Collected Musings of a Hill Wanderer

As promised, here is a report of my visit to Scotland’s West Highlands the week before last. Yes, there has been a delay in the post coming but that seems to be a trend in outdoors blogging these times. Yes, other distractions intervened…

A disappointing July had me gagging for a few days away and a promise of at least some fine weather was enough to see me head north. Things started well but the weather headed downhill thereafter. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop me getting in an ample amount of walking and I reluctantly left to head south after what was in a myriad of ways a very successful break from the rat race.

Thursday

An overnight journey took me to Bridge of Orchy to walk my penultimate section of the West Highland Way. When I arrived, I found Bridge of Orchy basking in sunshine and captured some scenes both on film and on memory card. After crossing the A82 and passing under the railway, I picked up the track that was to take me south to Tyndrum. As luck would have it, cloud soon rolled in and conspired with various masts and electricity poles to reduce my photographic activities.

The hubbub of the A82 became scarcely audible as I passed Beinn Dòrain and there were teasing views up Gleann Ach’-Innis Chailein and Glen Coralan. Perversely, it was after this that the weather began to cheer up again with the cloud melting away again. The noise of traffic on the A82 became a more permanent feature while the slopes of Beinn Odhar were crossed; it did made me wonder if there were better routes for the WHW than to squeeze through a pass alongside a railway track and a busy road. The sun stayed out and the views behind me towards the Black Mount and the likes of Beinn Dòrain remained excellent: there was an abundance of camera activity as a result.

Tyndrum was too excellent an excellent refreshment opportunity to miss and I took advantage of the Green Welly Stop for a spot of lunch. It was soon back to shadowing the A82 again; thankfully, the noise was less pervasive than it was north of Tyndrum. The glorious appearance of the Crianlarich hills made me wonder if southbound was the right direction for once: they certainly looked better than their more rounded Tyndrum counterparts. As I proceeded along Strath Fillan, I followed the WHW as it crossed over and back across the A82. The final crossing saw me heading up steep slopes, a heavy price to be paid by tired legs and an argument in favour of the usual northbound itinerary. The views that opened out did provide some compensation for my exertions before I dropped down to Crianlarich for a night’s stay in the SYHA hostel and a spot of refuelling at the Rod and Reel pub. It was a long day spent covering twelve miles of trail.

Friday

A drizzly start to the day greeted me when I arose. Crianlarich SYHA is a self-catering hostel so I braved the weather to head to the train station’s cafe (which usefully opens at 07:30) for a spot of breakfast. It didn’t take too long the drizzle to peter out but skies remained cloudy and I decided that a start from Inverarnan was a better proposition than the sterner test proffered by the alternative: retracing my steps up the hill that I had descended the previous evening. The coach journey that this change of plan necessitated only cost me £1.50; I don’t think that I have ever bought a cheaper ticket from Scottish Citylink. I disembarked at the Drover’s Arms and made for Beinglass Farm, retracing steps that I made on a hike at the end of May until the point where I headed north along a good track.

I carried on up Glen Falloch with the hubbub of traffic never far away until I crossed under the A82; the roar of the Falls of Falloch tried in vain to drown out the din though their sight was beguiling. They would have looked better had cloud cover not been as comprehensive as it was. Like the day before, the cloud curtailed any used of my camera and, on a sunnier day, the profusion of pylons would have presented challenges for photo composition: I prefer to see hills devoid of these distractions in my pictures. Still, the day remained largely a dry one with only isolated light showers perturbing this dryness.

Later on, I got tangled up in groups of walkers and mountain bikers (should the latter have been using the WHW?) heading the same way. All parties were friendly but I was happy to let them continue ahead of me so that my stroll could be a more relaxed affair. My taking of lunch near the A82 underpass was the perfect opportunity to allow this to happen.

Once on the west side of the A82, I soon lost the traffic noise and progressed along a good track that took me to the end of my WHW. The ascent was gradual affair, just what I needed. The sun came out too but was no where near as dominating as it was on the previous day. Nevertheless, views of the Crianlarich hills still entertained. A boggy tramp down Bogle Glen returned me to Crianlarich to await a coach heading to Fort William, my base for the next two nights. I had it in my head to catch the 14:30 but this changed to the 16:30. About 16:45, a Citylink coach did stop but that had no ticket machine onboard so I had to await its partner travelling after it. I was informed that it was 10-15 minutes away but that developed into nearly 45 minutes. I don’t blame the drivers because they are at the mercy of traffic conditions, after all.

There was no sign of sun when I got to Fort William so I made my way to the Cruachan Hotel where I was to stay for two nights. A spot of tidying up preceded my getting food at the Ossian Hotel. This is a quiet spot in an otherwise busy town and provided what I asked of it; I have simple requirements. A stroll along the sea "front" returned me to base for the night.

