Balloch and Boturich Castle Circular 11.3km: July Hiking Book Club

🗺️ Key Info:
• Distance: 11.3km (7 miles if you’re old school) - plus a 10min walk between Balloch station and the start / finish point
• Ascent: ~288m
• Hiking time: 3.5hrs - 4hrs
• Cost: £3 early bird, then £5 (covers basic admin costs for Rambling Readers)
• Refunds: Payments are non-refundable and non-transferable.

📍 Meeting and Ending Point:
• Location: Glasgow Central Station, next to Accessorize
• Time: Meet at 10am, leave at 10:05am for the 10:16am train to Balloch
• Return: Aiming for the 3:11pm train back!

🥾 The Hike
A full description of the hike is here:
https://www.alltrails.com/en-gb/trail/scotland/argyll-and-bute/balloch-and-boturich-castle-circular

📖 The Book:
• Careless People: A Story of Where I Used to Work by Sarah Wynn-Williams
A damning, darkly funny account of working life at Mark Zuckerberg's tech giant organisation, this book gives you a front-row seat to the decisions that are shaping our world and the people who make them.

📖 The Short Story:
• Thoughts and Prayers by Ken Liu
A prescient 2019 tale of a mother dealing with the loss of her daughter in a mass shooting, exploring how tech giants manage online bullying, deepfakes, and the monetisation of internet grief and conspiracy theories.

🎒What to Bring:
• Hiking boots/shoes
• Poles if your knee is janky like mine
• Packed lunch and snacks
• Water (at least 2l recommended)
• Sunhat