. There are some more open sections....
Getting closer cloud levels looked reasonable
_DSC0953 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
But the road is crappy
_DSC0954 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
One of the pluses over the E class is being smaller, she's more at home on a road like this. The dampers really do a good job of keeping the cars nose off the road, I've chinned my old car here loads of times and bottomed out. The sportier set up is more suitable to driving a long here. But, and there is a but, the A post does block more forward visibility than the E class. Maybe its a seating position thing, but the visibility round turns is lesser as the A posts block more than they did in the 211. A small blot on what is an unblemished copy book.
Darn!!!
Cloud cover
_DSC0963 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
The hotel was closed, as I would have gone in and got a greasy breakfast at this stage. I was annoyed. 26miles for nowt, theres no point taking a picture of a Munro if theres cloud obscuring the top. So I went where the finest car money can buy cannot, off piste and explored the area on foot.
Interesting little cove with a nice boat
DSC_0540 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
See over there, thats Inverbegg, it would take about 40mins to drive round to Inverbeg from here, its probably a mile round, but you'd have to drive to Drymen, A811 to Balloch, A82 up to Inverbeg. I've toured Loch Lomond on boat, and you can get around quicker on a reasonably powered speed boat...but as it were....
As you can see from my Flickr, I messed around with compositions thinking about what to do re Ben Lomond, I wanted that picture and I was not leaving without
DSC_0542 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
I did a loop back to the beach where I fired off the frame in the summer, and found a different vantage point.
Cloud practically off
DSC_0552 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
Given the lighting here, Rowardenen breaks the rules for landscape photography, it needs a lot of light from up high to properly illuminate the banks of the Loch and mountain, so best to shoot close to midday rather than at Golden hours. I've done the lot ;)
Now completely clear
DSC_0556 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
Took an ample up here, took another, then gandered back to the skip
DSC_0562 by stephentaylor4@hotmail.com, on Flickr
The car was parked baking in the sunshine, and being the proper interior, all black with half cloth and leather, it was still comfortable to sit in and I could drive with my window down. It was well above freezing today, around 8c, hardly warm, but no bitter either, and a sign spring is coming. Winter tyres will be off in six weeks. Harder ride, better handling and less wooly steering. Cannot wait, and plenty more tours to come