Saturday

Another wet morning awaited me when I arose and caused some confusion in my mind as to what to do. I did try to dry up but the success rate wasn’t brilliant. Eventually, I began to envisage a walk from Invermoriston to Fort Augustus along the Great Glen Way. A missed coach sent me back to my original plan: a spot of recce around Kinlochleven.

It wasn’t so promising when I got to Kinlochleven but I donned the waterproofs and headed for Loch Eilde Mor. The wet conditions were a good test for my newly acquired Harvey map of the area; another post may have something to say on the Harvey versus OS comparison. My journey was to take me up the steep side of Meall an Doire Dharaich and some scrambling resulted. I have to say that wasn’t my intended approach but I soon reached the good track that was my attention. Thankfully, things were drying up all the while, even if the atmosphere was distinctly muggy and midge-friendly. The summits of Am Bodach, Na Gruaigeachan and Sgurr Eilde Beag were all hidden in cloud and I am sure that other hills of that height in the Mamores were similarly afflicted; they were most likely not the only ones, either. That said, the hills separating Loch Leven from Glen Coe did seem clear. I continued to the half way point along Loch Eilde Mor before returning to Kinlochleven, having convinced myself that a return in sunnier and fresher weather was in order. However, I left myself a lengthy wait in the rain in muggy sleepy Kinlochleven and the midges gave me more grief than I have had from them before. They weren’t the only antisocial beasties about that evening: some drunken young ladies delayed the bus by 15 minutes with their antics. Once on the bus, peace began to return even if some of the midges didn’t find their way back out for a good part of the journey to Fort William.

Sunday

I awoke to another grey morning but, as the day wore on, it seemed as if Scotland was trying to make up for the previous day with the sun battling to get through the clouds without having a massive amount of success. However, this was certainly enough to make me wonder if I was going home prematurely. My resolve remained with me though and I started for home with the 13:00 coach to Glasgow. From there, it was on to Crewe by train and a bus got me back to Macclesfield. I had left Scotland having completed the West Highland Way and with ideas for future excursions. It wasn’t a bad trip at all and I have some more ideas for walks on any return. No, the midges don’t deter me easily.

The last few weeks have seen me quiet on the blogging front. Having to restore a PC to working condition after its having gone belly up on me was certainly a contributor to this state of affairs. A trip up to Scotland also took me away from the world of computing and refreshing it was too. While a full report for the trip will remain for a further post, the fact that I finally finished the West Highland Way during the visit up north brings me nicely to the subject of this one. In the same spirit, I have also walked nearly all of the Gritstone Trail with only a tiny section about Bollington to do of an evening.

My progress along both trails typifies my previous approach to walking: decide a location for a walk and use part of a long distance trail for all or part of its length. That is probably more true of the Gritstone Trail than the WHW. The latest installments along the former, for which trip reports are planned, had me heading south over the sections between Sutton Common and The Cloud and then from the latter all the way to Kidsgrove, the southern terminus of the GT. Its northern end, Disley saw my boots very early on in the story of my attentions when I hiked from Bollington in murk with the remains of January snows on the ground. Walks between Rainow and Sutton Common and from Tegg’s Nose to Kerridge have taken me over the rest of the length while I have followed its course on many other rambles too. Its being local to me has meant that I have been on it a lot but, rather perversely, it has also dissuaded me from completing the thing thanks to the walking attractions (or distractions?) offered by other locations.

My progress along the WHW has been a little more deliberate than the GT though the direction of travel has been something of a movable feast: having to go a good way away does concentrate the mind a bit more. My final section took me between Inverarnan and Crianlarich while the previous day saw me head south from Bridge of Orchy and overnight in Crianlarich. A through-hike at the end of May took me along the shores of Loch Lomond on my way from Inverarnan to Drymen. A February outing took me from Milngavie to Drymen after a three year hiatus which followed a pleasant hike between Glen Coe and Bridge Orchy. The previous summer saw me head over the Lairig Mor between Kinlochleven and Fort William twice: my holiday plans were blighted by the weather the first time and a return set the world to rights. On neither occasion along this part of the WHW was the weather truly nasty but glorious late August weather was a wonderful accompaniment to the second outing and a world away from the cloudy but dry July day of my previous encounter. Largely cloudy skies were in attendance on the trek between Kinlochleven and Glen Coe the previous summer and sun was not particularly successful in its attempts to come and show off the landscape at its best.

