Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 051 - Kinlochleven to Fort William

 

Day:	051
Date:	Tuesday, 22 June 2010
Start:	Kinlochleven
Finish:	Fort William
Daily Kilometres:	23.6
Total Kilometres:	1636.2
Weather:	Mostly sunny and warm with an occasional cool breeze
Accommodation:	Guesthouse B&B (£36)
Nutrition:	Scottish breakfast; egg mayonnaise roll for lunch; ?? for dinner
Aches:	Feet tired.
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	We woke at 7am, packed, and walked across to the same pub where we had dinner last night to get a cooked breakfast.  After that, we hit the trail at 8:45am and almost immediately encountered a stiff climb out of Kinlochewe.  It was a real heart starter after a big breakfast, but maintained a steady pace and soon levelled off above the treeline and high above the valley to the left.  We were back on the old military road, which we could see following the hill contours far into the distance in front of us.  The grades were now easier, but the road was very stony and hard on the feet.  In other places, there were loose rocks and stones which made walking awkward.  However, the day was again perfect for walking and we had sweeping views up and down the valley. We picked up a few walkers we recognised from yesterday and also slowly passed a spread out group of about a dozen French hikers of similar age, greeting each as we went by.  The path then climbed slowly up a branching valley and over the crest of a col to descend slowly into another valley.  We knew we had a relatively short day, so we planned to take a break half-way and then walk into Fort William for a late lunch. After three hours and about 12km we stopped by the trail for our break and enjoyed the view over a remote valley with a couple of farmhouses and a lovely small loch.  We were on our way again after 15 minutes and climbing up over another col that then led us down into Glen Nevis.  The path passed through some pretty pine forest and we had views of the huge Ben Nevis, highest mountain in the UK, directly in front of us.  We could see the path climbing up the side to the summit.  Both Ian and I had climbed on several occasions in the past, and it's a great hike. We finally reached Glen Nevis and followed a track along the southern side of the valley that gave us a clear view of the campground down there where I had camped with my family some 45 years ago, and I can still clearly remember climbing the mountain I was now walking along the side of.  The day had become quite warm and, although we were able to maintain a good pace, the hard stony surface added to our fatigue and we were both happy to reach Fort William around 2:15pm.  We split up and Ian went down to the railway station to check on his train time and I found my B&B and dumped my pack there before joining Ian at the station cafe for a late lunch.  After that, it was a long list of admin chores for me in this last significant town on my walk.  I had to collect maps from the Post Office, mail back the used ones, top up my prepaid mobile wireless internet, buy various pharmaceuticals, buy my train ticket from Thurso (near John O'Groats) back to London for the day after I'm scheduled to finish, and a few other things. I finished in time to have a last drink with Ian before he caught a 5:30pm train back to where he had left his car and then the 2-hour drive back to his home south of Glasgow.  We had a good time and he certainly kept me moving at a good pace.  I returned to the guesthouse for a shower and clothes wash, booked some more accommodation and then returned to town for dinner.  I ran out of time to buy the three days of food I need to carry and will have to do that on my way out of town tomorrow.  I have now worked out exactly where I will be staying and where each meal will be coming from for the next 12 days.  There are some inns I can stop at where I can get meals, but only small stores where I can buy food to carry on days 4 and 11.  I will also be doing quite a lot of hiking cross-country including, apparently fording a lot of streams, so I have bought a water-tight pack liner to keep my stuff dry, including this laptop, in case I slip and fall in.  Mobile phone and internet coverage may not be available at all during this time, so these may be the last updates until I finish on July 4th.

Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 050 - Bridge of Orchy to Kinlochleven

 

Day:	050
Date:	Monday, 21 June 2010
Start:	Bridge of Orchy
Finish:	Kinlochleven
Daily Kilometres:	35.4
Total Kilometres:	1612.6
Weather:	Mostly cloudy and mild.
Accommodation:	Bunkhouse (£14)
Nutrition:	Scottish breakfast; cheese and tomato roll for lunch; chilli con carne and apple pie and ice-cream for dinner
Aches:	Right knee sore (2/10)
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	The day didn't start too well.  Firstly, I sneaked quietly out of my bunkhouse dorm shared with two Spaniards at 7:10am, planning to wait in the hotel lounge until breakfast was served at 7:30am.  The hotel was locked up and the midges outside were horrendous, so I was chased back to the bunkhouse where the Spaniards were still asleep to read my book for 20 minutes.  At 7:30am I returned to the hotel and had a leisurely breakfast, expecting Ian to arrive around 9am.  When I finished breakfast and walked back to the bunkhouse at 8:30am, there was Ian waiting outside feeding the midges.  I sent him into the hotel foyer and hurriedly finished packing before we started walking at 8:45am.  Then, we were talking so much we missed the first turn and walked about 500m before realising our mistake and retracing our steps.  After that, the day went fine. Once again it was a perfect day for hiking.  Patchy cloud, cool temperatures and almost no wind.  After an initial climb we reached a crest revealing expansive views across mirror calm Loch Tulla, in a wide valley backed by steep treeless hills.  This was to be the pattern all day as the West Highland Way climbed gently around the sides of mountains and over cols.  There were some particularly striking mountains, such as Buachaille Etive Mor (1022m), and some almost perfectly symmetrical U-shaped glacial valleys.  Ian had been climbing in the area in the past and could name the mountains and tell stories about them, which added another dimension.  Ian keeps fit running mountain marathons and we maintained a good pace, walking to noon without a break.  There were quite a lot of other walkers on the trail, many of them from the Continent, but the scale of the valleys and mountains still frequently made us feel small and isolated. The only downside of the morning was that on some occasions the still conditions encouraged biting flies that were quite annoying. We stopped for lunch soon after 2pm at the bottom of the Devil's Staircase, the major climb for the day, and it was cool enough in the strong breeze that had sprung up for me to put on my sweater while we ate.  However, climbing the Devil's Staircase, a vertical gain of about 275m up a reasonably steep and zig-zagging trail, soon had us very warm again.  As we started the climb, a group of "lads" (a loud group of about a dozen 20+-year-olds), started right behind us, laughing, shouting, joking and swearing, and were soon right on our heels.  Ian maintained a steady pace, with me right behind and as the elevation climbed the laughing, shouting, joking, swearing and number of "lads" rapidly diminished until we reached the top with the nearest some 100m behind.  Experience beats youth again.  The view ahead of us from the top of the climb was spectacular, with another range of high mountains ahead and a large dam to our right.  From there, we had a long and draining descent down a rocky trail that gave us both sore feet and tired knees before we reached Kinlochleven at 5pm. We quickly found the bunkhouse where I had booked us for the night and were given a three bed room with ensuite for ourselves and it even had a TV.  Luxury for £14 each.  After we had showered and rinsed out our gear, we walked a few hundred metres to a pub where we had dinner, chatted and watched the Spain v Honduras game.  Both of us pleasantly tired from a long walk through spectacular country in excellent weather.  As the evening wore on the pub filled with walkers we had seen during the day, and it was quite busy and noisy.

Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 049 - Crianlarich to Bridge of Orchy

 

