Have rucksack will travel.

We live on the west coast of Scotland and  one thing that is unpredictable is the weather. We are well known for four seasons in one day. So this means when we go out we need to be prepared for any eventuality.  A body warmer, a base layer fleece jacket, a windproof waterproof  breathable jacket, and some waterproof trousers and in the winter months a neck tube and gloves -  Ski wear is not just for the ski slopes. Well they do say there is no such thing as bad weather just bad clothing.

We got out and about a lot with the dog so it also includes water and a bowl for her as well as her jacket, they all have to be carried. It's also a good idea to keep your pup calm during long days out. A dose of hemp oil with CBD for dogs can help reduce any anxiety. This way, the trip can be kept memorable and calm. I was lucky enough to win a fab rucksack the other week and so I now take it out when I go leaving hubby with the older one.

I had put my bag down while I ducked under trees to get a cache

When I heard that one of my blogging friend Fozia from Muslim Mummy was coming to Scotland for a few days holiday we decided to meet up at The Kelpies in Falkirk.  This for us entailed travelling from the west coast across to the east coast and who knew what the weather would be like when we got there. We travelled through some rain at Glasgow but apart from that all seemed to be good. We have visited the Kelpies a few times in the past both by day and at night to see them lit up.

Hubby and Dixie in front of the Kelpies 

So we met with Fozia for just over half an hour as she was trying to fit in as much as she could into her day.

Fozia and I in front of the kelpies. 

 I have to say the girls were more interested in Dixie dog than they were the actual kelpies.

Fozia;s daughters took turns in walking with the dog

So we set about doing some caches before heading off.

an old camera with the working taken out makes a novel cache container 

found a painted rock but not the cache 

Next off we went to The Falkirk Wheel, and yes we played lazy and took the car the four miles. I may well have taken a bike had we had one as there is a fab path all the way from one to another right along the canal. You pay £3 to park for the day but have free access to the grounds in an evening.

We have been here before as well on more than one occasion including with DD1 and the grandkids when the twins were young toddlers. We rode the wheel the first time we came about 15 years ago. This time we were going for the sake of a walk and to pick up some more caches.

the view from the top car park

watching the barge come up

It turns out that Fozia and her family were on the barge you can see, and she spotted us and sent me a message to say she was on it, so of course we had to get a picture for her.

Fozia and the girls 

watching the boat turn round 

Dixie dog had a lot of fun 

There are plenty of other attractions on the site to appeal to the whole family including zorbing and the bumper boats as well as a great play park.

a view across the complex

zorbing looked fun

needed the waterproof trousers to fight through to this cache. ( I put it back on the ground)

shame there is a need for such a sign. 

there are lots of rocks in differing shapes

We headed back tom the car just before four and decided to go and get something to eat, and by then decided we may as well head somewhere else as the motorway would be busy and no point in spending two or three hours getting home when we could spend that time exploring some more.

I use to live near Falkirk years ago and my children were all brought up there but we only really went to one end of Callendar Park but it has a massive woods extending out from the grounds and play park my children knew so we headed off to one of the other car parks to do some more caching.

There were a lot of signs up highlighting the cycle paths that were prominent in the woods.

the sun was beginning to set when we arrived

there was a cache under the boardwalk

lots of information signs 

we spotted two deers, the other one only the head is visible. 

All in all we were out the house for nearly twelve hours so taking all the clothes with us is a very sensible idea.

I have to say my favourite item of clothing is my waterproof trousers. They come in handy not just for keeping you dry but keeping you clean as well..

One of the hazards of rural living combined with dog walking is the mud.

been raining down the woods making it rather boggy

It is much easier to come back from a muddy walk with your waterproof trousers muddy as they are so easy to wipe and it saves you coming back with your trousers looking like this.

dried mud on the trousers

They also protect your own trousers from staining when out picking blackberries

Dixie helping to pick blackberries

picking blackberries with wellies and waterproof trousers on

I got my waterproof trousers from Simply Hike.

The Mens Deluge Waterproof Trousers from Berghaus is a classic waterproof overtrouser now made from Berghaus Hydroshell rather than AQ2 and are ideal for hiking and trails that easily pulls on over regular walking trousers for guaranteed water protection. Designed to be comfortable and practical, the Deluge Pant comes with an elasticated waist to fit over any lower layers and zips on the side of the legs for quick removal. The lightweight materials and articulated knees also allow for a great range of movement, making these trousers ideal for more active pursuits.

They are great, they unpop and unzip all the way down making it easy to get them on and off over your boots. They are waterproof and breathable and are comfortable enough to wear when cycling, or walking, no need to worry about stopping to put them on if it starts raining. I find it pays to put them on before I start cycling with the organised cycle rides saves stopping and holding everybody up. The zips also unzip from the top to allow access to your trouser pockets.

We have also acquired two new pairs of wellies this week, so we are all set now for the Scottish weather. Had to laugh the ones I bought had a tag on telling me they were waterproof, pretty useless pair of wellies if they are not!!  Just need to get a decent jacket for Dixie, need her to be dry and visible come the winter, she is hard enough to see in the woods in amongst the leaves let alone in the dark.

This is a collaborative post but we had all the fun using the products provided.