Viking Way (Part 1)

Barton upon Humber – Fiskerton   25^th – 29^th October 2021

Introduction

 

My post-retirement objective of the completion of the national trails has almost been achieved and it was time to broaden my horizons and explore different parts of Britain. In the weeks before the clocks went back, I had the opportunity of one more walk before the winter darkness descended. So why not try somewhere low-lying, somewhere not so exposed to the vagaries of autumn weather. The Viking Way was top of my list as an early or late in the season low-level route. Lincolnshire was supposedly flat. Little did I know how wrong I could be.

 

At 147 miles in length, the Viking Way fell perfectly into the category of two trips, each of four or five days. And with the transport hub of Lincoln halfway along, the obvious plan was to make Lincoln the target for my late October trek. This would give me a walk from the banks of the Humber, to one of England’s greatest cathedrals. Next spring, God and Covid willing, I hope to return to Lincoln and completed the trail to its southern terminus at Oakham.

 

 

Monday 25^th October 2021 Barton-upon-Humber -South Ferriby

The Chef’s Day Off

 

It was on a Monday morning, the last Monday before the clocks change, that Jill took me down to the station to catch a local train to Stockport where I had time for a bacon bap in the station buffet before boarding a Transpennine Express across to Sheffield and Doncaster and the remote halt at Habrough. In the dry and bright conditions, I did not mind the hour-long wait. The connection to Barton upon Humber, the end of the line in more ways than one, took me to the start of the Viking Way (VW). A café near the station was just closing and had no cakes left but kindly provided me with a dish of rhubarb crumble and custard before I set off. Heading north out of Barton, I soon reached the Humber, a huge tidal estuary with the factories of Hull just visible on the far bank. There was a car park, almost empty, the Viking Way Café under construction, and a few people walking on the sea wall. I asked one of these good souls to take my photo as I stood under the Humber Bridge at the start of the trail.

 

I turned westwards along the sea wall, passing Far Ings Nature Reserve and its aluminium box of a visitors’ centre. A wide track followed the river bank and briefly made an excursion inland to bypass South Cliff Farm. The afternoon sun was low in the sky and glaring in my eyes: I had not brought along any sunglasses. The Yorkshire Wolds on the north bank, a national trail I walked some seven years ago, looked lovely in the late afternoon sunshine. Soon, the track emerged onto a lane passing a hall and I was in the outskirts of South Ferriby. At the main road I continued across into an ascending lane which bypasses the village. At the graveyard, a steep track led down to the church and the pub which was to provide my first night’s accommodation. I was on my way.

 

 

Barton-upon-Humber Station dep. 14.15, South Ferriby arr. 16.00

GPS 4.76 miles in 1hr 42mins 42secs walking time (about 4 miles on route).

Stayed in the Nelthorpe Arms, South Ferriby. It was the chef’s night off so the pub rang through for an Indian delivery from Barton, butter chicken, rice and naan. The pub provided some best bitter {3.7%) from Lincolnshire Craft Beers, brewed on a farm near Barnetby.

 

 

Tuesday 26^th October 2021          South Ferriby – Nettleton

All the By’s

 

My breakfast was a porridge pot left outside my room. Just add boiling water and retire immediately. At least there were no delays: I was packed and out of the pub well before 9am. Within a couple of minutes, I was shuffling up the steep and slippery cobbled track onto the VW and out along a bare plateau, The route weaved its way along tracks and lanes until the traffic noise intensified as I neared the A15, a busy dual carriage way coming from the Humber Bridge. The crossing of this arterial road proved the biggest navigation challenge of the day. All VW signs disappeared, a half mile of tarmac led to a road bridge over the A15 leaving the walker with the only option of walking down the slip road onto the southern  carriageway. Just when all hope of seeing home again had evaporated, a tiny gap in a hedge opened into a field. A well-walked trod ran beside the busy carriageway and the traffic noise was such that ear protectors should be recommended. After a mile or so the path bent away from the road and the noise levels subsided.

 

A drizzle came in but not enough to warrant waterproof covers for the rucksack. The level field-paths led briefly out onto a lane and then turned towards a motorway junction where the A15 meets the M180. Emerging onto a busy motorway junction was unnerving but, with care and patience, I was able to negotiate the traffic and proceed to second roundabout and the entrance into the village of Barnetby-le-Wold. I was hoping for a nice tea shop but had to make do with a bacon bap from a takeaway sandwich shop. This I ate in a bus shelter before tramping onwards. The afternoon section was a sheer delight. Field paths passed through a green valley with gentle hills to the east, passing the monument near Somerby Hall and then village after village ending in ‘by’, the Viking term for a farm or settlement. Eventually I was faced with a sharp climb up onto a ridge where Caistor came into view. Crossing a shallow valley, the route climbed into the lovely old town, originally Roman but now predominantly  Georgian. As the pub had no room for me, I continued south to the next village, Nettleton, a small hamlet clustered to one side of a main road.  

 

The Salutation was closed on Tuesdays but my host, Jo, gave me a coffee at her roadside café and led me round the side of the pub to a beautifully furbished luxury cabin. After a shower and rest, I was suitably recovered to walk back up the main road for a meal in Caistor.

 

South Ferriby dep. 08.49, Nettleton arr. 16.00 

GPS 20.33 miles in 7hrs 1min 42secs walking with a 20min lunch stop in Barnetby-le-Wold. I had failed to find accommodation in Caistor but was rescued by Jo at the Salutation in Nettleton who, even though shut for the evening, offered me a luxury cabin beside her pub. I had to walk a mile back into Caistor for a meal at the White Hart where I ate fish, chips and mushy peas. The beer was New World Pale Ale (3.9%) from Milestone Brewery, Cromwell, Nottinghamshire.

 

 

Wednesday 27^th October 2021   Nettleton – Donington on Bain

Into the Wolds

 

Jo opened up her café especially early for me so I could have a bacon bap and be on my way into the long day ahead. The route started up a steep-sided valley, climbing all the time to emerge onto a country lane at Acre House. The long straight strip of tarmac was not at all boring as the views to the west opened out and the sun came out in celebration. After a high-level few miles, the road gradually dropped into Normanby-le-Wold and its lovely old church. Another section along the top of the Wolds, this time on grass, led to a steep drop into Walesby and up the other side to another impressive church. At Rigby, a notice pointed towards a flock of sheep, Leicester Longwools. And then came the piece de resistance, the lovely village of Tealby. The route passed right by the village shop where I had a fabulous piece of chocolate cake with my cappuccino.

 

The next few miles were a big disappointment. Low-level tracks emerged onto High Street, an arrow-straight Roman road with fast moving traffic. Then over farmland to Ludford and three miles of tarmac, the first mile of which was alongside an A-road. The lane out to Girsby was a drag and I was relieved to turn east and onto a farm-track to Wykeham Hall. Here I called in to see Lizzie and Richard and chatted for the best part of an hour. Then it was east across a valley, before turning south along a high-level ridge passed Grim’s Mound. Straight on down a lane brought me to the estate at Biscathorpe and then along the river and its reservoirs into Donington. The pub was at the far end of the village and it provided me with a nice room up some metal fire escapes of an adjoining block.