Day:	049
Date:	Sunday, 20 June 2010
Start:	Crianlarich
Finish:	Bridge of Orchy
Daily Kilometres:	22.3
Total Kilometres:	1577.2
Weather:	Sunny and warm with a cool breeze
Accommodation:	Hotel Bunkhouse B&B (£28)
Nutrition:	Continental breakfast; cheese & pickle sandwich and sausage roll for lunch; soup, fish and chips and peas, and sticky toffee pudding for dinner
Aches:	None really.
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	Knowing I had an easy day, I seemed to take longer to have breakfast and get going, and didn't leave the hostel until 8:45am.  It was already bright and sunny, though cool enough to make for very pleasant hiking.  For the first 20 minutes, I had to retrace my last steps from yesterday, back through the pine forest, to rejoin the West Highland Way. For most of its route after leaving Loch Lomond, the West Highland Way follows the 18th-century military road built by General Wade to pacify and control the Highlanders which makes for easy and very pleasant walking.  The grades are not too steep and the surface firm, if a little stony underfoot.  After a kilometre or two in the forest, the rest of the day was mostly in the open along the floor and sides of valleys bordered by high treeless mountains. I reached Tyndrum, half way for the day, late morning and stopped outside the store there in the sun enjoying a sausage roll and flavoured milk for a while.  There were a lot of walkers out making the most of the weekend's fabulous weather.  For the rest of the day, the pyramid-like Beinn Dorain (1074m) dominated the way ahead, but the scenery all around was classic Scottish Highlands and the easy walking meant that I could maintain a good pace, while still savouring the views.  Around 1pm, I found a shady spot by a bridge and had lunch, before walking the last 5km to the Bridge of Orchy, my destination for the day.  I checked into the hotel's bunkhouse at 3pm and had time for a quick shower and clothes rinse before returning to the hotel and enjoying the last hour of the Italy v NZ game over a large Diet Coke.  It was a good game and a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. After the game, I got on the phone and booked some places to stay after Fort William, finding out whether they would provide packed lunches as well as dinner, bed and breakfast.  There will only be one shop in the last 10 days, and only about five hotels, and I want to minimise the amount of food I will need to carry so, knowing whether I can get lunch helps the planning.  So far I have been able to get a room everywhere there's the possibility of accommodation, though a couple were a bit expensive. Tomorrow morning, my friend, Ian, drives up from near Glasgow and will meet me at the local station where he will leave his car and join me for the last two days on the West Highland Way to Fort William.  From there, he will catch a late-afternoon train (there aren't many on this line) back here to retrieve his car and drive home.  I'm grateful that he's taking the trouble to do this and I'm sure we will have a good few days, especially if the weather holds.

Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 048 - Rowardennan to Crianlarich

 

Day:	048
Date:	Saturday, 19 June 2010
Start:	Rowardennan
Finish:	Crianlarich
Daily Kilometres:	33.2
Total Kilometres:	1554.9
Weather:	Sunny and warm with a cool breeze
Accommodation:	Youth Hostel (£18)
Nutrition:	Scottish breakfast; ham & salad sandwich and ice-cream for lunch; chicken korma curry and sticky toffee pudding for dinner.
Aches:	Right knee sore (3/10) and right heel sore.
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	I was well looked after by the New Zealand manager of the hostel who couldn't have fitted much more cooked breakfast on my plate if he tried.  I didn't have a great night, with a persistent but spasmodic sharp pain in my left achilles tendon which kept waking me up, but by the morning it had gone....pinched nerve? I left the hostel around 8:30am on a beautiful sunny morning and headed north on the West Highland Way along the eastern bank of Loch Lomond, which I followed for the remainder of the morning.  It was rocky in parts, sometimes necessitating using hands to clamber up or down, and there were lots of exposed slippery roots, making the going very slow, but it was also very pretty, with the Loch to the left, clear water lapping on the rocks and occasional shingle beach, shaded by lovely old deciduous trees and bordered by green moss covered rocks.  Early on the midges were biting, but they were gone by 9:30am. I had my morning break at Inversnaid where I found a picnic bench in the sun and high above the water giving great views down the Loch.  It would have been easy to get my book out and spend the rest of the day sitting right there in the sun.  My right heel was a bit sore where the blister had been, so I spent some time putting a dressing over the area before continuing.  There were quite a few other walkers around, especially since it was the weekend, but mostly I had the path to myself and, although progress was slow, it was very enjoyable. I reached the Beinglas Farm where I intended to make my lunch stop around 2:30pm, considerably later than anticipated.  It was a sort of farm/pub/camping area and was very busy.  I bought an ice-cream and cold drink then walked a few hundred metres further along the path and ate them plus the sandwich I had got from the hostel in the morning.  By now, Loch Lomond had been left behind, and the path became easier walking although the scenery wasn't as spectacular.  The path more of less followed a rural valley upstream with high hills on both sides, but shared with a main road and a rail line, so not very remote.  I made faster time than I expected, listening to the Australia v Ghana game on my radio, and reached the turn-off to Crianlarich, where I had booked a bed in a hostel around 5pm.  The last kilometre was very enjoyable on a pine-needle-covered path descending through a pine forest with the rays of the late afternoon sun warming my back and dappling the path in front of me. I reached the hostel at 5:30pm and, although they had the record of my booking, the computer hadn't allocated me a bed in the booked-out hostel.  The South African manageress spent some time working out what to do with me, and eventually gave me a dorm room in the women's part of the hostel, and asked whether I would mind sharing it with any women if it came to that.  I said it was OK by me, but in the end they found a few more blokes to put in with me instead.  I did a load of washing in their machine before putting it in the dryer and walking a kilometre (that I would have preferred to have avoided) to a hotel to get some dinner.  It will be an easy day tomorrow, and then I will have just two weeks to go.

Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 047 - Kirkintilloch to Rowardennan

 

Day:	047
Date:	Friday, 18 June 2010
Start:	Kirkintilloch
Finish:	Rowardennan
Daily Kilometres:	53.5
Total Kilometres:	1521.7
Weather:	Overcast early, then sunny and warm
Accommodation:	Youth Hostel (£18)
Nutrition:	Donut and ham & cheese sandwich for breakfast; ham & cheese sandwich for lunch; steak & ale pie, vegetables and chips, and hot fudge sundae for dinner
Aches:	Right knee sore (3/10), deep blister on right heel
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	I got up at 5am and, after packing up and having a donut and coffee, left the hotel and a very quiet Kirkintilloch at 5:45am.  I was a man on a mission.  I had managed to book a bed at the Rowardennan Youth Hostel on Loch Lomond for the night, but knew it was probably more than 50km away, which would make it my longest day.  On the plus side, I knew that the first half would be relatively easy walking along a disused railway and then roads.  On the negative side, I knew it was forecast to be sunny and warm.  I calculated that if I could walk five sessions of two and a quarter hours each, I would average about 10km per session.  I carried a drink and snack for each break and would limit them to 15 minutes, except for lunch which would be 30 minutes. It was overcast and the early miles went fairly easily along the rail trail which passed through farmland backed by increasingly high hills, with the odd village every few kilometres.  There were a couple of people out early with dogs or riding bikes, but I mostly had it to myself.  I wasn't seeking to walk fast, just keep a steady pace.  By the time of my third (lunch) break, my route had joined the West Highland Way and left the rail line and roads for a conifer plantation in the hills.  The West Highland Way is a popular 88-mile walking track from near Glasgow to Fort William, and I had already caught a few walkers, including a man who had left Lands End about a month before me and was following the same guide book.  I had also entered "midge" territory and the tiny biting insect was quite an annoyance while stopped for lunch though not a bother while walking. As I climbed higher and left the forest for the moors, I got expansive views to the south over Loch Lomond and then, when the path passed over the shoulder of Conic Hill, I also had spectacular views north and west over Loch Lomond and a clear view of Ben Lomond.  It was a perfect summers day for sightseeing and as I descended from Conic Hill, I met quite a few walkers climbing the hill from the small village of Balmaha on the lake side, including a large group of teenagers, most of whom had very inappropriate footwear and clothing for hiking.....but they looked cool. I reached Balmaha around 3:30pm and took my last break there, enjoying an ice-cream and cold drink and watching all the holiday-makers.  After Balmaha, the West Highland Way followed the eastern shore of Loch Lomond northwards through pretty woods with occasional views and past stony beaches where quite a few people were swimming, sunbathing and camping.  By this time, I knew I was going to reach my goal sometime around 6:30pm, but I was getting quite tired and knew I had developed a deep blister on my right heel which was bothering me.  The fatigue was offset by the great scenery and the knowledge that I had set myself a stretch target which I would achieve comfortably. I knew the Youth Hostel did not serve evening meals and also that it was about a kilometre past the village of Rowardennan so, when I arrived at the latter, at almost exactly 6:30pm, I stopped in at the pub and had dinner.  The England v Algeria game was scheduled for 7:30pm and I was tempted to stay and watch it, but was very tired and desperately needed a shower and to take my boots off.  I finished dinner and wandered the last kilometre to the Youth Hostel and checked in at 7:30pm.  The first thing I did was about five minutes deep probing with my penknife trying to find the blister deep under the callus on my right heel.  Eventually, I struck pay dirt!  It turned out they had a TV at the hostel and, after I had a shower and rinsed my gear out, I was in time to watch the last half of what had proved to be a poor standard game. I have about 32km tomorrow to the next Youth Hostel which should be an easier day, but I will try to make sure I don't waste time so that I arrive in sufficient time to do a much-needed load of washing tomorrow night.

Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 046 - Falkirk to Kirkintilloch

 

Day:	046
Date:	Thursday, 17 June 2010
Start:	Falkirk
Finish:	Kirkintilloch
Daily Kilometres:	30.0
Total Kilometres:	1468.2
Weather:	Sunny and warm with a light breeze
Accommodation:	Hotel B&B (£40)
Nutrition:	Scottish breakfast; beef pie, chips and peas for lunch; chicken tikka masala and sticky toffee pudding and custard for dinner
Aches:	Few sore spots on feet
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	After a 7:30am breakfast, I left the hotel around 8:15am and walked down the waking high street of Falkirk on what promised to be a beautiful day.  The sun was shining, but it was pleasantly cool and I was looking forward to a shorter day.  After a kilometre or two, I met the Forth & Clyde Canal and began following its towpath westwards.  The canal surrounds were park-like and there were many people out exercising or walking to work.  On the edge of town, I came to the Falkirk Wheel, which marked the intersection of the Union Canal, which I was following yesterday, and the Forth & Clyde Canal.  The former 25 metres higher than the latter.  When originally built, they were apparently connected by a stair of 11 locks which ceased to operate in 1963, when the canals fell into disuse.  In 2002, the canals were reopened for recreation use and National Lottery funding was used to build the unique wheel.  It was certainly an unusual piece of engineering and I was fortunate to see it in operation as they "warmed up" for the day's pleasure cruises.  I hung around watching for a while, but decided to get moving just as coach loads of tourists began to arrive for the cruises around 9:30am. I then ended up walking for a steady three hours along the Forth & Clyde canal without a stop in the warm sun, pleasantly tempered by a cool westerly breeze.  There were no boats at all along the Canal, but plenty of people using the towpath for recreation - walking, fishing, cycling, drinking - many of the men with their shirts off exposing very pallid Scottish skins.  I left the Canal at Kilsyth, where I had to walk about two kilometres into town before I found a pub where I could have some lunch and watch the inevitable World Cup game.  Kilsyth seemed a bit run down and socially deprived.  After lunch, I found a footpath that took me back to the Canal for my last 10km of the day to Kirkintilloch.  It was getting pretty warm, especially when sheltered from the breeze, and I was happy to finally get to the larger town, also looking a bit run down, around 3:30pm.  I could only find one hotel, which looked a little pricey, but the manager took pity on me and gave me a room for £40 instead of the listed £70, although I could only have a continental breakfast if I wanted it before 8:30am. I had a quick shower and then made more calls and online bookings to finalise my accommodation for the next five days.  Some places were fully-booked and I now have a very long day tomorrow of just under 50km, to reach the Rowardennan Youth Hostel.  To give myself a reasonable chance, I've decided to get a very early start and skip breakfast at the hotel.  I bought supplies for breakfast and lunch at the supermarket on my way back from The Wetherspoon's Pub where I had dinner tonight. This may well be my last night of good internet and phone coverage before John O'Groats in two and a half weeks, so daily reports may come out in batches, at best.  I'm heading into the Scottish Highlands tomorrow and am scheduled to finish on Sunday, 4 July.

