Walking the Old Buchlyvie to Aberfoyle Railway

Oh how we've lost so many railway routes over the years. These days, where once there were trains, is often a walking route where one can at times feel the need to make 'WOO-HOO!' noises. The old railway route between Buchlyvie and Aberfoyle's one of those. As The Proclaimers might have sang, 'Trains No More!' But it's a nice walking route, taking those with little rucksacks and long laces into the very heart of The Trossachs, one of the most scenically beautiful areas in Scotland, with mountains and heather and all that sort of thing. Which is why this railway line was built in the first place. Between Buchlyvie Station (which sits a little outside Buchlyvie) and Aberfoyle Station the line was a branch line that ended at Aberfoyle. And before it was opened in 1882 Aberfoyle didn't really exist. Okay, you could argue that way back then Aberfoyle had a bridge and an inn - Bailie Nicol Jarvie's Inn- and maybe a house or two, but it wasn't big enough to really be called a village. It was a bridge and an inn in the middle of nowhere. Then, when the railway arrived, hoards of visitors from Glasgow and other places got on a train and visited Aberfoyle and The Trossachs to look at mountains and heather close-up. And so Aberfoyle grew to feed, water and generally cater for all these people. But it must have been a difficult railway line to construct. It was built over Flanders Moss and Gartrenich Moss, with bridges over the Kelly Water and the River Forth. In the 1950s the line was closed. In today's video we walk that route, resist the temptation to make 'WOO-HOO!' noises so we don't scare the beavers, and end with a look at sheep. Yup, there are sheep in Scotland too. #walking #scotlandtourism #railways #hiking