Where's Wallaby?

It's a long time since I spent any time around Loch Lomond, but it was fun to have a weekend staying at Rowardennan Youth Hostel with Mrs CWW, and her sister and brother in law. Despite the hoards of people around here, many embarking on the West Highland Way, it's still a beautiful spot. This is the first year of the camping ban along the loch shores. They have certainly been tidied up a bit. The last time I came here there were frequent camps of drunken weegies, but there is now a significant police presence to deter them.
We enjoyed a ferry boat across the loch, with return by bike, and a climb of Ben Lomond (the hostel is in the background in this picture).






We even saw some dragon boat racing in Balloch. Balloch really needed something to brighten it up. It's an eyesore of a place. Whoever thought of building a shopping mall and aquarium (disguised as a dungeon) in a spot like this needs shot.


It may be apparent from the pictures that the weather was ridiculously cold this weekend. On Saturday evening I took my boat for a quick sprint up the loch, but returned cold and numb.
On Sunday CWW junior (2) came over to join me for a wallaby hunt. One of the Loch Lomond islands is said to be home to a small number of wild wallaby. I did wonder if this was another myth (like the existence of basking sharks), so a search seemed in order. A brisk breeze helped us across to Inchconnachan.



We landed in a scene from "Swallows and Amazons".




Unarmed, we quietly and cautiously crept up towards the highest point of the island. Having little knowledge of wallaby behaviour, we kept an eagle eye open for attacking creatures (or weegies, for that matter).



Dense vegetation made progress difficult, but after long last there was a rustling in the bushes and there it was. Our first glimpse of the elusive wild Scottish wallaby. David Attenborough would have been proud of us!


Though maybe not of the photography.