Day 2: Drymen to Rowardrennan

Brewing up for Breakfast

My first night under canvas (or rather whatever synthetic material tents are made from these days) was reasonably good considering. The sound of fellow campers going about their morning ritual got me up and moving. There had been a fair bit of rain overnight so had to take care while packing up. Today was a fairly long walk but fortunately had a lunch stop at Balmaha on the way so there was less of a requirement to pack lots of food.

with the forecast for the day not looking good I donned full wet weather gear and after dropping off the bag (and paying for the nights camping) I set off. Considering that my walking experience up to now had been doing one off mountains or trails I was surprised that after the second day I was not suffering as much as I had expected. The early stages of the walk brought me up onto a wide forest path, not much to see but in this grey wet weather it made little difference.

At this stage in the walk there is a choice of paths, walkers can either follow the traditional route up and over Conic Hill, a minor peak which gives you a good view over to Loch Lomond and its many small islands or you can choose to miss this out and take a small road down to the village of Milton of Buchanan and along the road to Balmaha. Having looked at the weather I thought that I would be lucky to see anything from Conic Hill and also considering Rowardrennan was a long way off I decided on the latter route.

On the descent from the forest track I felt my knee begin to twinge a little, this was going to be a day to be endured more than enjoyed! The small town of Buchanan is pleasant enough with a couple of interesting buildings including Buchanan Castle and an old mill house. With the weather not improving though I decided to head straight for Balmaha, a fairly dull trudge along a minor road where I had to time my walk to ensure I wasn’t alongside any large puddles as the cars came towards me at speed. The only highlight of this stage was watching some farmers with their working dogs as they herded some sheep into a farmyard pen.

After a long trudge I reached the village of Balmaha. The name Balmaha derives from the Gaelic Bealach Mo-Cha, ‘the pass of Saint Mo-Cha’. These days its a popular tourist spot with walking routes into the forest or boat trips out to the many small islands in Loch Lomond for his was also the point where the route made contact with the shore of Loch Lomond. The loch is the largest stretch of inland water in Great Britain (in surface area at least) and would be my companion for the next few days. This is where in geological terms the highlands and the lowlands meet, the loch forming part of the huge geological fault line that separate the two.

Balmaha Marina

Having made pretty good time I found myself in Balmaha a little early for lunch. The Oak Tree Inn at Balmaha is well known to walkers on the way and a welcome rest stop so I nursed a coffee for an hour until it was a respectable time to eat and then ordered lunch. The pub was quite busy but it was clear that pretty much everyone here was also on the same mission. Matching muddy boots and walking poles, maps in plastic cases hung from string and faces that were perhaps new to me now but would be pretty familiar as the week progressed.

Taking a break at the Oak Tree Inn

Fed and watered it was finally time to move on. This section of the way was very familiar to me having camped nearby in the past so I set off at a confident pace, taking a slightly rougher shoreline path which cut out another short climb over a fairly unnecessary hill. Possibly my over familiarity with this section put a little too much spring in my step and I’d later regret that early eager pace. Just past the small camping area at Cashel the path has to negotiate a couple of small hills right on the shoreline, while the road on this section has the luxury of cutting through a tight valley the West Highland Way does not and there was no alternative but to get the head down and work my way slowly up through a series on steep ascents and descents.

This is a lovely stretch of forest mostly planted with native tree species. All part of an ongoing nationwide initiative to bring back more diversity into the environment and leave the swathes of pine forest to the job of producing timber on an industrial scale. Unfortunately most of this beauty was lost to me as I tentatively picked my way up and over these steep paths, the downhill sections playing real havoc with knee joints and feet in equal measure.

The Path to Rowardrennan

Eventually after a few punishing miles the Rowardrennan Hotel came into view, not my home for the night but a good place to sit down, have a well deserved pint and a quick rest before the short walk to the Hostel where I would take a break from the tent for the night. The youth hostel at Rowardrennan is a gorgeous former hunting lodge, one of the many large buildings that sprung up during the Victorian era’s love affair with the Scottish Highlands. Run by the Scottish Youth Hostel Association it affords inexpensive but comfortable accommodation. For anyone who can remember the SYHA from their younger days its very different now, cooked evening meals, breakfast and even a packed lunch can be laid on. Proper beds with bedding provided and a well stocked little shop make this about as good a stop on the West Highland way as you can get in terms of value for money. Much to my joy I also discovered that the shop sold tubes of ‘Deep Heat’ which worked wonders on my aching knees.

