Epilogue - The Road Goes Ever On And On

I've been home for about 20 hours, many of them spent in a horizontal position.  :-P  I've done 2 loads of the most foul laundry I've ever had.  I've spent quality time with my cat.  And I've thought a lot about the past week.

I signed up for this trip even though it would be my 3rd time going to Scotland since 2008.  I wanted to see it in a different way, and I wanted to challenge myself.  Could I really WALK almost 100 miles in only 7 days?  Would I have to bail out and take a rest day?  Would one of my traitorous ankles let me down at a critical moment?

The answers, as it turned out, were YES, NO, and NO (there was a moment of treason done in grand, witnessed style, but fortunately not in a crucial area that sent me tumbling down the side of a mountain or splashing into Loch Lomond).

"Gentle" James Johnston is an excellent guide who really knows his stuff.  If anyone has the opportunity to do something like this with him, DO IT.  I promise you will not regret it.  Bear in mind a couple of small details, however - when he says that a particular destination is "not far at all", or if he makes the statement "shoot off down the glen" sound like a short stroll in the park, take it with a HUGE grain of salt.  Lies and deceit are considered encouragement (Right, James?).

Those walkers whose pace were closest to my own will be familiar with the term "consulting the Oracle."  The Oracle is this book:

West Highland Way 4th Edition

There were multiple occasions when the correct way wasn't obvious (ie. not a trail marker in sight).  We would reach one of these points, look around in confusion, and say "Let's consult the Oracle."  I'd pull it out of my jacket, find our X marks the spot, and we'd be off again.  This little book never let us down, although some mental adjustments needed to be made - the book is arranged for south-to-north walkers and we were the opposite.  If we knew people were behind us, we'd leave stone arrows to point out the correct direction.  In fact, James did it for us slower walkers on occasion.

Whilst spring was finally getting itself into high gear back home, there were signs of it in the Highlands as well.

From top to bottom: snowdrops, gorse, and Scottish primrose.

Some of the wildlife seen by myself and others included pine martens, red squirrels, pheasants, coal tits, robins, goldcrests, woodpeckers, feral goats, red deer, and a lone, VERY rare mauve tartan Scottish wildcat.

A few more photos for you:

James, this trip was the adventure of a lifetime.  I'm so pleased to have been a part of this inaugural Gentle James of the Glens' Wilderness Walks.  It's something I will never forget.  Thank you for showing us a unique view of your homeland.

The Road goes ever on and on

Out from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

Let others follow it who can!

Let them a journey new begin,

But I at last with weary feet

Will turn towards the lighted inn,

My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

 

J.R.R. Tolkien

Day 7 - Drymen to Milngavie

We headed out mid-morning on foot through Drymen and on to a meeting point at the Beech Tree Inn, where Bill was meeting us with the bus so that we could take a tour of the Glengoyne Distillery. Nice little tour, complete with wee drams of Glengoyne single malt (somewhat fruity, not smoky/peaty like Highland Park). 

After a quick trip through the gift shop, Bill brought us back to the Beech Tree and we picked up the trail for the last stretch. And it WAS a stretch. There was a fairly lengthy hill to go up, and then, as we approached Milngavie (pronounced "Mull-guy" - yes, I know), we saw several misleading and almost demoralizing distance signs. "Milngavie - 2 miles". A mile later, another sign: "Milngavie - 2 miles". Huh? After 100+ miles, the LAST thing you want is a distance sign that LIES to you! 

Anyway, we had James' cousin Chris (and his springer spaniel, Jenny) join the small group I was with.  It was nice to have him along - he made sure that we didn't miss this lovely memorial along the side of the trail.

And then we were at trail's end - an obelisk outside a coffee shop, along with our fearless leader, who escorted us to the top of a short ramp.

 

Bill got us to the hotel (Private rooms for everyone!), where some people collapsed. There was a victory party at a nearby restaurant/pub, where James and Bill handed out buttons reading "I Walked the West Highland Way" and special commemorative medals. A cake had been made, and was enjoyed, then folks headed back to the hotel to pack and crash for a few hours before heading to the airport first thing in the morning.

 

 

 

Final post to come tomorrow, after I get some real sleep in my own bed.  :)



Day 6 - Rowardennan to Drymen

We left the Rowardennan Hotel behind and headed out along the southeastern banks of Loch Lomond. Lots of up and down hills, and a bit of time spent on a sandy beach (which felt pretty good underfoot). 

After a while, we fetched up at a small pub in Balmaha, where we caught up with the jackrabbits. This is where we separated the lunatic warriors from everyone else. Six of us made the trek over Conic Hill (aptly nicknamed "Chronic Hill") - four of us went with James and Colin, and two intrepid walkers (I wasn't one of them) went on solo trips of their own.  Conic Hill wasn't officially "open", but we charged on ahead anyway (Does this surprise anyone?).  Views from the top were AMAZING. It was spitting rain all day, and cold and windy at the top of the hill. We took several photos of us exulting over our accomplishment, then started the steep descent down, then through sheep fields, timber clear cut, and along a paved road into Drymen (pronounced "Drimmen"). Spending the night at the Winnock Hotel. One day left - can't believe it's almost over!

Day 5 - Drover's Inn to Rowardennan

This was supposedly our hardest day, and in terms of technical challenge, it was. It wasn't that strenuous, but there was a fair amount of scrambling that I wasn't really expecting, over tree roots, large rocks, and larger boulders. Managed to come through mostly unscathed, although my right leg is covered in bruises I don't recall getting.  :)  This was also the day we started walking along the banks of Loch Lomond.

