West Highland Way, part 4

Saturday 17th July 2004

It was very wet at the start of my fourth day on the West Highland Way and it was just as wet in the afternoon, nevertheless it was a good day. I do seem to have a serious problem, though, with going slowly, or is it just that fourteen miles is far too short a distance for me to walk in one day? I left Crianlarich late having gotten up later than usual and proceeded up the hillside and rejoined the West Highland Way at the crossroads where I'd left it the day before. The trail continued to climb until from the highest point I had good views over the valley before slowly I began to descend back down to the valley floor.

 

I got to Tyndrum about lunchtime and loitered around having a good look around the outdoors store trying to decide if there was anything I could possibly need. Then I went to the mini-market and did likewise. After eating my just-bought lunch I headed up the path to walk beside the railway line slowly heading towards Bridge of Orchy via the Auch Gleann Horseshoe. It was amazing to see this astonishing railway feature from the ground after previously only seeing it from the train, and seeing it in the rain didn’t lesson it’s effect. Eventually I reached Bridge of Orchy and after looking at the bridge in glorious sunshine (curse the weather!) I returned to the station where I was spending the night, in the bunkhouse on the platform, which is an extraordinary place to stay. The next day I would have another twenty mile walk to do which would take me all the way to Kinlochleven. Sixty miles were already done, and I did not have far to go to Fort William.

West Highland Way, part 3

Friday 16th July 2004

This was a long, tiring day on the West Highland Way, but I still got to my destination before 4.30 so maybe I should have taken things a little slower. I would have to slow down the next day because I was only walking fourteen miles as opposed to the twenty-one on this walk. I left Rowardennan at 8.30 and headed quickly along the forest track. Four miles of my total was passed by in just over an hour on a dull, unchanging trek along forestry tracks, but that was about to change as the path narrowed and the going got rough. The path to Inversnaid was tough but walkable and not even rain and billions of midges could stop me. This section of the Way seemed to have the worst swarms of midges but they didn’t bother me once I sprayed myself with Insect Repellent, which I knew would come in handy eventually! The path continued, rough as ever if not rougher, particularly around Rob Roy’s Cave where a very steep clamber over rocks was necessary, but it was fun in the wet. The tricky path continued along the side of Loch Lomond, until eventually I had to say goodbye to the loch on easier paths over a low hill and down to Inverarnan.

I didn’t need to go to Inverarnan as it is off the route by almost a mile, but it was lunch time and I had plenty of time so I walked to the Drover's Inn and had a ‘Toastie’ and orange juice. I wasted almost an hour by this diversion and all I succeeded in doing was bringing me back to schedule. The remaining seven miles to Crianlarich was along a good path past rapids and waterfalls until I passed under the railway line and road, and climbed up the side of the valley on an old military road. I don’t know if it is a deliberate gesture by the Scots against a symbol of English domination, but the track was covered with animal mess, which made this one of the trickiest sections of the day as I tried to avoid the muck, which was occasionally unavoidable. Eventually I reached a crossroads where the trail turns left and I went right steeply down into Crianlarich where there is a good hostel even though was full of foreigners. Still, Crianlarich is a good village that I had been to before due to the locality of a railway station. The next day was going to be an easy walk to Bridge of Orchy and the railway would be with me the whole way.