While on the subject of long distance trails, my progress along the Pennine Way has stalled but this year’s multi-day treks along the West Highland Way are good practice for its northern reaches. It won’t get completed this year but opportunities may well proffer themselves before 2007 comes to an end; I still have to walk between Gargrave and Haworth. Other long distance trails await as well: the tamer Great Glen Way, the wilder Southern Upland Way… The list goes on.

After my various trips along its length this year, I am now putting together a section in the online photo gallery dedicated to this daddy of British National Trails. Completing it is an ongoing project of mine, though I have to admit that I haven’t been moving things forward that much in recent times. There is a gap between Gargrave and Haworth that remains to be walked and the logistically more challenging northern sections are next. Two or three day outings sound like a good way to deal with these and who knows what I could be doing when I get a window of walking opportunity that extends for more than one day, as it does at the moment. The Pennine Way gallery has led me to consider having galleries dedicated to other long distance trails and the West Highland Way is definitely one that falls into this category. As it stands, I have photos from my excursion from Inverarnan to Drymen to add and creation of the West Highland Way gallery would happen then. On the walking front, I have done most of it and completing the part between Inverarnan and Bridge of Orchy is another idea for a few days of fine weather. We’ll see…

Despite the weather outlook, I decided to brave the elements and catch up with the part of the West Highland Way that follows the shores of Loch Lomond. This was going to be a two day walk from Inverarnan to Drymen with an overnight stay at the hostel at Rowardennan so I took my chance on the bank holiday weekend and with an extra day off work. As it happened, the weather wasn’t too unkind with only the odd light shower offering any dampness while I was out on the trail. There was a downpour at one point but that had the good manners to wait for me to arrive at Rowardennan and savour the scenic delights on display in some fine evening sunshine before it did its thing. Thankfully, I was under cover but that was no consolation to those campers with flooded tents – I encountered one such refugee who had made his way to the hostel for a night’s stay and to dry out his gear: a very sensible decision. Other than that, it was largely dry if cloudy for a lot of the time; any sun was enjoyed gratefully. Loch Lomond may have a certain genteel reputation, especially with there being a song extant called “The Bonnie Banks O’ Loch Lomond”, but the track followed by the WHW has a reputation not in keeping with this impression. It is that part between Inverarnan and Rowardennan where the main difficulties are found; that was why my two day walk headed south rather than north. Nevertheless, the track is not all bad, with only the section between Doune and Inversnaid being an unavoidable test of sure-footedness, balance and agility. The only other real difficulty on the WHW occurs just north of Rowardennan and a 4×4 track (a WHW route option) helpfully by-passes this obstacle course littered with fallen trees from one of this past spring’s storms while also being a victim of erosion to boot. An early morning start from Inverarnan got me on my way under predominantly cloudy skies and they were to be with me for most of the day. In contrast, if I was heading north towards Crianlarich, blue skies and sunshine would have been my reward but that was not the plan that I had concocted for this time around. The likes of Ben a’ Chleibh, Ben Lui, Ben Oss and Ben Dubhcraig gave me much cause to gaze northwards and slow me down in the process, even if a pesky power line threatened to place a dampener on the glory of the vistas set before out me. At the very least, I know that there is some appeal to following the WHW north to bridge the gap between Inverarnan and Bridge of Orchy.

Having managed to drag myself away from the sights of such glories, it was not long until I found myself in conversation near Ardleish with a gentleman from Bangor (Wales, not N.I.) who was walking the WHW northbound with his son. We exchanged experiences before continuing our respective journeys. Having negotiated any path difficulties and enjoyed seeing bluebell carpeted woodland, I paused for a food stop at Inversnaid; I didn’t venture into the hotel since I had some food with me. As I passed the hotel, I spotted a lady with a severe expression looking out through one of the front windows (no, she wouldn’t have seen me taking lunch outside). It was almost as if she was on watch for aberrant walkers who might try to enter through the front door; there’s a very separate entrance for us at the back and a place for us to put our rucksacks too. Severe expressions were soon replaced by far more delightful prospects: more bluebell woodland; it might have been the end of May but they were still in their prime up here. Rowardennan remained far way but I was at the hostel by 18:00 and, with my booking was confirmed, I found my bed for the night. This was after my adventurous side taking me away from the sensible 4×4 track at Rowchoish to follow the lochside obstacle course; I must have been out of my senses but it did avoid some extra ascent. Once, I sorted myself out at the hostel, I went out into the fine evening for some photographic exploits before I headed to the hotel for dinner. After that I retired for the night.

