Often after work I’ll take off somewhere locally to walk or watch birds etc and yesterday I went over to 18th century Bonawe Furnace. I walked from there to the mouth of the River Awe where, standing on top of Dun Mor the views up Loch Etive are gorgeous. Enroute I saw a herd of Reindeer – honest! I think they must be being farmed as there were so many of them. This walk also involved going over a pedestrian suspension bridge. My book said that I shouldn’t walk in step with anyone else or we’d start “alarming oscillations” Phew! No-one else on the bridge. However…initially the sides of the bridge were vertical and I was able to balance myself knowing I could touch them if need be. When the sides started to slope out and were no longer within my grasp I became rooted to the spot. Once I had nothing to hold onto I couldn’t get myself across the bridge. I had to kneel down. If a fisherman hadn’t been just up the river from me I would have gone across on my hands and knees. Instead I managed to edge myself backwards and returned to the car to pick up my walking poles! First time in ages I’ve felt vertiginous. It’s not like the Lekis are attached to anything other than my hands – yet I feel so stable when I hold them. Strange - and wonderful - how using the poles gives me confidence.
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