A view over Loch Lomond from the West Highland Way.
And another.
The view from our accommodation at Balmaha (pronounced Balmaha!) showing a helicopter about to land.
When I took this photo I thought that I was capturing a Highland Cattle bull - however Jean doesn't think that it is a Highland Cattle, any ideas?Today I walked the 14 miles from Drymen to Rowardennan. I can know officially announce that this is pronounced Row ar denn un (with "row" being pronounced as in an argument rather than as in rowing a boat). The early part of the walk - the 6 miles to Balmaha was very easy walking with very good even, well marked paths on relatively flat terrain. I did however opt for the easier "lower" route which misses out Conic Hill - I am not here to climb mountains! The second section to Rowardennan was however very tough with lots of up and downhill sections and the paths in many places were of more dubious quality. Towards the end I resorted to the road to avoid further punishment. This means that I will not be able to claim that I have walked the WHW but this is not my objective - getting to JOG is!
The weather is still bright and sunny - a few degrees lower would be ideal for walking.
I am pleased to sat that my various leg problems are holding up well. I have worn boots rather than trainers for the last 2 days and this gives my ankles more support over the uneven ground. There were a few times today when my left ankle had an opportunity to be painful as I stumbled on loose rocks etc but it did not take them - let's hope that this continues.
Tomorrow I walk to Inverarnan which is again about 14 miles. My guide book says that this section is generally recognised as one of the toughest of the Way. So although 14 miles is less than I normally achieve in a day it may still be a good challenge. I had a good reminder today that all miles are not equal. In any event I will have to make it to Inverarnan as the road does not go past Rowardennan. After dropping me of Jean will have to retrace her route south down the east side of the loch and then travel north on the west side to meet me to the north of the loch (are you still following this?).
Martin told me in an email that the BBC had a feature on the trouble that the midges were causing this year, and he asked me to recount my experiences so far. I think that he was probably looking for some tales of woe - if so he will be disappointed to learn that we have not yet encountered any midges. My insect repellent spray and wipes are still waiting to be used. I expect that they will be soon.
I would like to thank Eddie (who I met on the Way yesterday) for already making a donation on justgiving.com. Really appreciated, thanks Eddie.
Today's KBW's are :-
Martin - for his continued communications via email,
Eddie - for proving that there are still some good guys out there.
"Walking gets the feet moving, the blood moving ,the mind moving. And movement is life." - Bruce Chatwin
Cheers
Keith
