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 17th 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 18th 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 19th 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 20th 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 21st 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 22nd 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 17th
National Trail, my 3rd 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.
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