 

 

We passed by Doune Bothy, which is used by walkers for temporary shelter.  There's a fireplace and sleeping platforms, and the goal if you want to stay in a bothy is to get there early enough in order to get a platform next to the fire.



We met up with James' friend Scott, who was out hiking with his 6 month old border collie, Kai (Isn't Kai CUTE?!? He was such a sweet dog!). They joined us for the rest of the hike into Rowardennan.

The room at the hotel is okay, but the food and bar service wasn't good at all. A guy working at the bar was a total asshole who apparently needs a reminder that he works in customer service. Bill was NOT HAPPY. Needless to say, he won't be using this facility again. *shrugs*

Day 4 - Crianlarich to the Drover's Inn

Supposedly an "easy" 12-13 miles. Not really. :) Had spitty rain and some snow. Went through an ethereal forest and by an 8th century cemetary before spending a good chunk of the day communing with cows and sheep.

Slogged through several miles of pasture and manure, and ducked through a tunnel called a "sheep creep" that went under railroad tracks.

Crossed through a campsite and went down the road several yards until we reached the Drover's Inn, a 300 year old structure with rooms, a restaurant, bar, and live entertainment on a Wednesday night. SUCH a blast!  My friend Michelle Stewart (who lives in Crieff) was able to come and hang out for a while. She and Colin got along like a house on fire. She also brought her drum, which all 3 of us played with a bit. WiFi was spotty, so no blogging that night (sorry...)

 

Day 3 - Glencoe to Tyndrum

19 - yes, NINETEEN - miles today.  Weather was crisp, chilly, and mostly sunny.  Our journey today took us through the Rannoch Moor, which is the largest expanse of uninhabited land on the island.  There really is a whole lot of nothing there.

The terrain was mostly level and pretty rocky underfoot.  Some hills to climb and descend, but not steep - long gradual climbs was the norm.

As we came off the moor, some of us ran into a bit of confusion when we came to a fork in the trail.  Fortunately, I had my WHW guidebook with me, and we were able to figure out which way to go.  We even left an arrow on the ground to aid a couple of the group who were behind us.

We arrived at the Inveroren Hotel, where we sat on a nearby woodpile and had a bite to eat before communing with a stag.

Then we were off to the Bridge of Orchy, which, according to legend, is possibly the bridge that Rob Roy McGregor was hung from.  He escaped this hanging somehow (Rope broke?) and he went down river and got away.  Very small village, only a few houses and a hotel or 2.

After crossing the A82 and ducking under a railroad track, we started out on the 6 mile leg along the lower slopes of Beinn Dorain and Beinn Odhar.  After already having walked 13 miles, seeing where you needed to go way, WAAAAYYYYYYY off in the distance definitely led to "What-the-hell-did-I-get-myself-into" kinds of thoughts.  However, it helped that the scenery was breathtaking, and the fact that there was a small group still plodding along with you was encouraging.

I wasn't able to get a picture, but James and I saw Great Britain's smallest bird, the goldcrest.  Here's a link to info on this pretty little creature:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/goldcrest/index.aspx

We finally came to the end of the day's planned path in Tyndrum, and were picked up by William "of the Whiskies" Reid and brought to the hotel, where we were immediately brought into dinner, since it was almost 8:00pm.

Tomorrow's an easy day - only a paltry 12 miles planned.

Day 2 - Kinlochleven to Glencoe

We did things a little differently today.  Instead of having the whole group head off to the trail at the same time, we staggered the departures.  The sprinters got a bit of a lie-in and planned to start around 1000.  The more leisurely walkers (I proudly include myself in that group) left the hotel at 0830, walked through the village, then started walking uphill.  And continued walking uphill.  AAANNNDDD continued walking uphill.  And THEN we started walking uphill in packed snow and ice.  You know, just for a bit of variety.  Sky was mostly overcast, with light snow flurries, and it was a bit breezy.  The trail led us over the highest point (elevation-wise) of the West Highland Way, and then onto a not-as-steep-as-the-way-up descent down the Devil's Staircase.

As the leisurely walkers reached the top of the Devil's Staircase, the jack-rabbits caught up with us and after a few minutes of photo-taking, we started down.  Heard along the way from one of our group: "Is there ANY level ground in Scotland?!?"

Upon reaching the bottom, we were picked up in the minibus and driven a couple of miles off the West Highland Way so that we could walk through Glencoe along an old military road.  This part of the walk was not originally planned, as it isn't part of the WHW itself, but it was well worth the extra miles walked, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

This leg of today's walk was a lot less strenuous than this morning's, and we were surrounded by hauntingly beautiful scenery.

After clocking in just under 14 miles for the day, we checked into the Clachaig Inn ("Good Craic").  We're all now settling down to supper in the pub, and fueling up for our "long" day tomorrow on Rannoch Moor.

And now, a few words from our guide, "Gentle" James Johnston:

Well its been a EPIC two days and am thrilled to be sharing my homeland with such a fun group of people. We have seen it all...pine martins, red deer, red squirrels and tons of birdlife. I think getting snowed on in the Larigmor was a real treat, gave the pass a real sense of loneliness, loved it! I'll keep in touch with you all through the week as I check in on Heathers blog, enjoy reading it, Slainte.