To The Drovers!

Day 3 – Tuesday 12 May - Rowardennan to Inverarnan - 14 miles

While the rest of the country was having cold, windy, wet weather, our luck continued with blue skies again. All the usual suspects were there at breakfast – Jeff from Worksop, Jim & Moira, and the three girls. The three amigos were hopefully enjoying a Youth Hostel breakfast, but we wouldn’t see them for a while as today they were doing a long stint to Crianlarich – in order to stay at another Youth Hostel, the prospect of which was no doubt thrilling the two reluctant hostellers!

As we set off a minibus arrived from Drymen with several of yesterday’s walkers, and we joined company with Alan and Liz Dick from Lancaster, staying with them all day with few pauses in the conversation! Soon after the start was the superb Rowardennan War Memorial – a ring of polished grey granite with a pyramid set in the base, overlooking Loch Lomond – quite special. The RAF was due to perform a second fly-past but when it happened we were in a wooded section and could only hear the plane without seeing it. This first section was along easy forest tracks before dropping down nearer the loch shore on narrower paths, and just like yesterday the woods were alive with birdsong.

By lunch we arrived at the Inversnaid Hotel, which most people get to by coach or via a ferry across the Loch. Nice setting next to a waterfall; miserable bar steward from Yorkshire sounded like Jimmy Savile on a really bad day. He told me the beer and sandwiches were going to be expensive before I even ordered, then proceeded to give a dire weather forecast for Thursday, purely on the basis that Thursday was his next day off!

The afternoon section was hard going, scrambling up and down rocks, weaving in and out of tree roots; we encountered some of the feral goats which you are told if you can’t see them you’ll be able to smell them. Must be something wrong with my nose. At Doune Bothy (a bothy is usually a stone building, often an old cottage or shepherds’ shelter, with only the most basic of facilities – a roof, fireplace, raised floor for sleeping, no water or toilets) we encountered a guy who said he’d been walking from Crianlarich when his back went, so he was taking time out. He had a fire going and I was a bit suspicious – even more so when he asked if he had any food. He just didn’t seem genuine, and talking to other people later it appeared that he’d been there for quite a while, on the scrounge the whole time. We didn’t give him anything apart from a cheery ‘Goodbye’.

Finally we arrived at The Drovers, which is on the main Crianlarich road just north of Loch Lomond. It looks a complete wreck, with unpointed walls and paint flaking off the windows. Inside the dust lies in layers inches deep and there are stuffed animals and birds everywhere – including a bear in the hall. We had a beer with Alan & Liz, Jim & Moira and the three girls before going to our room, which was….

Really nice, clean with a spotless en suite shower room and whiter than white bed linen. Oh, and haunted, according to the girl at reception. I bet she tells everybody their room is haunted. We met up for supper again with our daytime walking companions, and I had the Famous Guinness & Ale Pie (every dish is ‘FAMOUS’, and we met the two Canadians – Peter & Kristin Thor, and their English friends (parents of the flying instructor) Steve & Jane Williams. They had met on the Coast to Coast walk a year or two ago and struck up a good friendship. Hands across the water… The girls were beginning to live dangerously, sampling cask-strength whiskies.

Went to bed, waited some time for the ghost to show up, but he (or she) let me down, so I finally gave in to sleep.

Photos: 1. The Rowardennan War Memorial; 2. View of The Cobbler (Ben Arthur) in the Arrochar Alps; 3. The waterfalls at Inversnaid; 4. Loch Lomond; 5. Doune Bothy; 6. The Drovers; 7. A ferocious animal. And a stuffed bear.

By The Bonny Banks of Loch Lomond

Day 2 – Monday 11 May 2009 – Drymen to Rowardennan - 14 miles

We awoke to a fine day with unbroken blue skies, so shorts were today’s fashion statement, and during breakfast chatted to Jeff from Worksop, who was doing the WHW on his own. His wife and in-laws were taking a two-week holiday in Fort William where of course he would join them at the end of the walk. We called at the local Spar for a cheap packed lunch - some sandwiches, a sausage roll and a couple of apples – and then we were off, through clouds of yellow gorse on into wide tracks through the forest of boring Sitka Spruce. The number of walkers was amazing – we counted about twenty at one point, British, American, Canadian and German – and it really felt like we were on a pilgrimage!

The landscape opened up, cuckoos were calling, and we got our first views of Loch Lomond and Conic Hill, which is on the line of the Highland Fault – you can see the line continuing along the string of islands that run across the south end of the Loch (have a look at the big photo at the top of this Blog – this is taken at the top, with the islands in the background). A party of three girls had stopped to attend to a blister which one had picked up on her hand from her walking poles, so (interfering as usual) I showed her how to use the wrist-straps to keep the pressure off her hands.