 

Nettleton dep. 09.18, Donington on Bain arr.16.50

GPS 18.92 mls in 6hrs 28mins 14secs walking time plus 15mins at the village shop in Tealby and 50 mins at Wykeham Hall.

The Black Horse in Donington provided a lovely meal. Belly pork & mash followed by treacle tart & custard. I tried two ales, Piston Broke (4.5%) from Box Steam Brewery in Holt, Wiltshire and an old friend Silver King (4.3%) from Ossett Brewery, West Yorkshire.

 

Thursday 28^th October 2021 Donington on Bain – Woodhall Spa

Down into the Flatlands

 

A light breakfast was perfect on this lovely morning. No wind and clear blue skies overhead as I weaved my way out of the village and over a dismantled railway. Skirting a plantation or two and climbing over Colley Hill, the route descended into Goulceby. The village was eerily quiet: lots of lovely property but no people or cars. Following a stream across flat meadows, I came thence to Scamblesby, which looked marginally more alive. An endlessly long lane gradually morphed into a field track before climbing another section of high ground. The next target was the delightfully named Belchford which was soon bypassed for more grassy hills. Poor signage (or navigation) resulted in me missing the path into Fulletby and I found myself with an extra bit of tarmac to traverse. All of a sudden, the Wolds came to an end. With fabulous views ahead, I started down three miles of field-paths and lanes into the town of Horncastle. The morning ended in Myer’s café eating cheese toasties.

 

The Viking Way leaves the town via the sports centre, seeking a canalised River Bain to the west. The Bain is followed for several miles until the route transfers onto an old railway line, now the well walked and cycled Woodhall Spa Trail. Interesting metal sculptures line the path adding a bit of interest to a rather dull section of walking. Things brightened up considerably over the golf course and some lovely woodland paths linked the various fairways and greens. Passing a museum and a hotel, the lane brought me right into the town centre. The guest house was within yards of the busy cross roads and I was soon showered and ready for a pint.

 

 

Donington dep. 08.30, Woodhall Spa arr.16.20

20 mls in 6hrs 45mins 24secs walking time with a 35min lunch break in Myers Café, Horncastle. .

I stayed in the Claremont Guest House and ate at the Inn at Woodhall Spa. I enjoyed an interesting dish, butternut & courgette curry followed by apple strudel & ice cream. The only real ale was Batemans XB (3.7%).

 

 

Friday 29^th October 2021                 Woodhall Spa – Fiskerton

A Cathedral on the Horizon

 

At dawn it was drizzling. Had my good luck with the weather finally run out? Another light breakfast and I was glad to see that the rain had ceased and the skies still  looked threatening but a lot brighter. I had time for a quick visit to the shops before I set off along Whitham Road looking for the way out of town. This turned out to be a hedged path between the houses that emerged into huge flat fields all the way to Stixwould. The easy walking on quiet lanes enabled me to get an average pace of more than 3mph for the first time this week. Beyond the hamlet, all signs and stickers for the Viking Way disappeared. There seemed little interest in the long-distance route in this area. At Abbey Warren Farm, the path disappeared altogether with an apology of a section around the farm through nettles and mud.

The route was better signed beyond Southrey and the perimeter track around Southrey Wood was easy to find. The huge sugar factory dominated the landscape as I approached Bardney, another village where little seemed to happen. And I could have killed a cup of coffee. North of here, the map showed Kings Hill but this mound was even less impressive than Grim’s. The lanes around Stainfield were rather busy and I was glad to reach a signed short-cut across a loop in the road. But the field crossing had been recently ploughed and no attempt had been made to reinstate the path. So I went the long way on tarmac and left the lane at the path to Stainfield Hall. There was a strange old chapel next the hall. A welcome woodland path circled Foxhall Wood and here I stopped for a short rest and a bite of my emergency supplies.

 

A shower of rain came in as I crossed a huge ploughed field. This crossing could have been difficult in wetter weather. Eventually I reached the northernmost point of the day. I turned west onto a lane and for the first time today was heading towards Lincoln. First though, I had to cross three miles of rich but rather featureless farmland. The one memorable moment was  passing the ruined abbey of which just one wall and tower remaining, looking rather incongruous in the middle of a field. A hedged path then took me round to the solar farm at Fiskerton. Two ladies out for a walk gave me the information I need on buses into Lincoln. I had time to walk down to the River Whitham and ¾ mile along the river wall to a wooden footbridge back into Fiskerton village. And as I walked along the river, there on the horizon was the cathedral, still 5-miles distant, starkly outlined against the grey sky. I was just in time for a bus into Lincoln and my walk for the week was over.

 

Woodhall Spa dep. 08.50, Fiskerton bus stop arr. 15.15

GPS 19.03 miles in 6hrs 24mins 43secs. (18.33 miles on route).

 

Conclusion

 

The train journey home involved changing at Sheffield and Stockport and, despite a missed connection at the latter, I was home in time for a meal with Jill and the swapping of a week’s news. It was only when I saw the news items of floods in Cumbria and SW Scotland that I realised how lucky I had been with the weather for my week in Lincolnshire. Maybe I should do all my walking in the east of the country.

 

The Lincolnshire Wolds were a joy to walk through and the picturesque villages lacked only cafes and teashops. The flatter part of this walk is still to come. I had walked 83 miles in five days of which at least 80 miles were on route. This leaves me less than 70 miles to complete the Viking Way. This must wait for another winter. I plan to return in the early spring, with a four-day schedule for Part 2, Fiskerton – Oakham.

North Downs Way (Part 2)

Hollingbourne – Dover – Canterbury - Wye

13^th – 17^th September 2021

Introduction

 

Walking to Canterbury Cathedral has been my long-term objective for several years. Reaching it by my  75^th birthday and as my last of the 19 LDWA National Trails was my idealised target. The Covid pandemic put pay to that plan but when an autumnal opportunity arose to complete the North Downs Way (NDW), a trail I had started just before last autumn’s lockdown, I put together a five-day programme to not just reach the cathedral but also to include the Wye – Dover – Canterbury – Wye loop. A great excuse to explore the beautiful county of Kent.

 

Of the options that I considered, I chose one that I had never tried before: operating from a single base, using public transport each day and carrying only a day pack rather than my normal 40 litre rucksack. The thought of living out of a city hotel for a week was not very attractive. Then I came across details of an Airbnb in a small village near Canterbury, close to rail and bus links to east Kent. I was destined to spend five nights with Nicole and Alex in Chartham, travelling out each morning to the route of the NDW. On a quiet Sunday afternoon I drove down the M40 and round the M25 to arrive in Kent in the early evening. There was just time to have a pint of Master Brew at the village pub, the Artichoke, and then pack a small sack ready for a Monday morning start.

 

 

Monday 13^th September 2021                      Hollingbourne  - Wye

Pilgrim’s Progress Continued

 

My kind hosts, who lead very busy lives, left a table of cereals, bread and homemade jams for my breakfast. I walked down to the station and caught the 09.08 train to Hollingbourne, back to where last year’s expedition had terminated. I took a slightly different path to the one I had used last year, passing Allington Farm to attain the top of the downs. A short excursion took me the ‘wrong way’ along the NDW back to Broad Street Hill, the point where I had left the route last year. Here I turned around and retraced my steps and beyond to recommence my pilgrimage. I was soon down in Hollingbourne although I saw little of the village except for the Dirty Habit pub. The walking was easy and rapid, on lanes and wooded tracks along the foot of the downs. In no time I was passing Lenham and its light industry. A monk sat in a very wooden manner on a road-side bench, and a white cross was carved into the chalk hillside overlooking another bench and spring. A milestone informed the pilgrims of the miles they had come and still had to go. On and on went the trail until it was time for a break and some food. A gap in a hedge led out into a field with views over the A20 as it approached the roundabout at Charing. I lay on the grass for half an hour and dozed in the sunshine.

