And We Walked a Third of 95 Miles...

Dear Family and Friends,

First, Ken and I want to thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers as we attempted to walk our way through Scotland's Highlands on the West Highland Way.

Well, we didn't do the 95 miles in four days (shocker). All told, we walked about 45 miles, on and off the West Highland Way path.




We're both willing to wager that when you read our email last week you thought one or more of the following:
(a) They're crazy!
(b) They have NO idea what they are getting themselves into.
(c) They won't make it the whole thing in four days.
(d) Cool.
(e) All of the above.

If your only reaction was (d), we're flattered.

Come mile 12 on the first day we came to conclusions (a), (b), and (c) (delayed reaction much?). Once we arrived at our first destination, Rowardennan, feeling exhausted, rucksack bruised and slightly demoralized, we drastically re-evaluated our plan.

So here is OUR West Highland Way journey:

Day One:

For starters, we did not start in Milngavie (pronounced MIL-gay. Weird, we know). The first bit from Milngavie to Drymen, we'd been told, is severely lacking in the scenery and we decided not to exert energy completing that portion of the Way (12mi). We took a train from Glasgow to Balloch, where Loch Lomond begins in the south, and from there took a bus to Drymen. From the town square we walked a mile or two to where the WHW picks up. The beginning of the official trail took us past some quaint farms, leading us to go through a beautiful forest. We were gradually working our way up to Conic Hill and along the way caught some nice views of Loch Lomond and its islands. Once we began our actual ascent of Conic Hill, the trek became more difficult. The path was very muddy and slippery and the rocks that make up the path were a cause for sore feet. We came across sheep with the goat-like characteristic of having the facility to cling to the side of a steep hill. Conic Hill is a part of the Highland Boundary Fault that separates the Highlands from the Lowlands, and from where we were on the trail, the change in the landscape was noticeable. Our decent from Conic Hill was very steep and very rough. Ken slipped and fell into some mud, but caught himself in such a way that he did not end up sitting in the mud. It was wicked impressive. I slipped going down some "steps" along the path, slightly hurting my ankle in the process, but it wasn't anything serious. The path down hill was littered with random steps and were not very friendly to the knees. Once down, we were led through some more beautiful forest and after a little bit arrived in Balmaha, completing 8 miles in a little under four hours. We rested, ate our packed lunch and after an hour began the second portion of our journey that day.

Balmaha to Rowardennan is roughly 7-8 miles. It started off along the shores of Loch Lomond, allowing us to take in the scenery for a bit. There were many people soaking up the sun and putting boats to use at the Loch that day since the weather was brilliant. Walking away from the shores, the path takes you through some wooded areas. For a bit we were walking next to a road as well. We made it through Rowardennan Forest without any serious problems, just the typical mud avoidance. It wasn't until we hit Ross Wood where we started to seriously question our endeavour. We had to climb and descend a few hills which never seemed to end, making the last 2-3 miles the most grueling we had ever felt. We were spent and couldn't feel our toes by the time we made it to Rowardennan. We had a carbohydra-licious dinner at the Rowardennan Hotel, but after sitting for a while, we had some major trouble sending signals to the nerves and muscles our legs to walk another mile to our hostel. Our exhaustion, however, didn't hinder us in appreciating the beauty of Loch Lomond at sunset. Now for a small tidbit on Loch Lomond: it is the largest fresh water Loch ("lake") in the UK. It is 24 miles long and five miles wide and at its deepest point is 600 feet deep. It's also said to be the most beautiful. You're probably familiar with the lyrics:
"O ye’ll tak’ the high road and I’ll tak’ the low road,
And I’ll be in Scotland afore ye.
But me and my true love will never meet again,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomond."
And what bonnie, bonnie (beautiful) banks they are!

That night we seriously contemplated whether or not we had it in us to go any farther, especially since the next portion of the Way (Rowardennan to Inverarnan) is supposedly the most difficult section. Everything we had researched about the Way indicated that up to that point, it was a "warm-up." If what we had experienced was supposed to be "easy," we felt unprepared to continue. We thought we had prepared. Since moving here, Ken and I have walked everywhere in Glasgow and in late spring we had taken up running at least every other day, rain or shine (and by "shine" I mean bright gray with cloud cover). That night, we felt like veritable pansies. Seeking some sort of validation, we talked to other people in the hostel, trying to get a sense of how we could continue without getting in over our heads. Everyone we had spoken to confirmed our sentiments about that section of the Way, that it was one of the most strenuous sections to complete out of the whole trail. As for how to continue and whether or not we should continue were decisions we resolved to sleep on.

Day Two:

We woke up early, however not as bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as the morning prior. After breakfast and much thought we decided we were not turning back to Glasgow until Monday as planned. We were going to explore what we could of the Highlands, even if it meant cheating!