On the climb up Conic Hill the rock underfoot is remarkable – a conglomerate with big pebbles, looking like rough concree, but formed naturally in what must have been massive floods millions of years ago. An RAF trainer aircraft did a ‘fly-past’ – later we learnt that the instructor was the son of a couple who we met walking: knowing he’d be in the area he had promised to do a little display! The footpath bypasses the top of the hill but it’s worth making the short detour to the summit where the view is fantastic – you can see over Glasgow to Arran, and in the opposite direction the Wallace Memorial.

Val didn’t like the steep descent to Balmaha which was a bit harsh on the knees. We passed the Loch Lomond Visitor Centre and then stopped at the Oak Tree for a beer, where they kindly allowed us to eat our own sandwiches outside in the sunshine.

Balmaha is on the southern tip of Loch Lomond and from here the route follows the eastern shore, winding in and out and up and down: much more difficult than it appears from the map. But the views are great, and the woodland is much more attractive, with oak, birch and rowan, far more natural and pleasant than the regimented Forestry Commission tree farms. The birdlife is more diverse too, with Wood Warblers and Pied Flycatchers as well as the more common Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Chaffinches.

After what seemed like an age we arrived at the farmstead of Ross Mill where a depressing sign indicates 7km back to Balmaha and 2km to Rowardennan. Two more kilometres?? I’d rather the sign just said something like “You’re nearly there…” But at last we arrived at the Rowardennan Hotel, which I had expected, from the website, to be really something special. Unfortunately it was a big disappointment: some rooms had been refurbished but not ours, the work was still in progress, there was no-one at reception, the whole place seems rather tired, and then there’s The Clansman Bar, stuck on the side like a Monstrous Carbuncle and completely out of character, with big plasma TV and glitzy bar. Yet this is the only bar and dining room. They need to replace it with something cosy, with a big log fire, oak panelling, stags’ heads on the walls, you know the kind of thing.

The three guys from yesterday were staying at the Youth Hostel and two of them weren’t happy: like many others they came to the Hotel to eat, and it was a fairly sociable evening. We all compared notes and checked on how far we were going the following day, wondering what The Drovers would be like (it has a querky reputation as well as being haunted) and then it was off to bed for a well-earned night’s sleep.

Photos: 1. Gorse near Drymen; 2. Conglomerate rock in the Conic Hill Path (+ my boot for scale); 3. RAF Flypast; 4. Loch Lomond at Balmaha; 5. Ben Lomond and Ptarmigan

The Walk Begins

Day 1 – Sunday 10 May 2009 - Milngavie to Drymen - 12 miles

Breakfast was a civilised affair: tables were denoted by the guests' national flag, so it was clear that we were accompanied by Germans and Scots – two young German men, names unknown, and Jim & Moira from Elgin who were doing the WHW for the third time. I can recommend the smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. The very efficient Morag, alerted by the fact that our baggage carrier had not dropped off luggage labels the day before, had already rung them to discover that they had got their dates wrong, and sorted it all out for us without asking – excellent service!

Under sunny skies (at last – Morag told us that they had had two weeks of abysmally wet, cold and windy weather) we set off back to the town centre of Milngavie. The Pennine Way, arguably the UK's most famous long distance path, starts in lonely fashion at an anonymous signpost by an unimpressive village farm. The West Highland Way, arguably the UK's most popular LDP, is blessed with a granite monument and other paraphernalia possessing a certain razzamatazz. As we arrived various parties were having their photographs taken, with lots of hugs, kisses and general goodbyes.

The route follows a disused railway line and soon leaves the houses, passing through parkland before entering Mugdock Wood, where the bluebells were putting on a fine display, and then passing Craigallian Loch. As we approached Dumgoyne Hill the sunshine gave way to cloud and then a heavy shower: thinking it wouldn't last we carried on until we realised our mistake and put on waterproofs. Eventually the rain stopped and the sunshine returned: we met three guys – from Glasgow, Leeds and Berkshire - and had a chat with the Leeds man about Byrnes's Wine Merchants in Clitheroe, which he visits often.

Resisting the temptation to visit the Glengoyne Distillery we arrived at the Beech Tree Inn at 12.00 - half an hour before they were allowed to serve alcohol. But they have a sensible policy of allowing walkers to eat their own food, providing they at least buy a drink. Wet clothes were spread on the picnic tables to dry out in the strong sunshine. The route, once again following a disused railway line, pressed on north through pleasant countryside, where Whitethroats were singing in the gorse and cuckoos were adding a touch of Spring to the air.

All the time we were encountering other WHW walkers – some travelling light, others back-packing fully loaded, with everything but the kitchen sink. A longish section on a quiet country road followed, starting with the picturesque Gartness Bridge and cottages, before a short section through fields took us to our overnight halt of Drymen, a small village on the east side of the southern tip of Loch Lomond. We arrived by 3.00 and I was a bit worried that we might not have given ourselves enough daily mileage.

Next to our B&B – Hillview, on the Square – is reputedly the oldest registered pub in Scotland, The Clachan (1734), so we tested the local lager before reporting. The Clachan was a busy affair in the evening, with plenty of WHW walkers of course, including Jim & Moira, our breakfast companions. So Day 1 ended with 12 miles on the clock. Tomorrow would take us 14 miles, ending half way along Loch Lomond – and the weather forecast looked good.

