Tuesday 6th May, Fords of Avon - Glen Avon - Linn of Avon - Glen Builg (14.2 miles)
Although I woke at 7.00, I didn’t get away until 10.00. I can’t explain why it took so long to get going. I slept well and the sun was shining in the east, although there was cloud over the mountains to the west. The breeze was fresh. Unlike the Laser Comp, which flapped like crazy in the Lake District, the Akto felt pleasantly secure.
My shoulders were sore from the pack straps, which I think are a bit thin and hard. I cut a couple of strips of foam from my sit mat, attaching them to the underside of the pack straps with some spare shock cord. This proved to be a brilliant piece of improvisation and made the straps much more comfortable and had no more trouble from sore shoulders for the rest of the trip.
Within a few yards, I encountered my first obstacle: a stream to ford. On with the Sealskinz and Mayflys and across safely. These are a good combination and the Mayflys dried quickly over the next two hours.
The path to Faindouran Lodge was very attractive, starting on a ledge above the River Avon. Again the path was a bit wet in places. Further on, the path descended to follow the river bank. It was surprising that there were no decent potential tent pitches until the lodge. After lunch at the lodge, the sun came out. Fortunately, there was also a strong breeze.
After FL, the track becomes a well graded Land Rover track, making for pleasant walking high above the river. It was nice not to have to look at my feet for once. Glen Avon was much more interesting than I had anticipated, with cliffs and rapids. At around 2.00 it started to get very hot. The view to Ben Avon to the south and the tors was very attractive.
I only saw one person all day, who passed me in a Land Rover. Before the bridge across the Avon, the track climbs the hill. To avoid the hill climb, I followed the path by the river. It suddenly becomes tricky as it follows a deer fence on a steep bank, necessitating a bit of care to avoid tumbling down the slope.
I soon reached the Linn of Avon and took a few photos. I then made the mistake of not paying enough attention to the map and assuming that the first track I met leading up the hill was the one to take. After some huffing and puffing, I looked at the map and saw that the track I wanted followed the Builg Burn, so I took a short cut down the hill and to rejoin the right track.
Before the walk I was a bit concerned about the river crossings in Glen Builg. The first ford looked a bit difficult and as it re-crossed the river a bit further upstream, I decided to stay on the western bank. After a while there was a faint track, which mainly followed the bank about 20-30 metres above the river.
It was a lovely walk but somewhat tiring, requiring a bit of heather bashing every so often. Just before Loch Builg there was a small gorge and waterfall. Unfortunately the track then crossed the river, which entailed an irritating wade.
The track along Loch Builg was pleasant. I passed up a passable camping spot, to push on a bit further. As I reached the lochans near Lochbuilg Lodge, I began to regret my decision. Fortunately I found a reasonable pitch near the bridge. It was 7.30 and it felt like a long day. An evening meal of sweet and sour chicken was considerably tastier than the previous evening’s meal.
If you’re going this way: navigation is simple. There are very few places to camp in Glen Avon, but in Glen Builg there are a number of good spots. You will have to ford Builg Burn at least once. There is a faint footpath on the western side of Glen Builg, which is not marked on the OS map.
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