Woodend Wanderer

It rained all night. The wind blew hard all night. Mist covered the hill tops. The trees swayed in the wind.

The morning dawned wet and gloomy. It was not an auspicious start to the day. Never the less move we must. We rose early for it was 13 miles to get to our next stop at the Kingshouse hotel and bunkhouse. To get there we had to climb up to and cross Rannoch Moor. Said to be the remotest and wildest part of the way with no escape routes for 10 miles, the guide book says come prepared for the weather can turn notoriously cruel.

How do you cope with that? Why start with a good breakfast. So we did. Porridge and honey, some fruit and cups of tea,

We left the shelter of the few trees around and headed out onto Rannoch moor. It is a desolate place of bogs and peat. No shelter anywhere. The driving showers of rain blew horizontal making our faces sting. Then the sun came out and dried us off before the next showers came whistling by. We took shelter behind some large stones out of the wind to eat a snack bar and take some water. 

It was hard going. The Drovers road is made of cobbles and stone and the old carriage and wagon ruts are still clearly visible to this day. The trail descends into a bowl of granite gouged out by an ice cap 12,000 years ago that holds the water in which the moor lies.

The scenery is dominated by the massive structure of Buachaille Etive Mòr. The Great Herdsman of Etive guarding the entrance to Glen Etive.

I have really impressed by all the places we have stayed at. maybe the Buchanan Arms in Drymen was a wee bit tired and inside was far too hot but overall the places we have stayed at have been very good.

So it was with the Craigbank Guesthouse in Crianlarich run by Veronica and Colin. Lovely warm couple. Spotless room, super comfy bed and a lovely breakfast set us up for the walk to Bridge Of Orchy 13 miles away. 

It had rained overnight and so we set off on a damp morning with a bit of a chill in the air. Autumn is here in the Highlands.

We retraced our steps to the old military road and got to the hallway point at Tyndrum fairly easily. We were on time. 

The old military road is really hard underfoot and is quite punishing on tired feet. The cobbles have broken up in places to make matters worse. But the rain stayed away.

The scenery here is of mountains and high peaks covered in heather and scrub grasses. Trees are around but tended to be in forest plantations. There is not much left of the ancient Caledonian forest that once covered these parts. The peaks of Beinn Dorain and Beann An Dòthaidh dominate the skyline. The Way skirts along their feet into Bridge of Orchy. Numerous streams run down from the peaks. We cross them. They gurgle beneath our feet as they race down to join the River Orchy.

It is not hard to imagine the horses and carts and soldiers of the English Army marching along these roads. They have not changed since they were built. They are constructed with big stones first then smaller stones with a topping of gravel all packed down to form a hard road bed. The majority have stood the test of time.

The driver of a freight train running the opposite way to us poked his arm out of his cab window and gave us a wave. We waved back to him.

The hotel is a whitewashed building and comes into sight as we crest the last hill and a welcome sight it is as the light fades and dark clouds move in.

The first part of the way took us up Glen Falloch alongside the Falloch River. There were waterfalls aplenty and lots of nice calm pools of water where the trout were eyeing me walking past. Pity I did not have my fly fishing rod with me! Whenever we stopped the midges started biting again. Debbie went into full combat mode again with head net and full spray. The scenery has changed to high peaks covered in heather and sheep. A gentle wind blew along the valley carrying the scent of damp vegetation.

We stopped on a grassy knoll at the side of the path for a drink and a protein bar. A young man with a big pack came by and was limping so we asked him if he was ok. He said he was fine. Just struggling a little. So we told him to rest with us a while. He was an Italian man called Matteo from Trieste. We talked and he moved on thanking us for saying hello.

The way then followed along on the old military road that was constructed by General Wade then Major Caulfield back in 1742. These were roads built to move the British Army quickly to the Highlands to control the Jacobites. The roads still exist to this day. Most abandoned to walkers and sheep as the new roads run close by on modern surfaces.