 

The path crossed the A252 half way up Charing Hill. The continuation was on a long section of tarmac that eventually led to another wooded trackway. After passing the hamlet of Dunn Street, I descended a grassy field beside a strip of woodland, then crossed open land to Eastwell Park. The lake was visible to the south but I could see no sign of the hotel at the centre of the estate. Boughton Lees has a large triangular green at its core with a busy road up on side and an enticing pub, the Flying Horse, at the far end. This looked closed so I passed on up a lane which led to a rather innocuous looking signpost, but one that was key to the whole week. If I headed north, it was 34 miles to Dover via Canterbury. I chose the other alternative, 27 miles east to Dover via Folkestone. Wye Station was only two miles along this path and a train to Chartham brought me to the end of my first day.

 

Hollinbourne Station dep. 09.48, Wye Station arr. 16.25

GPS 18.25 miles in 5hrs 58mins 27secs walking time plus a 35-minute break near Charing. It was 1.7 miles and 36 minutes from the station to the start at Broad Street Hill.

Neither pub in Chartham did food on Mondays or Tuesdays. Thankfully I had the car to drive to Chilham, where I ordered ham & leek pie in the White Horse followed by syrup sponge and custard. The Mad Goose (4.2%) from Purity was nearing the end of the barrel so my second pint was Landlord (4.3%) from Timothy Taylor’s.

 

Tuesday 14^th September 2021         Wye – Folkestone (A260)

The Crown of Wye Down

 

Yesterday’s sunshine had disappeared. It was a grey and damp morning and rain was in the air as I walked to the station and caught a train for the short journey back to Wye. As I walked into the village, the rain was getting heavier. A lovely coffee shop provided tuna and mayo butties for my lunch together with the obligatory carrot cake. The church was a sight to behold as it dominated the view down Church Street with its lovely door and yew tree. The route slanted through the graveyard and out passed the agricultural college buildings, some no longer in use. It was too warm and humid for my raingear so I chose to get wet instead as I followed a track under an avenue of trees and across a field to the base of the downs. A steep climb up the wooded slopes gained the crest and then the path emerged onto a open grassy edge with fine views of the town below. I rested momentarily at the low concrete monument, the Wye Crown. Then it was off and away over the glorious Wye Downs, a national nature reserve, with the sea in the grey and murky distance.

 

The rain had started again as the trail dropped down the road into Stowting, passing the Tiger pub. Too early for a pint. The start of the climb up Cobb’s Hill was hard to find. A lovely lady with umbrella showed me the gap in the thorn hedge. The climb was steep and led to a large field that gently dropped down to a very busy road. The signed path ran on the field-side of the hedge parallel to the road so the lives of walkers were not threatened until the road  had to be crossed to regain the edge of the downs. The next roller-coaster section was hard to follow and poorly signed. I ended up dropping into Posting village and had a half mile of tarmac to regain the official line. Another big climb was to follow but I broke this up by choosing a lunch spot half way up and enjoying my delicious butties and great views to the north.

 

I lost all this height again descending into Etchinghill by-passing the village to reach a field path leading back up to the top of the downs. From this vantage point, the huge complex of the Channel tunnel opened up. Keeping to the edge of the plateau, the route broke out onto narrow lanes. A path ran on the other side of the hedge but was so overgrown that I took my chances with the odd vehicle and stayed on the tarmac. The NDW is taken around the earthworks and ramparts of Folkestone Castle and it was here that I met Gyan, a retired Gurkha soldier, out for his daily run. A sharp pull over Sugarloaf Hill brought me to the A260, a bus stop and the end of the day’s walk. A no.16 bus took me back to Canterbury where I jumped onto a bus to Chartham, my home for the week.

 

Wye Station dep. 09.20, Folkestone arr. 16.00 

GPS 17.07 miles in 6hrs 18mins 29secs walking with a 25min lunch stop above Etchinghill.

That evening I return to the White Horse in Chilham where I ate Hunters chicken and chips. I retried the syrup sponge for dessert, just to check it was as good as last night. The Mad Goose  (4.2%) was in good form tonight and it seemed rude to stick to just one pint.

 

Wednesday 15^th September 2021       Folkestone A260 – Shepherdswell Station

White Cliffs of Dover

 

The weather had improved overnight. The sun was threatening to break through a thin layer of cloud as I once more started the walk to the station. An earlier start was needed as I was heading the opposite way today, north to Canterbury. By 9am I was walking through the Westgate and along High Street trying to find the optimum route to the bus station. Time for a coffee and onto a 16 bus for the return journey to Folkestone. Alighting at the Alkham Valley stop just beyond Hawkinge, I was soon en-route from the A260 along Creteway Down Road towards the Valiant Sailor at Capel-le-Ferne. Across the main road, a narrow path ran between high hedges onto the clifftops of Folkestone Warren. Within minutes, the footpath opened out onto the beautifully manicured lawns at the Battle of Britain Memorial.

 

A brief look at the silver painted spitfire and the wall of names, and it was back to hedged walkways with fabulous views ahead of the white cliffs. A familiar figure was walking towards me. It was Gyan, this time out for a walk with his wife. The trail was now on grassy tracks running parallel to the busy road heading for Dover. Passing the listening ear, a first world war structure to detect enemy aircraft, I gradually descended into a roller-coaster section of white cliffs which eventually led to the outskirts of Dover. A complex section over the Western Heights proved difficult to follow. All paths seemed to bear the acorn logo whichever way they were heading. After getting lost among more wartime forts, I abandoned acorn-following and marched down North Military Way into the town centre. A community café in a small shopping centre was perfect for a bacon bap and a cappuccino.

 

I have always maintained that the most challenging navigation issues on long-distance footpaths are to be found in the towns and their suburbs. For the only time in the trip, out came the compass and the roads heading north were inspected. The map showed a church with a spire but, when I found the church, the spire was so small that the I had my doubts about my route choice. But then I saw Connaught Park ahead and the worries disappeared. A long lane of tarmac led up onto the downs and NDW signs began to reappear. A long diversion to cross the A2 was a very noisy drag, but eventually the traffic din was behind me and I was back on quiet fields on a dry and flat plateau. At Ashley, I estimated that I might miss my intended train so I broke into a gentle jog along the downhill sections. In the heat of the afternoon, I arrived at Shepherdswell Station in a muck sweat and was relieved that few people on the train were sitting close to me. I need not have bothered pushing the pace as, on crossing Canterbury between stations, I missed the connection at Canterbury West and had the best part of an hour to wait for the train to Chartham.

Folkestone A260 dep. 10.07, Shepherdswell Station arr.16.15

GPS 17.49mls in 5hrs 49mins 53secs walking time plus 35mins in a community café in Dover.

