Off beaten track

And, too, the heavy trudge of boots which used to stamp upon it in pursuit of sheep or cattle. Or else stumbling back homewards just before the black of night consumed the borders of a bog stretching wide before soles, the perils of a loch, perhaps, where a neighbour drowned. Sphagnum moss, above all, stores the footsteps of those who are now lost, those residents and denizens of moor for whom moss feels an absence, their drum of feet no longer pounding desolation like a heartbeat any more. ----From a poem by Donald S Murray The West Highland Way is an iconic walk in Scotland steeped in history with constantly changing beautiful scenery; it is also the longest in Scotland, starting in Milngavie, a suburb of Glasgow and ending at 96  miles   (154 km) muscle aching, feet hurting, but proud, in Fort William . The trail meanders along some of the most breath taking terrain in the Highlands, taking in varied landscapes of lochs, highlands, forests, bubbling burns and waterfalls. A ...

The Parvati Valley Is one of the lesser known valleys near Kullu, however at the beginning there are prominent places like the hot water springs at Manikaran and Kasol, a smoky destination for the Great Indian Tourist.  The areas served by a road are perpetually full of tourists seeking easy reach and harder stuff.  On the other hand the places where one has to walk to are beautifully calm and isolated.  A sketch of the Valley A schematic sketch shows the Burshaini bowl, the road goes upto Tosh whereas the other villages are on foot tracks. If one wants solitude, then walk...  There is a large dam being constructed across the Parvati river at Burshaini, I wonder how this will affect the ecology when this is completed.  Khalga under snow I found just the village - Khalga which was off the beaten track. Early March offers a very different experience, it had snowed a day prior to my arrival and a carpet of white covered everything. It was cold, most often bitt...

Relatively Untouched Getting away from the madding crowd seems nearly impossible in these crowded times. Most trails and treks are virtual highways with a line of 'trekkers' like marching ants going to and fro.  Thus when I find a spot of seclusion I truly savour it, these are getting more difficult to find.    In my constant efforts to get far from the madding crowd, in mid-March 2016 I did a week's trek to the Great Himalayan Park. The upper reaches of the Tirthan Valley The path to the Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) still remain relatively untouched, possibly due to the fact that Manali nearby has a greater draw, also that reaching the Tirthan Valley is still only possible by State run buses or private transport.  Gushaini - where the trek trail starts An overnight bus journey (aah the convenience of a Volvo!) got me from Delhi to Aut, about 60 kilometres short of Manali.  From Aut it is an hour and a half by taxi to Gushaini, the place where the trail ...