We then dropped down into Crianlarich where we stopped at a local Cafe to have a cup of tea as we were too early to arrive at our B+B. We had made it to the halfway point of the way. Whilst drinking my tea, two young lads came by. We saw them pass us earlier in the day. The taller one was clearly having a problem with one of his feet. I asked him if he was ok. He said he had a bad blister on his left heel. I offered to take a look but he was a bit embarrassed so I told him to sit and I gave him one of my big blister plasters from my 1st aid kit and told him to use it. I also showed him how to tie his boot properly to stop it rubbing. He had them much too loose. He went on his way and thanked me. “How do you know all this” he said. “I walked the Camino and learned the hard way” I said. 

The rain had passed through overnight. The morning dawned with mist on the mountains, heavy clouds and the sun peeping through. Paul and Kelly our hosts at the Garrison of Inversnaid had prepared us a magnificent breakfast and after the best nights rest so far we set off for Inverarnan some 8 miles up the Loch to our north.

The trail leaves the Inversnaid hotel and meanders through the woods at the waters edge for around ¼ mile to an old boathouse. The views across the loch were magnificent. The sun peeped through the clouds dancing on the far hills. Every now and then a light shower passed down the loch.

Debbie in full Midgy protection mode. They were relentless today. As soon as we stopped for water or a rest, clouds of them were around you, biting. The so called repellant was useless. Clearly nobody told the flies that they were supposed to stay away. I have no idea why midges were invented other than to torment tourists and locals alike.

We set of into another calm and humid morning. It was overcast. Rain was forecast for later in the day but it was going to be light rain.

We passed a house the owners of which had built a little honesty kiosk full of goodies. There was home baking, drinks, crisps and snacks and all on a honesty basis. You took what you wanted and put your money in a tin. A sign on their gates reminded us of the distance still to go. As if we needed reminding.

The easy going path snaked its way in more ancient forests. These appear to be the oldest so far. It was totally silent and gloomy. Nothing stirred. We often stopped and just looked around us and into the depths of the forest. It was like a filmset from Lord of the Rings but this was real. Damp mosses and lichens carpeted the forest floor. Fungi grew on rotting tree stumps. Water dripped and gurgled its way down to the loch way below. Our view of the loch was totally obscured. This was full on sensory immersion.

I came across a leaf hanging in mid air right in from of my face . It was hanging on an invisible spiders silk thread. It looked like the leaf was suspended in mid air. I had to pretend to do a little magicians trick. If you look carefully at the photo you can spot the leaf.

The reward at the end was crossing a footbridge over the Inversnaid water fall and our arrival at the Inversnaid hotel. Whilst this was not our accommodation, we did take lunch and cups of tea to pass time as we were too early to check into our own accommodation a mile up the valley at the Garrison of Inversnaid. It also aided in the recovery of sore muscles.

The title? Well it is a well known song of the same name. Here it is if you really want to listen to it.

We had a lovely dinner at the Oak Tree inn last night. Followed by an equally good breakfast this morning. A decent breakfast sets you up for the day. Today would be our first real taste of Loch Lomond. This part of the way will take us from Balmaha to Rowardennan.  Our destination is the Ben Lomond bunkhouse run by the National Trust for Scotland.

Leaving Balmaha you come across a prominent figure. He is Tom Weir. A prominent figure in the region. More by clicking his name.

We stopped for a rest and a drink in the carpark at a bay on the Loch popular with campers and holiday makers. As we sat on the bench we saw two people I guess in their 80s smoking a cigarette sat on the tailgate of their 4×4 car. The gent was dressed in a day kilt with socks and brogues. He was very dapper. After they had finished smoking he came over and said “its lovely to see you walking with your daughter! hello my dear” and talked to Debbie what a smoothie. He was so charming. He gave us a brief chat about where we were, some history and put his hat on Debbie. She of course loved it. he bade us farewell as he had to continue on our way. I loved our brief encounter.

The Ben Lomond Bunkhouse was a lovely little place. It is the local HQ for the rangers that look after Ben Lomond mountain and the local forests, flora and fauna. It also has a room with bunk beds for the ladies and a separate one for the gents. So Debbie and I sleep apart. Run by the extremely affable Alex and her dog Jack, the place is a little haven off the trial. We caught up with our washing, played with the dog, met our fellow walkers lodging with us and just had a wonderful chilled out evening. This was a day to nearly recover from Conic Hill. The weather held. Lets hope for more tomorrow.