My host Nichole had been whetting my appetite all week with stories of curries at the Local Pub. I was therefore disappointed to find that it was fish night so I made do with fish and chips and tartar source washed down by a couple of pints of Timothy Taylor’s Landlord.

Thursday 16^th September 2021      Shepherdswell – Chartham Station

End of the Pilgrimage

 

Another early start. Another sunny morning. I drove down to the station and left the car in Station Road just near the A28. This would be the perfect place to finish if the day went according to plan. The morning train to Canterbury was on time so I was able to amble through the streets of the city, noting the entrance to the Cathedral which is hidden behind the rows of old buildings. I was beginning to acquaint myself with the geography of the city and I found Canterbury East Station in good time for my train back to Shepherdswell. This train was a few minutes late so it was gone 10am when I emerged from the station and into the local coop store. Clutching chicken and bacon butties, I walked up Church Hill to the point where I had left the NDW yesterday afternoon.

 

After crossing the East Kent Line, the route ran along a delightful length of strip woodland then bypassed Woolage Village before arriving at the peaceful old church at Womenswold. The next four miles were not quite so tranquil. Over dry open fields in increasing heat, the path ran parallel with the A2, carrying as it does thunderous amounts of heavy traffic. The road got closer and closer until I was walking along the edge of the embankment. Just when the noise was unbearable, the way turned sharp right and across the lush grassy slopes of a shallow valley heading for the village of Patrixbourne. But first, time for a quick break and those welcome butties.

 

Patrixbourne village, its church and old cottages, looked a picture in the midday sun. But the last three miles in Canterbury were a drag. A shade-less tarmac lane ran dead straight towards the city with farm and industrial buildings on either side. It was a relief to reach the suburbs, especially the school playing fields busy with afternoon activities. Stopping briefly to look around St Martins, supposedly the oldest church in England, I then proceeded toward the city entering the walled centre via Northgate and the famous school. I entered the shop at the entrance to the cathedral, was welcomed as a pilgrim, given a stamped pilgrim’s pass and ushered into the cathedral close. A security man, dressed in police uniform, took charge of me, taking me around the nave and then left me to contemplate at the spot where Beckett was murdered. My pilgrimage, my walk along the North Downs Way, was over. As the finish of my 18^th National Trail, as the target of 5 years of long-distance walking since my retirement, I had arrived.

 

A quick look round the crypt and the treasury, a visit to the tombs of Henry IV and the Black Prince and it was time to move on. A cappuccino and Victoria sponge in a High Street café was the prelude to my last phase of this trip, walking back to Wye and the completion of the loop. The usual problems of finding the route out of the city were solved when a charming gentleman, pushing a bike, showed me the correct exit path. In no time I was back in the countryside, this time on wooded hills heading for the downs. In Bigbury Wood, I met a lady whose birthday it was this very day. She had been looking out for the wild goats that roam these woods. All I saw were apple trees, which I believe are community owned. It did not take long to reach Chartham Hatch where I left the official route for the day and dropped down Hatch Lane to my car in pole position by the main road. I was walking on air after a day of wonderful experiences.

 

Shepherdswell Station dep. 10.04, Chartham Station arr.17.15

GPS 16.30mls in 5hrs 34mins 09secs walking time with a 15min break in a field near Patrixbourne, 1 hr in Canterbury Cathedral and 15 mins in a café in High Street.

For my last night, I walked to the Artichoke down near the station. The steak and ale pie came with chips. Apple pie and custard completed a filling meal. Not having the car, I was able to indulge myself on Main Brew from the Shepherd Neame Brewery

 

 

Friday 17^th September 2021                         Chartham Station – Wye Station

Completing the Loop

 

This was the last day. The aim was to walk the last section in the morning and catch a lunchtime train back to Chartham before starting the long and thankless task of getting the car back to the North West. The earlier I could start, the easier should be the drive home. I checked out of the Airbnb at 8am, drove down to the parking spot beyond the station and rapidly marched up Hatch Lane to Chartham Hatch to rejoin the NDW. I carrying nothing but a map and wore a pair of trail shoes instead of boots. On getting round the first house, the route followed wide tracks through orchards and farm buildings. Diving under a railway line and through more apple fields, the path dropped from the downs and into the charmingly named village of Old Wives Lees. Two miles of road took me back into the Stour Valley and the lovely square in Chilham, passing the pub that fed me for two evenings earlier in the week.

 

More tarmac was to come on the steady climb up Mountain Street. At last the path turned to the right and onto a strenuous climb back to the top of the downs. A two-mile stretch along the edge of the high ground provided few views as the trees of King’s Wood hid much of the panorama. A sharp descent to Soakham Farm heralded the end of the high ground and the coda to my expedition. I spent a brief time in the peaceful graveyard surrounding Boughton Aluph church before moving on to the signpost where the NWD loop had started. I had covered every step of the North Downs Way in all its diversity. All that remained was to return to Wye Station on the paths I had used on the first day of my trip. I even had time to revisit the coffee shop in Church Street before my train whisked me two stops back to Chartham and my car and the long drive home.

 

Chartham Station dep. 08.16, Wye Station arr. 11.30

GPS 11.05 miles in 3hrs 15mins 20secs.

 

Conclusion

 

So ended my 18^th of the LDWA National Trails, finishing my pilgrimage at one of the oldest cathedrals in England, the alleged birthplace of Christianity in Britain. It should have been my last national trail but I now only have to complete the Southern Upland Way and I shall have met my retirement plan. Next year, God willing.

 

I recorded 80 miles of daily walks en-route, but if one adds the various trips to the station and back and between the Canterbury transport hubs, it was probably closer to 90 miles in total. The extra miles were the price paid for using a central base and public transport. But the advantages and pleasures gained were manifold. The joy of carrying just a day sack and returning each night to my own room and welcoming hosts, far outweighed the burden of a few extra miles. I shall try this again.

 

The drive home was the pain that I dreaded, with delays on the M25 round London and the M42 round Birmingham. But patience is a virtue and it was rewarded by a safe arrival home and the pleasure of an evening meal with my wife.

Southern Upland Way (Part 2)

Sanquhar – Galashiels,   10^th – 14^th June 2021

Introduction

It was a long time in the planning. The reservations for this trip had been made almost 18 months ago. In early 2020, I put together a schedule for the second part of our Scottish coast to coast adventure. In 2019, Mike and I had walked 90 miles of the Southern Upland Way (SUW), from Portpatrick to Sanquhar. A further 80 miles in 2020 would set us up nicely for a 2021 completion of this, the longest National Trail in Scotland. But man plans and God laughs. The lockdowns in 2020 postponed everything for twelve months. One hotel returned my payment, the others kept the money and changed the year of the booking.

After a two-year break, therefore, we set off for the Borders to resume our challenge in the Southern Uplands. Uncertainties with the train timetables had persuaded us to use the car for our major journey north. The train that we planned to use from Carlisle was removed from the summer schedule a month in advance. We were left with the option of an early morning home departure to catch the late morning train. Using the JustPark scheme, we dropped the car on a private driveway a mile or so from Carlisle station, leaving us time for a coffee and cake on the platform. Then we boarded the train to Sanquhar arriving just after noon. Our new schedule gave us a more leisurely afternoon for our first stage of this year’s walk.