We opted to take a ferry across to a town called Tarbet where we would then take a bus to Bridge of Orchy. Essentially we took the day off to recover and somewhat explore Tarbet and Bridge of Orchy. From Tarbet there is a very beautiful view of the Loch. It's also a popular point at which to explore Loch Lomond and begin the many walks the Trossachs National Park has to offer. The bus ride to Bridge of Orchy allowed us to view what we were skipping over, and to be honest, we don't feel that bad.

Arriving in Bridge of Orchy was breathtaking. It is located in the central highlands with magnificent, foreboding munros (mountains) essentially surrounding it. There is not much to the town (if you could call it that) except the hotel and the bridge itself and River Orchy. We hadn't made a reservation, but we lucked out in getting the last available room in the bunkhouse. Ken and I walked along the river a bit, enjoying the scenery and the sound of its rushing. For a place that only boasts a hotel, a bunkhouse and a few small, white houses, the pub was quite busy in the evening for dinner. My roommate from the hostel in Rowardennan showed up and it turned out Ken and I were not the only ones to have cheated that day! After dinner, we concluded the evening with star gazing. It's amazing how much brighter stars can be when you're not in a city. Stars actually twinkle! And I saw my first shooting star, tail and all! The sky that night will stay with us forever...

Day Three:

We awoke to a chilly morning with a slight fog, feeling enthusiastic about walking the 13 miles to Kingshouse. The first two miles were a short walk through a forest and a slight ascent along the side of Mam Carraigh, offering a view of the isolated Inveroran Hotel and Loch Tulla. Everything looked really peaceful covered in morning fog. Further along the path, we passed Victoria Bridge and from there we were on an old military path that would take us along the Black Mount and Rannoch Moor. For nine miles were walking through the heart of Scotland's wilderness. The walk itself was not strenuous, as we didn't have to deal with steep hills. The military path, composed of stones pounded into the ground, were straining on the feet, but not nearly as bad as walking up Conic Hill. The weather played a large part in making our walk pleasant. Because Rannoch Moor is so exposed, bad weather could have made that that section very difficult. Our map even noted, "Be prepared and carry enough food and warm clothing for this nine mile section." When we stopped for our lunch the wind picked up a tad but thankfully no serious bad weather materialized. By the time we made it to Kingshouse, the weather completely shaped up, casting beautiful light among the mountains of Glen Coe. We stopped in Kingshouse Hotel and had a little rest in their hotel pub. Then Ken and I back-tracked along the Way to wait for a bus to get to Glen Coe Village, where we would spend the night.

Glen Coe Village is ten miles away from Kingshouse and the main road takes you along the base of the most amazing mountains we have ever seen in our lives. When you get to the village you feel as you've stepped into the heart of the Highlands. The village itself is made up of the Mountain Rescue center, a ton of B&Bs, a general store, some private residences and an Episcopal Church. From the village, we had to walk two miles to get to our hostel, located pretty much in the middle of nowhere along a single-lane road. To get dinner we had to walk past the hostel another mile. We ate a nice dinner and after a bit made our way back to the hostel in pitch black darkness with the help of a flashlight. Not quite the safest walk we've ever done...We're not sure if the moon was hanging lower than usual or if the mountains were really that high, but the moon was eerily nowhere in sight. And the stars that night completely outshone the previous night's.

Day Four:

We cannot convey enough how incredibly lucky we were to have had the weather we did for our hike. Until the day before we arrived in Glen Coe, there had been 56 straight days of rain in the area. Glasgow had two weeks worth of rain until the day before we left for Drymen. We could not have asked for better weather!

Getting back to Glasgow proved a little more complicated than we thought it was going to be. Not sure why, but the bus drivers we encountered were very rude. We flagged down one bus and the driver opened the doors and the luggage compartment, but then yelled at us and said that we couldn't get on the bus because there was no room. Why stop then? Even someone that needed to get to Glasgow to catch a flight was turned away, and he had an open ticket. It was really frustrating. So we had no choice but to hang around for a bit, which was fine since we could enjoy the scenery. We talked to someone for a little bit who was also turned away on the bus. She informed us about a government initiative that was put into place not too long ago that allows everyone aged 60 and over to ride buses anywhere in Scotland for free. That's a pretty sweet deal if you're a pensioner, but its makes getting a spot on a bus difficult for the rest of us. Once on the bus, the ride home retraced most of our journey.

Although we didn't manage to complete the West Highland Way in its entirety, we're content in our efforts. This experience has enticed us to return since we both feel we've barely skimmed the surface. We will one day complete this hike, hopefully with the company of friends.

After a year in Glasgow, we will leave Scotland next week having witnessed some of its most amazing scenery. This was the perfect end to a wonderful year and for that we are truly blessed and thankful.


With much love,
Diana and Ken

For more pictures, check out our Picasa web album:
http://picasaweb.google.com/espinald57/WHW_Sept09?authkey=Gv1sRgCMmx89CR_PC_cQ&feat=directlink