Rowardrennan Hostel

With a little time to spare and the feeling coming back into my feet after a shower and the application of several plasters I decided to take a stroll around outside. There is a small jetty by the hostel which offers a ferry service across the loch at certain times and also nearby is a small visitor centre. Normally quite busy with tourists they had mostly all departed by now. By the centre there is a monument which was erected to the memory of the fallen from the First and Second World War. (indeed the whole area here is designated as a ‘memorial park’. The monument created by the artist Doug Cocker is a contemporary piece of sculpture, while I like the design I’ve always found it rather odd in that it looks to me like the view through a gun sight perhaps an odd choice of metaphor.

The War Memorial

As I sat on the shore watching the clouds drift over, the weather already beginning to break I thought about the day ahead. Tomorrow was the day I was most concerned about, considered by many as the hardest stretch of the walk the journey from here to Inverernan.

Day 3: Rowardrennan to Inverernan

Rested and fed I was able to get moving early the next day and once moving was able to push my worries about this section to the back of my mind. The first few hours of the walk sped by as I was caught up by another traveller, A retired gentleman from Jersey called James. James was a Scot, a  former merchant seaman, and clearly a keen walker and we chatted away about all manner of things for most of the first half of the day. This was quite welcome as the first few miles cut through fairly dense forest on a wide path with only occasional views through the trees to the loch. The miserable weather of the previous day was a distant memory now with bright sunshine and far less threatening puffy clouds in an otherwise blue sky. At one small clearing in the forest I decided to take a little break so temporarily waved off my companion and took a minute to enjoy the view.

A rare break in the trees

Once on the move again the path descended a little and back into the forest but now with the loch side never far away. after a few minutes I noticed a very powerful scent and reached a clearing where the hillside was completely covered in bluebells, the colour was magnificent in the strong sunlight and if I’d been a religious man I’d have been tempted to glance skyward and say ‘loving your work mate’.

The Bluebell Fields

One slightly odd feature of walking this section of the route comes from the loch itself, or rather those who make a living from it. As you stroll along the path the natural sounds of the birds and wind in the trees is sometimes accompanied by distant voices, at first you think it’s maybe a walker coming behind you so you stop to let them pass, but no one comes so maybe its a particularly LOUD walker so you sit down so they definitely go past, still no one comes. Then you discover the source as a pleasure boat drifts by just off the shore. The boat’s captain provides a commentary via loudspeaker for his passengers which shatters the peace of the loch side. Fortunately though it was not a regular occurrence and I was soon used to the sound.

After around three and a bit hours of walking the Hotel at Inversnaid appeared out of the trees. Inversnaid is a pleasant little oasis on this stretch of the walk, sometimes used as a way to break up the stage. A large hotel dominates with a pier for ferry and pleasure boats and the impressive Arklet Falls next door. This was a wonderful opportunity to take a break, enjoy a drink and attend to the state of my feet.

Combined drink holder and boot cooler (patent pending)

Having attended to all that I was up and ready to take on what is described as ‘the hard bit’. Describing it like this is like describing the pope as being ‘a bit catholic’! Things started off well enough. While this stage involves a lot of clambering up and over rocks and tree roots it is at the same time quite jaw droppingly beautiful too. It was quite a busy section also as walkers began to bunch up on the tricky parts. People I know have walked this section as part of a day out and have said that its not that bad but its one thing driving up for the day and having a little scramble along the shoreline and quite another doing it after having walked for two days with aching knees and blisters.

Loch Lomond

My guide book described this part of the walk as having two particularly rough sections and it was on the second of these that I encountered a  number of walkers who were really struggling. I learned later the next day that a woman from one of these groups slipped and broke her ankle and had to be rescued from the loch edge, not a stage to be taken lightly. Eventually the path led down to a small beach and the hard part was behind me, or so I thought!

I took a short break, bathed my feet in the loch for a little and spotted a couple of wild goats grazing nearby, well aware of me but clearly well used to the walkers that pass this way.

Rest stop by the beach

After this the path diverts away from the loch which by now has narrowed a fair bit and climbs up over a low hill onto moorland. the going here was reasonable and the reward was a spectacular view over the north end of Loch Lomond and the small bothy at Doune. Beautiful though this was I was still concerned that my destination of Inverernan still appeared nowhere in sight and progress according to the map had not been that great. The day was far from over but it was then that the now familiar complaint of ‘nearly there’ began to take effect. Weariness took over quickly and the next few miles felt like ten as the path wound up and down over the moor. A landmark of power lines clearly marked on the map seemed to take forever to pass under and then as the path began its steep descent into Inverernan my knee joints complained bitterly at every step. Far below the river replaced the loch and I knew I couldn’t be that far but I was still aware that I had to get down to the level of the river and that was going to hurt. Suddenly the trees around me cleared and a couple of wooden huts and a gate told me I had reached Inverernan.

