We recently had an amazing day in Scotland, swimming and cycling at Loch Lubnaig. It is crazy to think that before my love of wild swimming, I stayed in a lodge, right next to the stunning Loch Lubnaig and didn’t swim! There was a fair amount of running though, it was 2015 and I was training for my first 10K race. Whilst I still run, I have taken a break from marathons and half marathons and it tends to be a quick 5K – 10K trail run or street run. I spend more time swimming or cycling these days.
Image in 2015 when I was still a water baby, but much more passionate about hot tubs than cold water swimming in Scotland. These days I adore both.
I love this time of year for swimming, especially as we are enjoying such lovely warm weather in Scotland. It means that it is safer to stay in the water for longer. Due to the fact I have been consistent with my cold water swimming, I can easily stay in the water for hours in the Summer without a wetsuit and not feel cold. Note – everyone is different and I have learnt to listen to my body.
I love this day trip so much that I wanted to share it with you and give some pointers. It is only an hour’s drive from Edinburgh, which is handy if you have young kids like we do. We always stop at Mhor Bread in Callander, everything is delicious and they do an amazing steak and haggis pie. Charlie, our 6 year old, had serious food envy so I let him have a few bites, he had gone for the macaroni cheese pie. It was nice but I know what he will be ordering next time.
They do great cakes too.
We then headed out towards Strathyre Cabins and parked up at the spaces beside The Falls of Leny. This is a lovely cycle and nice and easy for younger kids. It is fairly shaded too if you need a break on a hot day.
We cycled along by the falls and out to Kilmahog. You can go further, but Charlie was getting tired so we turned round and headed back the same route. This is also a lovely walk and it has special memories as in 2008, Hubs and I enjoyed our first date there. We nicknamed this route ‘lovers lane’ and you may well find our initials carved on one of the wooden benches. That’s what we call a bit of gushy vandalism.
Checking out the bench in 2015
After our family cycle, we headed round to find some parking by Loch Lubnaig. The place was pretty packed due to the glorious weather and being in the peak of Summer holidays but boy was it worth it. As you can see in the video below, the water is as stunning as the scenery.
We always do a safety check on arrival in terms of how deep the water gets, where other swimmers are, if there are any currents or fast boats in the area etc. It’s a little rocky in parts walking in and it gets deep quickly. I love the pink floats in this image below and have ordered one since.
We will be back for sure and would do it exactly the same way, Mhor bread, a cycle (longer if kids allow/with no kids) and then a dip. The road to Killin is a stunning drive if you have more time. Scotland really is stunning and I feel very lucky to live here. Especially during a pandemic, I feel very blessed to have such outstanding nature and views on our doorstep.
I always love to hear from those of you who have read the blog and decided to visit some of the ‘mojo injection’ places I share. One of my favourite images so far comes from Laura Baillie when she visited The Sheriff Muir Paradise Pools.
This image makes me want to dive in right now, I love it. Thanks for sharing Laura and keep up the amazing adventures.
Remember to tag me across social @jojofrasermojo or #mojoinjection – you got this.
Jojo Fraser is a lover of new adventures, cold water swimming, singing, spa days and great food.
She is an award-winning author, podcaster and keynote speaker, dubbed as ‘the Queen of positivity and a kindness advocate. She is a Tedx speaker and a regular speaker on BBC Radio. Jojo is known for normalising discussions around our mental health, making it accessible and relatable to all. She has quickly grown a reputation for having a huge impact even on the most sceptical of people. She has a huge passion for helping people to get their mojo back.
Contact her at – mummyjojoblog@gmail.com or across social @jojofrasermojo