Thursday 10^th June 2021                  Sanquhar – Wanlockhead – Leadhills

Into the Clag

 

Our train pulled into a deserted Sanquhar station at 12.15pm The clouds lay thick on the hills, almost down to ground level in this elevated spot. We walked for a mile south-east of the town to Blackaddie Bridge and the point at which we had left the official SUW route two years ago. A pleasant walk along the River Nith took us to the edge of the houses where the path took an easterly turn and our journey really began. There was a short section along the main road back towards the town centre but we quickly turned under the railway line and up Cow’s Wynd, a track that climbed steeply up the hillside into the clag. We were not to see another view for almost 24 hours. We briefly lost the path near a house called Bogg but were soon back on route continuing our climb over a high col and down to a track and a coniferous plantation. Another steep climb began the traverse of Glencaber Hill. I am sure the views must be beautiful but we saw nothing in this thick fog.

 

Descending down a long grassy track, we finally emerged from the cloud into an industrial landscape of slag heaps and ruins of quarries and mines. Only feet below cloud level, we were now in a gloomy valley with attractive cottages disappearing up the hillside and into the mist. The lane into Wanlockhead passed the walled and tree-filled graveyard and then turned onto a climbing footpath through ruins from the lead-mining age, often with interpretive boards explaining the history of the area. Pulling out into the village at the lead-mining museum, we climbed a set of steps up to the main road and the end of today’s section of the SUW. There was no suitable accommodation for us in Wanlochhead so we turned north down the road towards the next village some 1½ miles away. A signed SUW link path took us down the narrow-gauge railway to Leadhills and our hotel.

 

Sanquhar dep. 12.16, Leadhills arr. 16.55

GPS 11.25 miles in 4hrs 36mins 30secs walking time including a 10-minute stop.

We stayed at the Hopetoun Arms in Leadhills, a fabulous pub/hotel, supposedly the highest in Scotland. A chicken curry, rice & naan was washed down by a couple of bottles of Hopping Hare (4.0%) from Badger Brewery. A sticky toffee pudding & ice cream was to follow.

After the meal, Mike persuaded me to go out once more into the mirk to visit the curfew bell and weathervane in the village centre. Very little else was visible.

 

Friday 11^th June 2021                   Wanlockhead – Beattock

Storming over Lowther

 

At breakfast we got talking to a couple of cyclists, Linda & Tony from Weymouth, who were on a 500-mile journey on electric bikes. Following much of the JOGLE route, they were encouraging support for the Sustrans charity for quiet and safe cycle routes across the UK. The hotel owner was waiting to drive us back up to Wanlochhead so that we did not have to repeat last night’s 1½-mile diversion. As he dropped us back on the SUW route, a storm blew in. Having packed for a warm summer expedition, we were now wearing everything we had brought with us, covered by waterproofs over bodies and rucksacks. The climb up Lowther Hill, the highest point on the trail, was up a straight grassy track with the mast road zigzagging across us. The gale, mist and rain battered our backs. At least it was blowing us up the hill.

 

I had long been looking forward to crossing the Lowther Hills. The views must be staggering. But not today. In the driving fog, we noticed the slope had flattened out so assumed we were near the summit but we saw absolutely nothing. We must have been yards from the huge golf ball, the radar station on the summit but it was only after we were on the descent and the weather started to clear that we could look back and see the massive structure emerging from the clouds. By the time we had reached Cold Moss and were heading up Laght Hill, the last peak in this range, the sun was breaking through and we got our first views of the trip. These we enjoyed as we bounced down a glorious grassy track to the A702. With waterproofs safely stowed away, an easy level section was ahead of us, through and around plantations on a good forest track. This quickly brought us to Daer Reservoir where we crossed the huge dam with a factory below to our left and one of the largest expanses of freshwater in southern Scotland to our right. Time for lunch.

 

The afternoon walk started with a steep ascent onto another range of grassy hills, Sweetshaw Brae and Hods Hill. The route then took a gratuitous loop to the south around the edge of the forest before turning eastwards again and into the trees. Surprisingly, much of this forest had been clear-felled and it was a bleak path that followed a gas line marked by tall orange posts.  After crossing a stream in the valley bottom, near a bothy, the path up the other side was remarkably boggy, the only time we got mud on our boots in the entire trip. Back on dry ground, we walked over Craig Hill and followed the gas line down to a road. Then it was tarmac for 2½ miles to Beattock with the motorway and railway in full view. The pub was only a few yards from where we emerged on the main street and we happily made our way through drinkers sitting outside in the sunshine. It had been a very long day, a day with all four seasons.

 

Wanlochhead dep. 08.50, Beattock arr. 17.20 

GPS 20.22 miles in 8hrs 13mins 46secs walking plus 20 mins lunch break (12.55 – 13.15) at Daer Reservoir.

We stayed at the Old Stables in Beattock. Steak and black pudding pie was followed by syrup sponge & custard. We were back on bottles of Hopping Hare, the draught beer not being up to our real ale standards.

 

Saturday 12^th June 2021                   Beattock – St Mary’s Loch

I’ll take the Highroad

 

It was a grand morning. The sun was shining, a cool breeze was making it perfect for a good walk. The sun-cream was on and the sun-hat was at the ready. After a huge breakfast at the Old Stables and clutching the more than ample packed lunch, we tootled through the outskirts of Beattock to the motorway junction. Here we found a delightful wooded path beside the river which led under the motorway and onto a quiet country lane that bypassed the town of Moffat some 1½ miles to the north. We had got an early start because of the long day ahead of us and a rendezvous with a pick-up from our next hotel. All we had to do was to get there without a navigation error. Famous last words!

 

Crossing a low ridge, the route followed Moffat Water onto a forest track. We then missed the right turn up the Romans and Reivers route and continued up the wide track into the plantations. This came to end at the eastern boundary of the trees. Well and truly lost, Mike got out map and compass and took a bearing on Croft Head. Following this bearing involved hauling ourselves up steep heather slopes and burnt strips of easier ground. Amazingly we pulled over the crest of the hill to find ourselves back on route, the high-level option of the SUW. We followed a fast-moving walker onto the summit of Croft Head: this fellow was collecting Donald’s, the 2000ft summits of the Lowlands. The descent from this hill was probably the highlight of the entire trip.
 

A glorious grassy ridge led down to a beautifully engineered zigzag path down its almost vertical end. In front was a huge cleft in the opposite hillside. We by-passed this to the south, climbing a narrow trod, crossing an arched footbridge, to reach the col at Ettrick Head. Down into the forest, we followed a shady forestry track to the bothy at Over Phawhope where we stopped for our lunch break. The six miles of road that followed was not so enjoyable. Out of the wind, it was unpleasantly warm, not helped by the need to average 3 mph to make up for lost time. With much relief, we arrived at Scabcleuch and turned north up the burn. After a steep start the route quickly levelled out to pass between the hills and onto the grassy ridge of Pikestone Rig. Another steep descent to the ruins at Riskinhope Hope led to our final climb of the day to gain the wide track down to St Mary’s Loch. As we bounced down the lane to Tibbie Shiels, a red car backed up to the gate, a gentleman got out looking at his watch and announced that we were four minutes early. Not bad for such a long and exciting route and an excursion off-piste. One of those magic days in the hills.