Photos: 1. The Start of the West Highland Way, Milngavie; 2. Bluebells in Mugdock Wood; 3. Dumgoyne Hill; 4. Glengoyne Distillery; 5. Hillview and The Clachan, Drymen.

The Journey North

Day 0 – Saturday 9 May: Val’s father took us to the station for the 1140, complaining about the fact that everyone coming the other way was driving in the middle of the road. For the West Coast Line you have to change at Blackburn and Preston: a shadow of its former self, Blackburn Station has now been reduced to two tiny platforms exposed to the elements, with connections to Clitheroe, Preston, Colne and York. But it doesn’t take long to get to Preston (although Val still can’t understand that from Blackburn, the station is approached from the south – she always wants to leave in the wrong direction). On to the Pendolino (luxury at last) and a quiet journey with few fellow passengers, to Glasgow Central.

The last time I was here was August 1964 on the way to Scout Camp at Taynuilt, near Oban – great excitement, with proper trains spewing fire, steam and smoke in the black middle of the night, before setting off on that superb route through Glen Ogle towards Oban. Shame the following few days were ruined by desperate homesickness, but like the song (Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah, Here I am at Camp Granada – oh well, if you’re not old enough you won’t get it…)

Today Glasgow Central is playing host to dozens of young students. There are several electronic information boards but on none of them is the name of Milngavie (pronounced ‘Mull guy’ by the way), so I go and ask at the Information office to find that one has to go to the ‘lower platform’ i.e. the Glasgow Underground – where someone has either been taking his lunchtime drinking very seriously indeed or perhaps he hasn’t stopped imbibing since last night. Steer clear. The underground soon emerges above ground to pass through stations including Partick and Boarsden before terminating at Milngavie. Foolishly I reject the idea of a taxi and then go the wrong way to the ‘Best Foot Forward’ B&B, but eventually we get there and find that from the road to the front door is comparable to reaching Everest Base Camp. Out of breath, we are greeted by the pleasant and efficient Mrs Morag McNeill and ushered to a vast room with four beds and a huge en-suite bathroom.

Formalities concluded, shower tested, teeth cleaned, we set off towards Morag’s recommended evening venue, The Cross Keys, to be greeted with little ceremony by two bouncers, and, once inside, a full house watching the (English) football. We do a U-turn and find La Toscana, a quiet Italian Restaurant serving reasonable food without a hint of any Italian proprietorship. Fuelled up on pasta, we return to the B&B only to learn that we haven’t won the lottery, so retire to bed.

A Bit of Background

We’ve been meaning to walk the West Highland Way for years. Probably the most popular long distance walk in Great Britain, it runs for 95 miles (152 km) from Milngavie in the central lowlands just north-east of Glasgow, to Fort William in the Highlands, through the spectacular scenery of Loch Lomond, Rannoch Moor and Glencoe. Every October we visit the Isle of Mull: many’s the time we’ve seen walkers on the WHW as we’ve driven through Crianlarich, Tyndrum and Glencoe in the Scottish Highlands and thought we should do the same some day.

Last October we decided we would definitely walk The Way in Spring 2009. Then our friends Gerry and Linda Bindless told us they were doing the same thing, so I hatched a cunning plan – we would set off a day later, catch them up at Kings House in Glencoe and do the final two days together. We spent some time looking at the maps and guide books and booked our accommodation, mainly in B&Bs.

We decided May was the best month – the Scottish weather is often at its very best, there’s plenty of daylight, and the midges are still fast asleep. When I planned the Wainwright Challenge I had to be as sure as possible that I would be finished before 9 May, and with the reasonably good weather we had there were fortunately no problems with timing. I even had a week to spare between the two walks!

Val had hurt her knee gardening during the previous autumn and it had taken a long time to heal. Worried that it might still be delicate, we used the services of a luggage transfer firm for the first time ever, although I wouldn’t say we’ve finally consigned back-packing to history. But for the WHW we would have the luxury of light packs every day.

Train tickets were booked a month in advance – to and from Clitheroe Station, so there were no worries about car parking. Our only challenge would be getting the two miles from home to Clitheroe Station with our heavy packs. So on Saturday 9 May we were finally packed and ready to go…


Photos: 1. Loch Lomond; 2. The impressive War Memorial at Rowardennan; 3. Ben Laoigh (Ben Lui) near Tyndrum; 4. Sron na Creise from Kings House.

Wot, anuvver Blog??

During the 'Wainwright Challenge' walk I did my best to maintain a blog so that friends and supporters could keep track of progress. Many of you said you enjoyed reading it (perhaps you were just being nice...) so I thought I'd repeat the exercise when, after a break of one whole week(!!), Val and I walked the West Highland Way. So, as time permits, I'll add a few pages and pictures. But if it takes a long time, please be patient: after nine weeks away from home I've a lot of catching up to do!!