Next morning began with more photographic activity before breakfast. Knowing how fickle Scottish weather can be, I take any chance of sunshine that I get and there was plenty on offer at this time but cloud was to dominate skies later on. A light breakfast, which included porridge, was to set me on my way and progress out of Rowardennan was slow, not because of tired muscles but because of the views that were behind me. Beyond Rowardennan, tracks are easier to negotiate even if the way to Balmaha is still littered with sharp little ascents and descents. Proximity to the road may not be ideal but delights are still there to be enjoyed. South of Balmaha, there is another route choice: high level via Conic Hill or low level beside the Drymen road. I stuck with the latter, even though the restrictions around Conic Hill were lifted for another year; use of the low level route is mandatory during the lambing season. After carrying a heavy pack for a second day, I decided to leave Conic Hill for another time (combining it with a section of the Rob Roy Way for a longer hill day, perhaps?) and made my way into Garadhban Forest from Milton of Buchanan in which I negotiated a diversion due to tree harvesting operations. Much to my own surprise, I really got into my stride here and that continued all the way to Drymen on what became a glorious evening. From there it was onto Balloch by bus for an overnight stay before I headed home again by train.

Last weekend, I pottered up to Scotland to take in the scenery lining the southernmost section of the West Highland Way. Having followed the esteemed long distance path all the way from Bridge of Orchy to Fort William, albeit in a piecemeal manner, I have decided to see if I can have a go at completing it. And yes, the piecemeal approach continues.

Before I talk about my latest trek, I’ll let you in on my previous exploits. My first real outing on the WHW, apart from being in its vicinity when I was starting to explore Glen Nevis near Fort William, was when I walked the section from Kinlochleven to Glen Coe on a largely cloudy day that tried to brighten up at one point. The second encounter was on another cloudy day but one without any sun; that was when I headed from Kinlochleven to Fort William. The scenery was so outstanding that I returned on a sunny weekend to repeat the walk and I was not to be disappointed. Following that, I explored the section between Glen Coe and Bridge of Orchy. That day had a lot of cloud about but the sun made its way through for a good part of the journey.

And now to my most recent excursion. An overnight National Express coach service got me to Glasgow from where I headed to Milngavie (pronounced mullguy), the southern terminus of the WHW, after getting myself some breakfast at Buchanan Bus Station. Once in Milngavie, I picked up the WHW and followed it through the path-strewn Mugdock Wood on a very crisp morning with frost abounding everywhere, a very memorable experience.

Eventually, my journey took me past both Craigallian Loch and Carbeth Loch and on towards the gloriously appealing Campsie Fells. The outlying knob of Dumgoyne, one of their number, very much played the role of a distinctive landmark for much of my walk and looked much grander than its 428 m height would suggest. A farmer putting out hay for his cattle and their procession along the WHW track distracted attention for a while but it was the scenery around me that was the real attraction.

Surprisingly for a trail that courts a lot of fine scenery, the WHW keeps out of the Campsie Fells and follows a disused railway, the old Strath Blane Line, from Dumgoyach Farm until it ventures onto a minor road as it nears Drymen before heading off road again for Balmaha and beyond. I suppose that the one issue is that there is no old right of way through the Campsie Fells that passes near Strath Blane. Naturally, there is also the issue of distance and the effect on a walker of continual ascent and descent in hilly country but these are considerations for the walker. Given that Conic Hill near Balmaha is a no go area during the lambing season, another concern would be the potential affect on sheep during the lambing season. Nevertheless, Scotland’s current access legislation could allow things to happen in principle, though I see a re-routing of the West Highland Way as being highly unlikely. Nevertheless. the thoughts of proceeding through the Campsie Fells are far more appealing than the reality of shadowing busy roads while walking on a disused railway line, even if this route possibility would require some road walking through Killearn to the old railway line for the rest of the walk.

I was a tired walker when I reached Drymen in pleasant sunshine but the cloud had rolled in by the time that I got to Balloch by bus; it was from there that I eventually headed home. In fact, there was a good deal of cloud about that day and at times it blocked the sun and put a dampener on photographic exploits. Another fly in the ointment was the more than ample number of pylons that dotted (and in my view blighted) the landscape in a number of places. Also creating compositional challenges was the quarry that got in the way when I was trying to enjoy the enchanting views of the hills across Loch Lomond while on the final approach to Drymen. Actually, a spot of care and things didn’t look too bad in the foreground of the photographs taken. Then there was the matter of ensuring that Loch Lomond’s surface was not at an angle; it’s very easy for those horizons to develop a slant…

All in all, the day was an enjoyable one and I am planning to plug the gap between Drymen and Bridge of Orchy. A weekend visit could allow me to cover the WHW between Drymen and Inverarnan, with a break in Rowardennan. And a long day could get me from Inverarnan to Bridge of Orchy, although a break in Crianlarich might make things more comfortable. Plans are one thing, let’s see how the reality turns out.