 

Beattock dep. 08.40, Tibbie Shiels arr.17.26

GPS 20.72 in 8hrs 22mins 11secs walking time plus 20mins (13.10 – 13.30) for butty break at Over Phawhope Bothy in the Ettrick valley

We were picked up at Tibbie Shiels by Gordon, a friend of the owners of the Gordon Arms near Yarrow. He drove us to the hotel, our accommodation for the night. We ate a lovely meal of fish & chips (Eyemouth haddock) and apple crumble & custard. The beer was Born Amber from the Born in the Borders Brewery in Jedburgh. This brewery has recently changed the names of their beers to be less controversial.

 

We were introduced to Bev and Dave, a couple walking the SUW in the opposite direction. I hope we gave them good advice as to their onward journey.

 

Sunday 13^th June 2021                     St Mary’s Loch – Innerleithen

Fire, Fire: Pour on Water

 

An early start was not required today. This was to be our easy day. After two consecutive days of more than 20 miles, a shorter walk was welcome and it fitted in with the hotels ahead. Our lift back to Tibbie Shiels was fixed to depart at 9.00am and Gordon was ready to drive us on this lovely morning back along beautiful St Mary’s Loch. Back up to the gate we went, no cheating on the official route, at least not by choice. The weather was perfect, with a cool breeze and a clear sky. The three-mile stretch along the shore of the loch was a delight and it was with some sense of regret that we reached the eastern end and had to leave this idyllic setting and cross the main road.

 

We had time today to do some sightseeing. Dunhope Tower, the birthplace of one of Sir Walter Scott’s ancestors, had a metal spiral staircase so we scrambled up to the platform on the battlements and looked back over the loch. As we did so a helicopter flew overhead, dangling a bucket, It filled up with water in the loch and flew back again over us and the hills. It was to pass to and fro all day along our entire route. We could only assume that a fire somewhere, in a forest maybe, was being soused with water from St Mary’s Loch. We followed the direction of the helicopter around a grassy set of hills to reach Blackhouse, a remote farm some 2 miles off the road, where James Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd and Scottish Poet, got his first job. In the plantation above the farm, we encountered a bench and an obvious lunch stop.

The afternoon session was short and sweet. Blake Muir was traversed on a pleasant grassy path and a long descent featured views over Innerleithen, our target for the day. But first we had to negotiate 2 miles of road from the church at Kirkhouse, passing the hamlet of Traquair, and along the long straight road into the town of Innerleithen and our hotel for the night. So early were we that we had a pint in the bar whilst watching the afternoon kick-off of the England match.

 

Tibbie Shiels dep. 09.16, Innerleithen arr.15.25

GPS 13.98 in 5hrs 42mins 58secs walking time plus a 20min break (12.35 -12.55) stop in the plantation above Blackhouse.

We stayed in the Traquair Arms in Innerleithen. The sea bass was superb and we finished with stick toffee pudding. The beer was Armadillo West Coast IPA (3.8%) from Tempest Brewery at Tweedbank. It was sad to learn that the Traquair Brewery is closed, probably permanently.

 

Monday 14^th June 2021                    Innerleithen – Galashiels

Two Brethren Meet Three More

 

Before breakfast I slipped out to the local bakers and had some butties made for our lunch. After another full Scottish fry-up, we set off on a cool and windy morning back along the road we had used yesterday and back to join the SUW at Traquair. A tarmac lane continued as a wide track that climbed for nearly two miles, views back to Innerleithen and Walkerburn opening out below. Minch Moor was crested although the diversion to the view point was spurned. It was getting really windy now but this was from behind and we tramped on without donning any wind-proofs. The grassy track undulated along the crest of the ridge, over Broomy Law and down to a stream crossing. Splendid views were to be had in all directions, with the Eildon Hills dominating the view ahead. This high-level traverse ended in the most dramatic way. The last top sits above the steep drop to the River Tweed and the compact summit has three very substantial pillars of stones along with a modern trig point. We had arrived at the Three Brethren.

 

We plunged down into the Tweed valley. Out of the wind the temperature rose markedly. We emerged from the woodland path onto the access road to the Yair estate. This crossed the river to reach a main road, Fairnilee Farm and the start of the last climb of the day. But before we attempted this, a picnic table tempted us to pause a while to eat out sandwiches and cake. The ascending field path was rutted and ankle-breaking, but the underfoot conditions got more pleasant on the descent into Galashiels. We had just enough time to get round the town centre by following the SUW along Barr Road and the continuing track and field path. We descended to the A7 and onward to the banks of the Tweed. After a few yards on the riverside path, it became marginal whether we could reach Tweedbank station in time to catch a train back to Galashiels. We did the sensible thing, minimising the risk of missing the Carlisle bus, and finished this year’s trip at the car park near the end of Tweed Road. 15 miles had been achieved en route and we quit whilst we were ahead.

 

Innerleithen dep. 08.47, Galashiels arr. 15.30

GPS 17.53 miles in 6hrs 23mins 33secs.

 

Conclusion

 

It was a 1½ mile walk back into the centre of Galashiels, passing the football/rugby ground and university in Netherdale. A coffee shop opposite the bus stop enabled us to sit at a pavement table having coffee and cakes whilst watching out for the X95 bus to Carlisle. The 2-hour journey passed through some delightful countryside and dropped us outside the railway station from whence we walked back to where we had parked the car five days earlier. Road closures led to an awkward diversion round the south of the city but we finally gained the M6 and the way home.

 

So we finally got to complete part 2 of the Southern Upland Way. Another 80 miles towards the North Sea, Getting round the awkward loop round Galashiels, we have set ourselves up nicely for the last 50 miles to Cockburnspath next year, giving ourselves the opportunity to throw in the Berwickshire Coast Path as an encore. Finding that the number 60 bus runs between Berwick and Galashiels makes for a perfect link between the start and finish. Let’s hope that next year’s travel issues are less restrictive.

 

 

West Highland Way

Fort William – Milngavie,   18^th – 22^nd May 2021

 

Introduction

 

The West Highland Way (WHW) is one of the three remaining national trails that would complete my collection of all nineteen such trails in the UK. I had booked to do it last year but my reservations were all cancelled in the light of the spring 2020 lockdown. I had envisaged an early revival of my plans but another lockdown and late opening of hotels kept me at home until well into May. If I had started a week earlier, I would have had to eat outside and face an 8pm curfew. So, on the very day that hotels could function normally again, I set off north from my daughter’s house after spending a weekend with my grandchildren. The plan was to place my car in Milngavie on Monday 17^th May and to catch the lunchtime train up to Fort William, the northern terminus of the trail. I re-booked all last year’s accommodation based of a five-day north-to-south schedule.

 

After dropping off the car just a few minutes’ walk from Milngavie station, a train to Westerton connected with one to Dumbarton. I was in good time so I wandered into the town centre and sat drinking a cappuccino on a bench overlooking the river. Back at Dumbarton Central, I fell into conversation with a party of walkers from Sheffield who were also for the Fort William train. They had been advised to move the previous night’s hotel booking out of Glasgow to avoid the Tier 3 restrictions following a Covid outbreak. The train was on time and thus began a long gentle ride along Gare Loch, Loch Lomond and over Rannoch Moor, one of the great British train journeys.