Doune Bothy

The Beinglass Farm campsite at Inverernan  is one of a handful featured in the excellent ‘Cool Campsites’ book and it earns its place and then some. After walking this stage its nothing short of a camper’s paradise. Maybe not so much for the purists who like their campsites a little on the spartan side but Inverernan features a pub, and well stocked shop. It was late in the afternoon is a stumbled into the little beer garden outside the pub to be greeted by many faces familiar to me over the course of the day. Almost on automatic pilot I ordered a beer and collapsed down onto a picnic bench outside. As I looked round every face told the same story ‘good grief that was hard!’

A well earned drink!

and this was only day three – how on earth am I going to get up and do this again tomorrow and the next day, and the day after that?

>>> Read Part Three

The post A Northward Meandering – Walking the West Highland Way – Part Two. appeared first on ScotClans | Scottish Clans.

Room With a View…

It’s now Tuesday so Amanda has been on the road (or rather the slightly muddy path) for 4 days now. Last night she reached Inverernan campsite after a gruelling trip through one of the hardest stretches on the way; North from Rowardrennan. This part of the route winds alongside the northern reaches of Loch Lomond, twisting and turning over rocks, fallen trees and through mud. Challenging for most people who would be relaxing in luxurious B&Bs at the end of each day, even more so for Amanda, on her own and carrying a huge pack with, tent and all the associated gear! Yesterday she passed some on leave army servicemen going the other way. There was admiration mixed with incredulity in their voices as they wished her luck (even if they muttered ‘she’s never going to make it’ as they walked on.

Last reported location, Inverernan this morning

Fortunately though she is not COMPLETELY on her own. We’re back at home providing remote support. With additional maps and better internet access and the ability to track her phone signal we can keep tabs and advise on any good looking camping spots on the way ahead. Also she seems to have become a bit of a celebrity on the route and was greeted to cheers and hugs as she made it to her lunchtime objective of the pub at Inversnaid yesterday.

Today she hopes to be getting to a place called Auchtertyre, just to the North West of Crainlarich, this will put her well over halfway and well past the worst of the journey. We will let you know how she gets on…

Mission Control

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Wednesday:

Last night Amanda spent a more comfortable evening at Strathfillan just south of Tyndrum after deciding to take a break from life under canvas and spend the night in one of the Strathfillan campsite’s wooden wigwams. A heater, a mattress – simple luxuries!

Today she will walk through Dalrigh (site of one of Robert the Bruce’s early defeats) The popular stop off village of Tyndrum and Bridge of Orchy in the shadow of Ben Dorain. Hopefully getting to Bridge of Oran and the great little wild camping spot near the Inveroran Hotel. Venue for many a post Munro pint or three.

A chilly morning on the road ahead

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Thursday

Yesterday afternoon Amanda reached her objective of the wild camping site a few miles past Bridge of Orchy near the Inveroran Hotel. Today she takes on the bleak but beautiful walk through Rannoch Moor to reach the Kings House Hotel at the entrance to Glencoe where a small camping area will provide a rest stop before the hike over to Kinlochleven, the steepest ascent of the 95 mile route.

Rannoch Moor

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Friday

It’s now been a week since Amanda set off. I had a slightly broken up phone call at lunchtime to say she was descending into Kinlochleven where she plans to spend tonight. Tomorrow she has a fairly long but by all accounts stunning walk from there to Fort William and the end of her 95 mile journey.

So very close to the end…

Saturday

On Saturday morning we rolled up to the rather excellent if rather huge campsite at Glen Nevis by Fort William and waited… The campsite is just a short walk from the final miles of the route so we decided to take a walk up onto the path and wait. It wasn’t long before the first batches of walkers from Kinlochleven began to come into view. A few minutes later I pointed out to the children a distant figure heading down from the woods ahead. ‘look, there’s mum’.

To squeals of delight they both tore up the path and all were reunited.

Harvey our youngest decided he wanted to walk the last three miles with his mum so Rowan and I made our way back to the campsite and drove into Fort William to meet Amanda at the end of the trail. Annoyingly they have moved the end of the Way from the roundabout at the start of town to a designated spot on the far end of the high street. It must feel like the longest mile of the 95 (now 96) having to trundle past tourists and shoppers, like an alien world after 8 days in the wilderness.

There was a real sense of ‘bonhomie’ at the final stop, carefully landscaped  benches and a statue give a sense of occasion and walkers who’s paths had crossed over the days greeted each other like old friends. (even if there was the occasional muttering of ‘see them, they only walked the last stage, the wimps’).

Journeys End.

So tired, stiff and with feet that looked like something from a medical journal, Amanda completed her West Highland Way. Look out son for her account of what sounded like a wonderful and inspiring trip.

The post Amanda’s West Highland Way Trip – Mission Control… appeared first on ScotClans | Scottish Clans.