Lands End to John O'Groats - Day 045 - East Calder to Falkirk

Day:	045
Date:	Wednesday, 16 June 2010
Start:	East Calder
Finish:	Falkirk
Daily Kilometres:	38.5
Total Kilometres:	1438.2
Weather:	Overcast, mild and humid
Accommodation:	Hotel B&B (£40)
Nutrition:	Scottish breakfast; macaroni cheese and chips for lunch; bangers and mash and caramel apple pie and custard for dinner.
Aches:	Feet sore with a few hot spots
Pictures:	Here
GPS Track:	Here
Journal:	I slept reasonably well, despite seemingly being under the flightpath for Edinburgh Airport, and wasn't disturbed by any of the locals.  I got up at 7am and was walking by 7:45am, with the aim of reaching Broxburn for breakfast.  My route for the whole day pretty much involved walking on canal towpaths and I soon reached the Union Canal at Lin's Mill Aqueduct which carried the Canal high above the River Almond.  The engineering and vision for building this kind of infrastructure back in the 19th Century always impresses me.  The calculations and surveying they must have done to get all the levels right is mind-boggling. There are pros and cons of canal towpath walking.  On the positive side, the walking is flat and it's possible to maintain a good speed and cover log distances.  On the negative side, the footing is often hard and the scenery can be monotonous if the vegetation is high along the canal sides.  Having your foot fall exactly the same way every time on the even hard surface is a recipe for sore feet and mine became quite sore and tired during the day. Broxburn seemed to be a socially-deprived small town, with plenty of boarded up shops and people lounging in the main street.  I reached there about 9:15am and found a cafe where I ordered breakfast.  After considering my options for the day, I decided to walk to Linlithgow for lunch and Falkirk for the night, without really knowing how far each was.  I rejoined the canal towpath, which had no canal boats at all, and set myself to walk to Linlithgow.  A kilometre or so out of town, I passed a gypsy camp, a collection of caravans and motor-homes parked on an industrial vacant lot adjacent to the canal, and shortly after some huge old orange slag heaps.  There were a few other users of the narrow towpath, and I was surprised a few times by cyclists coming up behind me, but generally I had it to myself. It was humid and the temperatures mild and I felt pretty grubby after my night camping.  Looking forward to a shower.  I can get BBC4 on my radio again, after a few days out of range, and that gave me something to listen to on a day which was becoming quite arduous.  I plodded on, counting up the bridges over the canal which are all assigned numbers, but that didn't seem to make the miles go any quicker.  A lot of the time I was in a sort of green tunnel, but I also had periods where I could see out across the rural landscape to the many towns and villages, factories, construction sites and in the distance to the north, the Firth of Forth and the Highlands.  The canal was close to a rail line, the main Edinburgh-Glasgow link, I think, and trains were whizzing by regularly in both directions. It took longer than I hoped, but I eventually reached the busy tourist town of Linlithgow, where I had a quick look around the ruins of the Palace before finding a pub for lunch where I could watch some of the World Cup.  I left there about 1:45pm for the walk to Falkirk, reputedly a large town, where I hoped to arrive soon after 4pm and be easily able to find some accommodation.  The afternoon passed slowly, and my feet became sore and tired, but I trudged on, counting up the bridge numbers.  I have found the BBC radio station which broadcasts all World Cup games live, so I have been listening to that.  Not as good as on TV, but still interesting to me.  Another high aqueduct took the Canal over the Avon River before I eventually reached the outskirts of Falkirk around 4:30pm.  Before heading into the centre of town, I decided to complete the section which took the Union Canal through the 631 metre long Falkirk Tunnel.  It was quite an experience, with dim lighting, and water falling from the rocky roof in many places' making it dank and eerie.  At the other end I left the Canal and walked a kilometre into the centre of Falkirk, where it took me a little while to eventually find a hotel offering accommodation soon after 5pm. I spent time after dinner trying to book some of my nights for the next week, including my four days on the West Highland Way, which I hear is very busy at present.  I still have a few nights to sort out and may end up camping a few times.  I also finally managed to connect with friend, Ian, skipper of the yacht we used in the UK Three Peaks Race back in 2004, who lives near Glasgow.  He's going to come up and join me for the last two days of the West Highland Way, which will be fun. I'm a bit ahead of where I need to be and will, therefore, have a few easier days coming up which my feet will welcome.  Tomorrow is mostly canal walking again and the weather forecast to be more of the same.