 

The Fassifern bed and breakfast was basic but I found a great little pub on the High Street, the Grog & Gruel, which provide me with a wholesome meal of stag pie and chips and a couple of pints of Trade Winds (4.3%) from Cairngorm Brewery. I was ready for an early night in preparation for a challenging five-day walk.

 

Tuesday 18^th May 2021                    Fort William – Kinlochleven

Beneath the Ben

 

I had a lovely cooked breakfast before setting off down to the High Street and the start/finish of the WHW. Soon after 9am I was striding back passed the station and Belfort hospital heading for Glen Nevis. It started to drizzle as I passed the original start/finish. I took a selfie in what turned out to be the only rain of the day, in fact, the only rain for more than two days. It was a long and rather dreary walk along Glen Nevis. It was eerily quiet, quite devoid of the normal spring rush of tourists and climbers. I really was one of the first to venture this far north after the lockdowns. The car parks were very sparsely filled, even the largest, Braveheart, which was where I knew I was close to the turn off into the Nevis Forest. A short uphill path led out onto a gravel forest road which climbed for several miles. The clouds had now cleared away and the sun was shining, offering great views back down the glen. At the high point on the track, I diverted for a few yards to visit the iron-aged fort of Dun Deardail.

 

On the south side of the pass, the track descended steeply beside the Allt nan Gleannan. I had all sorts of problems finding the high-level route to Blar a’Chaorainn. It was only later that I realised that the WHW is basically route-signed for south to north walkers and is not so easy to follow in the reverse direction. I made for the Old Military Road to avoid having to clamber back up the mountain-side and was soon back on route and gently ascending into a forbidding-looking mountain valley. As I turned eastwards into the valley of the Allt na Lairige Moire, I was amazed to find myself on a level track that passed straight through the mountains with the ridges of the Mamores soaring up to my left. I passed ruined farms in this remotest of situations and the traverse went without very much effort and far more quickly than I expected.

 

I fell into step with a couple who were, like me, heading for accommodation in Kinlochleven just a few miles ahead. This pair lived in Ayr, not far from my daughter, and their grandson played for the same junior football team as did mine. This was not to be the only incredible coincidence of the trip. Great views of Kinlochleven were to be had as we dropped down a tricky little descent on a rocky path into the village. On my way passed the pub, I called in to reserve a table for the evening’s meal then I continued to the far end of the village to gain my accommodation.

 

 

Fort William dep. 09.08, Kinlochleven arr. 15.45

GPS 17.61 miles in 6hrs 36mins 11secs walking time plus a 10-minute in the glen of Allt Na Lairige Moire.

I stayed at Tigh Na Cheo in Garbhein Road, a little out of town but I was pointed towards a short cut down some steps to speed me back to the Tailwinds Inn where I enjoyed fish and chips followed by stick toffee pudding. The beer was the ubiquitous Belhaven Best.

 

Wednesday 19^th May 2021           Kinlochleven – Bridge of Orchy

The Staircase to Glen Coe

 

An 8am breakfast set me up for the early start that I felt was required to comfortably complete a 21-mile route. Stopping briefly at the Co-op to buy a sandwich and doughnuts, I return to the bridge at the centre of the village and walked up the south bank of the river. In some ways the start of the day was similar to yesterday’s, with a road and valley section followed by a climb up to a forestry track. This track wound around the hillside for three miles to gain the top of the pipeline feeding the hydro-electric power plant below. It was a relief to leave this track behind and take to an undulating footpath across the open moorland. After several stream crossings the path reached its highest point, a magnificent viewpoint looking over Glen Coe and Rannoch Moor. After several hasty photographs, I plunged into the long and spectacular descent of the Devil’s Staircase.

 

It was really warm in the shelter of the Glencoe mountains. I was glad I was wearing my sun hat, something I had not bothered to do yesterday leading to unexpected sunburn. Most day walkers were in shorts but I was stuck with the winter gear that I had pre-packed. The road in the valley floor was very busy and I was glad that an off-road path was provide across the bleak flat moor. Passing below the Buachaille, I asked two girls to take my photo in front of this iconic mountain. It was many years since I had ice climbed on this and the surrounding peaks. The view ahead opened out and the Kings House and ski centre were clearly visible some miles ahead. After a brief encounter with a Northern Irish man wearing a small teddy bear, I scooted across Rannoch Moor and out onto the old road and the famous Kings House Hotel. Here I sat in the sun eating a sausage roll and quaffing a superb pint of real ale.

 

I dragged myself away from this perfect setting and walked further along the old road until it crossed the line of the new arterial highway. I was tempted by another café at the ski centre but the route veered away to the south onto Telford’s road across the Black Mount, a glorious nine miles running parallel to the old military road of the previous century. Stopping briefly near Ba Bridge for an energy bar, the generally downward gradient brought me to Forest Lodge and the hamlet at Inverornan. A parties of walkers sat in the sun outside the country hotel, relaxing after a long day. But I still had a further 2 miles over a low ridge, before I could look down on my accommodation for the night. A steep woodland path descended to Bridge of Orchy. The white-painted hotel and surrounding cottages looked a picture astride the road below. At last, rather later than I had envisaged, I crossed the bridge and checked in at the rather imposing hotel

 

Kinlochleven dep. 08.43, Bridge of Orchy arr. 17.21 

GPS 21.59 miles in 8hrs 07mins 04secs walking with 25 mins at Kings House for a sausage roll and pint of Red Revival (4.3%) from Glen Spean Brewery, then 10 mins near Ba Bridge.

I stayed at the Bridge of Orchy Hotel. My meal was fish, chips and mushy peas. The draught beer was Bitter & Twisted (3.8%) from Harviestoun followed by a Schiehallion IPA on keg (4.8%).

 

Thursday 20^th May 2021                  Bridge of Orchy – Inverarnan

St Fillan’s Priory

 

For the first time since Glen Nevis, the sky had clouded over. As there was no sun today, the sun-hat was stowed in the rucksack. But the rain was holding off as I left the hotel and walked up to the station and under the railway line. A wide track ran parallel to the railway, downhill for much of the way with magnificent Munros to the left. The railway crossed the walking route and set off on a wonderfully winding contour over a series of viaducts. The track, railway and main road came together at the head of a low pass. I almost missed the turn under the railway, the route not being signed at this point for the north-south walker. A steady stream of walkers passed me heading north and many commented that I was the only through-walker on the route going the ‘wrong way’. After a rocky section climbing up the hillside, I dropped onto what must have been an old road running beside the railway directly into Tyndrum.

 

It was too early in the day to a stop so I forwent the fleshpots of Tyndrum and continued on a poorly signed path around the edge of town. I was momentarily lost around Tyndrum Lower Station but got myself back on what I assumed was the correct route through a featureless heathland of regenerating woodland. After a mile or so of narrow paths, I emerged onto a wide track at a WHW finger-post. I followed this track to a bridge across a small stream and came upon a set of way-marker posts from a different direction. Less confusingly, there was only one signed route from this point so I was able to proceed with more confidence. Crossing a busy road on a northerly loop through some farmland chosen, I assume, to keep the walker off the road, I stopped at St Fillan’s Priory, an atmospheric ruin in a copse of trees. As I photographed the adjoining graveyard a drizzle began to fall, my first rain since the very start of my trip.

Back on the south side of the road, the WHW clambered up steep paths through a pine forest. The climbing seemed to go on forever. After three miles or more in an easterly direction, the ridge was crested and began to descend out of the forest. This tiring section ended with a steep drop to Crianlarich Crossroads, a major junction of footpaths. A superb path then contoured across the open hillside, eventually descending to the road and under the railway. The route down Glen Falloch was relatively straight forward, although a foot-bridge was missing at one point necessitating a diversion up and down the steep-sided valley. Views of the Falloch Falls were hard to obtain, so I hurried on to Beinglas campsite where I left the official route and sought my accommodation at a pub on the nearby road.

 

Bridge of Orchy dep. 08.40, Inverarnan arr.16.15

GPS 20.66 in 7hrs 36mins 13secs walking time (no stops), 20 miles on-route.

I stayed in the Drovers Inn, my bedroom being across the road in a rectangle of out-buildings.  My meal in the bar was chicken and veg, very disappointingly cooked and presented. The beer was Deucars IPA (4.4%). I retired to bed without a pudding.

 

 

Friday 21^st May 2021                        Inverarnan – Balmaha

Beside the Loch

Breakfast times were either 7.30 or 8.30am. The earlier start was an attractive option so I slipped quietly out of my room and crossed over the main road to the pub on what the locals would call ‘a dreich morning’, drizzle from a heavily laden sky and little or no wind. Amazingly the couple in front of me were Peter & Joyce, members of my local running club who live less than half a mile away from me. We chatted long and hard through the full Scottish fry-up. They were on a 7 or 8 day south-to-north schedule a more gentle pace than mine. They warned me of the difficulty in keeping up a fast pace through the rocky sections on the eastern shore of Loch Lomond. Bearing this in mind, I made my excuses, retired to my room and quickly packed my rucksack.

 

I was well on my way through the Beinglas camp site and back onto the WHW before 8.30am. Progress was fine at first. The rain had stopped and the path undulated through pleasant grassy fields. Then suddenly the character of the route changed. The steep hillside ahead dropping straight into the water and was traversed through a jungle of tree roots and rocky scrambles, mostly on an uncomfortable gradient. At one point near Rob Roy’s Cave, I found myself climbing huge boulders high above the water. The time seemed to melt away and the 2.5 mile an hour schedule that I had set myself seemed more and more impossible. But all things, good or bad, come to an end and the underfoot conditions gradually improved, the pace increased, and I exchanged words with two girls who had been swimming in the loch. Suddenly, there was Inversnaid in all its splendour. It was much bigger than I expected, a fine building operating as a hotel in its own grounds.

 

It was still too early in the day to have a refreshment break so I pressed on along a less taxing part of the loch-side path. Even this had its moments though as rocky ups and downs had to be negotiated. There was a route choice at one point and I went for what looked the easier and faster option, a wide track that climbed high above the loch. This re-joined the lakeside path near Ptarmigan Lodge from whence a good track led to Rowardennan, a peaceful little hamlet with lovely views along Loch Lomond. The weather was fast improving and the day was getting warm. Dehydration was becoming an issue that I had not thought possible at breakfast-time. I was much happier with my pace on this section but the efforts of the morning and the increasing heat were taking their toll. I was seriously tired when I arrived at Rowardennan Hotel. Joy of joys, the Clansman Bar was open for business and I was certainly ready for a bite to eat and a chance to slake my thirst. A snack and drink disappeared in record time and I was thankfully then to be able to face the last leg of day.

 

The route to Balmaha started through open forests, native trees rather than pine plantations. It was not short of a few climbs and I was approaching my pre-stop level of exhaustion as I reached the road that was to take me to Balmaha. The daily mileage was adding up to more than the guidebook had indicated and, even though I missed out a gratuitous loop round a headland, I clocked 1.5 miles further than expected. It may have been ½ mile back onto route in the morning but otherwise I added nothing to the official route so I suspect that the 21-mile distance given in the guidebooks was at least a mile under actuality. I was very relieved to reach the lovely harbour at Balmaha and see the huge oak tree shading my target for the night. The hotel behind the tree was worth all the effort.

 

Inverarnan dep. 08.19, Balmaha arr.17.40

GPS 22.48 in 8hrs 46mins 27secs walking time with a 35min (14.30-15.05) stop in the Clansman Bar of the Rowardennan Hotel for a tuna & mayo wrap and 1½ pints of Belhaven Best.

 

I stayed in the Oak Tree Inn in Balmaha. I was delighted with their recommendation of the lasagne and really enjoyed a couple of pints of Conich 4 lager (4.0%) from Williams Bros. of Alloa. An apple pie and ice cream supplied a nice conclusion to a lovely meal.  I retired early to my attic room in the roof of an outbuilding with a great view over the loch. I loved this inn.

-

Saturday 22^nd May 2021                  Balmaha  – Milngavie

Conich Hill and the Highland Boundary

 

The morning was a beauty. The view from my roof window over the loch filled me with enthusiasm for this, my last day. I packed before breakfast and was able to enjoy a leisurely ‘full Scottish’. I called at the village shop for my sandwich lunch. I was back under a sun hat as I crossed the car park opposite the pub and located the start of the good quality gravel path up  Conich Hill. Magnificent views over Loch Lomond opened up as I gained height. There were several very steep sections to struggle up but I finally pulled myself onto the summit and asked a couple to kindly photograph me at this amazing viewpoint. I was standing on the Highland Boundary Fault Line, the line that divides the volcanic rocks of the highland mountains from the softer soils of the lowlands. Conich Hill and the line of islands across the loch illustrated this perfectly. Then I turned my back of this corner of paradise and descended to the east.

 

A wide track, mainly flat, threaded its way for four miles or so through Garadhban Forest leading eventually out onto a very busy road with fast moving traffic, A path running behind a hedge kept the walker away from danger; then crossed the road about a mile before Drymen. A field-path led to a long section of quiet lane where I sat briefly on a bench to eat a snack bar. The lane brought me to the course of an old railway. Here I turned south along the disused line and towards the prominent peak of Dumgoyne at the end of the Campsie Hills. The whisky distillery at its foot was an old friend, having terminated one of my LEJOG sections at this point several years earlier.

 

The line of the railway was blocked by the largest terminal moraine I have ever seen, a conical lump across the gap in the hills. A good track led round the impasse and out onto a road for a short while before turning into a beautiful track alongside Craigallian Loch. The finish was in sight and the number of walkers noticeably increased. I could hear children playing in the surrounding woods and the wildness melted away to parkland and civilisation. Suddenly I was there, at a huge notice board describing the West Highland Way. A lady who took my photograph pointed out the way into the main street in Milngavie shopping centre. Here was a monument to the route, the southern terminus. After more photographs, I retreated out of town to retrieve my car.

 

Balmaha dep. 09.02, Milngavie arr. 16.20

GPS 19.49 miles in 7hrs 07mins 48secs..

 

Conclusion

 

I had completed my 17^th National Trail, my 3^rd in Scotland. I had amazing luck with the weather, the north getting much better weather than back home which was having the wettest May for many a year. I had walked, with the off-route excursions and conservative mileages, a total of 102 miles which, for a five-day trip, I was pretty satisfied with. All I had to do now was find the Clyde Tunnel and I could head south to see family and friends.